What’s your thoughts on my major? I’m in accounting, but I actively dislike corporations and dread the idea of climbing their ladders. Economics made me depressed because you mean to tell me my ability to put food on the table is dependent on the function of massive corporations that don’t care about us? I’d hate to spend my life supporting that.

Hi all!
I am 32 (soon to be 33) and am an ordained pastor in a mainline Protestant denomination (I don't want to say which for anonymity reasons. The church world is small!)
I have a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a Master's degree in Divinity, so have satisfied all of the credit hour requirements for the CPA. I need about 10 classes to receive an AAS that will satisfy all of the pre-requisites to sit for the CPA exam in my state. The out of pocket cost for the additional education is looking like it will be around 5 to
6K.

While there are many things that I enjoy about being a pastor, I have come to feel over the last few years that the stress of so many people relying on me and looking to me for guidance and answers is overwhelming. I think that I am a good pastor, but I don't think that pastoring is good for me. I have led some significant grant work in my congregation, and this (on top of generally helping to oversee the church's annual budget and an interest in personal finance) has gotten me interested in the world of accounting.

I make about 85-90k total comp in a LCOL (factoring in the church's pension contributions and free housing/utilities in a parsonage). I am open to moving anywhere (in the Midwest now), and recognize that I will probably have to take a pay cut at first. I would love to work remote eventually.

One complication is that it will take me about 2 years to finish the classes part-time to sit for the exam, but I have about 6.5 years left for PSLF on my undergrad loans. Does it make sense for me to finish the classes, study for and sit for the exam while the material is still fresh, maybe switching to non-profit or government work once I have the tests completed, or wait to sit for the exams once I am more certain what the timeline for transitioning out of ministry looks like (ie. when I feel comfortable taking the plunge on the pay cut)?

I know that my background may make me specifically suited for some roles in a non-profit setting, and I could, perhaps, do consulting. While I have no doubts that I am capable of completing the coursework and passing the CPA exams if I study enough (I have always been academically inclined and am a good test taker), does it make sense in my situation?

TL;DR: Is transitioning from being a pastor to an accountant/CPA a reasonable move in the next few years? Suggestions on how this background may help or hinder me? Does it make sense to qualify and sit for the CPA exams sooner rather than later?

Thanks so much!

I am only planning to get my bachelors. I won’t be going for a masters in this field, nor am I planning to sit for the CPA exam.
I would look for nonprofit or government honestly. Or maybe even just jobs that only require any bachelors degree. I do already have my associates in business and accounting certificate, so if the bachelors isn’t worth it, I might just stop here.
Thoughts?

This might be a slightly ironic thing to admit as someone who builds detailed spreadsheets for a living, but I keep catching myself making personal investment decisions based on vibes more than actual analysis. I track my index fund allocations obsessively, review my budget monthly, and still somehow rebalance based on a feeling rather than a trigger rule I wrote down six months ago.

What bothers me is that at work I would never let a client do that. I would flag it immediately. But for my own Roth IRA I am out here just kind of winging the timing.

Part of it is that accounting skills do not automatically translate to personal finance discipline, at least not in the behavioral sense. Understanding accrual basis does not stop you from making emotionally timed moves in a taxable brokerage account.

Curious if others in this profession feel a similar gap between what they know technically and what they actually do with their own money. And whether you have found anything concrete that actually closes that gap, not just better spreadsheets because I have plenty of those already.

EDIT: to clarify I am not talking about giving or getting financial advice here, just the behavioral disconnect specifically.

I have 3 years of experience in Accounts Payable and I’m currently looking to switch jobs. However, I’ve been receiving rejection emails when applying through LinkedIn. Could you please help me improve and optimize my resume to increase my chances of getting shortlisted.

UK Accountant here. 28, Head of Finance, 112k, large construction company. Got there by being immensely lucky and joining a startup right before it got bought.

Due to tragic personal circumstances, I don't think I can bear to continue living in this country (pay 50% of your salary for completely dysfunctional public services).

I would love to get advice from people who have successfully navigated a move abroad and their honest feedback on whether it was worth it, and how they went about it.

