New CPA Outraged By Unlicensed Colleague’s Superior Desk Situation

A card-carrying member of the GC Mafia sent us this Another 71 forum post on Twitter, with the request that we troll it. Ask and ye shall receive, friend.

Here's the TL;DR: OP has his CPA and his Senior Associate does not. OP's billing rate will soon be higher than said Senior, a fact that he will repeat many times in this thread. The Managing Partner asked OP if the fact that the loser, exam-failing Senior has an office and he has a windowless cube upsets him. OP says it does. OP wants to know if switching desks with this loser would be cool.

Read on:

I passed all my exams in Dec of 2013 and got licensed as a CPA in the middle of last year. At my firm we have cubicles for the staff accountants and also offices that supervisors and seniors get to share. Well me and a Senior accountant were both going for our CPA's in 2012 and 2013. I passed my exams and the Senior did not pass theirs. In fact that the senior has now ultimately decided not to pursue her CPA anymore.

Since that time my billing rate has increased to the same as theirs….. and for this upcoming tax season, the managing partner has told me that my billing rate will now be higher than the Senior accountants and my title will now the same or actually a higher titled position than theirs.

He also brought up if I don't like the fact the I'm still in a windowless cubicle while my co-worker (who has decided not to pursue the CPA designation after being unable to complete the exams with a passing score), Has an Office…and To be honest, it does. My billing rate is higher than theirs and management has told me that my skill level has surpassed theirs in many areas of tax and accounting.

My question to you all is this……..I know if we switch desks, it would be awkward in the office, but at the same time, I have earned my spot in the firm through hard work and through hours of studying to advance my skill to get my billing rate up……..So, should I feel bad or not try and push the issue? Or should I tell him that I do deserve the switch and push the issue (he already told me that he is strongly considering it before I even brought the topic up)?

Reminder: this guy's billing rate will be higher than the Senior's. Just in case we forgot, he clarifies this later in the thread:

Let me clarify a bit. The person was my senior….I have now passed them in both Title – (I am now a tax senior about to be promoted to a higher titled position)…. and I have passed them in billable rate (my billable rate is now higher than theirs). Soooooo….basically I am now in a higher position, a CPA, and I have a higher billing rate…but I am still in a cubicle while they have an office.

"My billable rate is now higher than thiers" is totally the new "I drive a Dodge Stratus!"

Does he deserve the nice office? Really, they should just make all the loser exam failers work out of a bathroom stall. Only real CPAs get the offices!