Some of you are familiar with the ubiquitous Cosmopolitan Magazine quiz and for those of […]
Tag: Quitting Seems Like a Decent Option
It’s Official, the Only Way to Get a Decent Raise Is by Leaving Your Firm
As public accountants pull the ripcord and bail out from their firms in droves for […]
A Tax Manager Debates Sticking It Out For Just One More Busy Season
With busy season over, many of you are thinking about your next career move. Over […]
CPA Didn’t Count on Little League World Series Mom Telling Him to Take Her Job and Shove It
Most of the time when you ask for time off, your superiors don't have much […]
PwC Employee Dreams of Small Firm Utopia
Tuesday got you down? Wonder how to best waste all that PTO you haven't been […]
It Is Never Unreasonable to Quit a “Good Job” If You Hate Your Life
Are you missing out on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Email us your […]
A Checklist for Leaving Public Accounting
This is the fifth entrant from the Going Concern freelancer candidates. The following is by […]
Here’s Your Open Thread for PwC Compensation Discussions (2012)
Now that you're all adequately prepared, the conversations that will probably make or break many […]
Groupon’s CFO Should Quit
Last Friday, Groupon announced that some of their numbers weren't exactly up to snuff. This […]
Those Annoying Recruiter Calls Might Be Slowing Down Next Quarter
In a few weeks, many of you plugging along through busy season will decide to […]
What’s the Cutoff Date for Leaving Your Accounting Firm Pre-Busy Season?
Are you in desperate need for advice from one of the GC hacks? Email us […]
Here’s Another Accountant Feeling Sorry For Himself Because He Doesn’t Know What to Do with His Life
Personally, I don’t know I have the energy for this shit today but here’s a sob story we’ve all heard before:
I was born to be a lot of things, but being an accountant isn’t one of them. In my heart of hearts I have always known this, but for some stupid subconscious reason, I have always ignored it.
Why? Well…um…err…I didn’t know what else to do.
Okay, I’ll jump in now – this just pisses me off. Why? Because I have the solution and it’s easy. Quit. Immediately. I don’t give a baker’s fuck if you don’t know what else to do; don’t wait, just quit your job. I spoke with a friend recently who has been with a Big 4 firm for over ten years. This person was in a similar situation as this guy, not sure what to do other than what they were doing right now (i.e. “auditing”). Then they decided that enough was enough. Forget the money. Forget not having a plan. They just up and quit without a plan. I was so thrilled to hear someone finally going with their gut rather than thinking about all the practical bullshit that ties people down. Speaking of, what’s this guy’s excuse?
You might be left asking, “If you hate it so much, then why don’t you just leave?”
I’m the first person to berate myself for sticking with it for so long. It never helped that accounting, and the financial sector for that matter, pays so well and instantaneously blindsides with dollar signs. I was always caught up chasing the next pay cheque, hanging around a few more months for a bonus and salary hike, and holding my breath for my well-deserved promotion.
The result always afforded me the trips overseas, a new car, the latest gadgets, elevation up the clothing-label food chain, gambling in a few shares here and there, and even a deposit on an investment property. Important things in a twenty-something year-old’s life, right?
It sounds like I’m making excuses. Well I am. It’s hard to walk away. But hey, if it pays well and the bills get paid, shouldn’t that be enough? And shouldn’t I just be grateful to even have a job in this economic climate?
First off, you’re using the money as the excuse. Money is a terrible excuse. Sell your car. Sell your investment property. For God sake, pull your money out of the casino that is the world’s financial markets. And the mantra “I should be grateful to have a job in this economy” is the biggest crock. Grateful for a job you hate? That’s like being grateful to be getting laid with a partner that’s lousy in bed and hates your guts. What’s the point? Go find something you want to do and never look back. Life is too short to be wasting it doing something you don’t want to do. This is not Earth-shattering advice but sometimes it bears repeating. Will your life change? You bet your ass it will and it’ll be better for it.
And that’s goes for anybody else. You know who you are. Don’t wait for this year’s busy season to come and go so you can see what the raise will be or to get another bonus. I assure you that you’ll still be miserable. Probably more so. There’s still time to save yourself. You’ll thank me. But you don’t have to.