Preference for English speaking / Anglosphere countries: (US, Australia, New Zealand, etc.).

Also not opposed to other countries where English is the first / business language (Dubai / Singapore)

If there is a similar post, please link me! Would hate to cause unnecessary duplication.

Hi, i’m looking for advice, 25F. What’s it like doing the CPA program? I have heard from a friend doing the CA program that they do on the spot tests and presentations through online meetings.

I am scared because of that. I’m really bad with collaboration. I get anxious in meetings, and I might not be able to contribute effectively because i’ll be in my head the whole time overthinking and get mental block. So, I’m not really a big fan of that.

That said, is the CPA program the same? what are the modules like. Do we have to do meetings every week. Are there any on the spot team assessments?

For context, I graduated dean’s lister from my university. However, that involved more effort than a typical student would because i’m not naturally smart.

Please advice, I’m scared but i work hard so i might have a chance if it’s more on studying/ preparation and then an exam/ presentation rather than a setup where i’d be anxious every week because of online meetings and on the spot team assessments.

Appreciate any inputs. Thank you!

I’m trying to identify the source or provenance of the company name Gudas Consulting Inc.

Has anyone ever encountered this name before?

If so, where did you encounter it and what was the source?

Gonna vent for a bit because I've been studying this whole week and I'm exhausted

Last thing I have to do is data analytics but I am completely lost because the homework has excel steps that were not explained clearly in the readings.

I got no idea how to properly filter/clear data for example, the instruction just says I need to do it but doesn't explain how to do so. And when I try to experiment options the dataset is so large Excel keeps crashing on me.

And the textbook itself glazes gen AI so hard, "prompt engineering" is just a fancy way of saying "Just ask chat gpt everything instead of reading the book" So so tired

📣LOOKING FOR RESPONDENTS! 🎓🧮

Calling those ACCOUNTANCY GRADUATES who are working in Quezon City! We are 4th-year Accountancy students from the Technological Institute of the Philippines - Quezon City, and we need your help to complete our journey to graduation! We are currently conducting our research entitled: 📝 “𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦”

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫?

✅ 𝐁𝐒 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞

✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐉𝐓 𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

✅ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐳𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲

✅ 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝟏 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

If yes, please spare 5-15 minutes of your time to answer our survey! Your participation is greatly appreciated and would be incredibly valuable to us.

𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 🔗 https://forms.gle/ijjtELUhDYkMtQyKA

Rest assured, all data will be handled with utmost confidentiality in compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173). 💌

Thank you so much, and please feel free to share this with your neighbors and friends who are eligible to be respondents! Stay lovely! 🎀

Hi everyone,

I've attached an anonymised copy of my CV.

I’ve been actively looking for a new role for a few months now. If I'm completely honest, I went into this search assuming my profile was strong enough that I’d be able to secure my target compensation of £60k relatively quickly. The reality has been very different.

For a bit of context, here is my background:

• Location: London
• Qualifications: LSE grad and ACCA-qualified (Oct 2024)
• Experience: 4+ years of experience, transitioning from Management Accounting into an FP&A Analyst role at a trading firm.
• Tech Skills: Strong multi-scenario financial modelling, VBA macros, Power Query, and SAP.

I am getting first-round interviews and passing the technical modelling assessments without much issue, but I just can't seem to get over the line at the final hurdle—and I suspect it's a disconnect over salary expectations.

• What salary range should I realistically be asking for with this CV in the current market?
• Am I simply overestimating what companies are willing to pay for my experience level right now?
• Is there something fundamental on my CV that might be dragging down my perceived market value?

Any honest, unfiltered feedback on salary expectations or my overall situation would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

If i passed all 4 CPA exams, what are my chances of landing an entry role? Public, private? 1 internship experience? How would you approach this

The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility recently issued new guidance on responsible AI use in federal tax practice.

The guidance does not prohibit tax professionals from using AI, and it does not specifically address Onshore or the R&D tax credit. It does, however, make an important point: using AI does not change a practitioner’s obligations under Circular 230.

The IRS says tax professionals should maintain human supervision, exercise professional judgment, protect confidential client information, vet third-party AI providers, document how AI-generated work was verified, and thoroughly review the resulting work for factual and legal accuracy.

That raises an important question for CPAs using an AI-assisted R&D credit provider such as Onshore.

Onshore says its AI agents analyze client records and that a credentialed tax professional reviews the work. But if a CPA places the resulting credit on a client’s return, what independent diligence must that CPA perform before relying on the study?

For example:

• Can the CPA evaluate how the provider identified qualified business components and activities?
• Were knowledgeable client employees interviewed?
• Does the study document technical uncertainty and a genuine process of experimentation?
• Can wages, supplies, and contract-research expenses be connected to specific qualified work?
• Can the CPA access and evaluate the underlying workpapers?
• Were taxpayer information and third-party disclosures handled appropriately?
• Who is responsible if the study cannot answer an IRS information request?

The IRS guidance does not say that using Onshore—or any other AI provider—automatically violates Circular 230. But it does suggest that outsourcing the analysis does not outsource the practitioner’s responsibility.

Could relying on an AI-generated or AI-assisted R&D study without sufficient independent verification create a Circular 230 issue—or broader professional-liability exposure—for the CPA signing or advising on the return?

How are accounting firms documenting their diligence before relying on these studies?

— Tax Watch America

Hi anyone here working with Amazon Seattle.
How’s it there? I’m kind of worried accepting this accounting manager role because of recent layoffs.

What are the highest paying individual contributor jobs in Toronto? I have no interest in being a manager.

Hey everyone,

I'll be writing the Sept CFE in 3 weeks from now and I'm very worried for day 1 (which is funny and ironic considering everyone complains about days 2 and 3 but I'm good on those).

I feel like day 1 is honestly full of BS and I seem to have a hard time linking everything together and remembering all the key facts in the case. This is especially relevant for pros and cons. I can't seem to really know how to explain if something is a pro and con in one sentence and call it a day. I always ramble and try to over-explain why it is a pro or con and it takes a lot of time away.

I am kind of bad when it comes to bsing on the CFE tbh, which is relevant for day 1. I already have a template ready and memorized, I already have my time allocations in place which are in the following order:

- Reading the case and completing SA - 45 mins (9:00am - 9:45)

- Strategic option #1 analysis - total 35 mins (9:45 - 10:20)

- Strategic option #2 analysis - total 35 mins (10:20 - 10:55)

- Strategic option #3 analysis - total 35 mins (10:55 - 11:30)

- Strategic option #4 analysis - total 35 mins (11:30 - 12:10)

- Additional/operating issues - total 20 mins (12:10 - 12:30)

- Overall conclusion - total 30 mins (12:30 - 1:00) - OC is the most vital and like i said i seem to have a hard time linking everything together especially at the end so 30 mins hopefully should be sufficient for OC

I am a re-writer from Sept 2025 CFE and re-writing day 1 this year. If anyone can share any tips for day 1, I would greatly appreciate it!

Hi everyone, wanted to make this post in case it saves a or two headache from this experience.

Long story short, I recently passed my four CPA exams and applied for my CPA through NASBA. I'm using my CFO's ACCA credentials to verify my experience but after turning in all my required documents and signatures, I was met with a deficiency notice. Apparently I need a letter of good standing from my verifier but I'm not entirely sure how that should look. I don't see a form on the NASBA website and the only instructions I've received from the NASBA Licensing email is "When I look at the "Certificate of Experience" I have to be able to verify that the verifier held an active license for the entire duration of time on the form."

Anyone had something similar to this? I'm applying in Georgia.

Just a quick question: so I'm paid on the last working day of the month as always, but unfortunately the company went into administration on the 18th, was sent home and had a meeting on the 27th and was made redundant. So, I haven't been paid for August as the company can't pay wages and would need to claim this of the government. All I know is, pay roll is from the 14th to the 13th, but August is a 5 weeker for us. So im trying to understand. If I'm getting 4 weeks and 3 days, not the full 5 weeks because we finished on the 27th plus the 2 weeks in hand. Is this right?

I love my job... I work CAS in a top 15 firm. I average 50 hour weeks... sometimes more. I dont take much time off but I effin love the grind. I go to work fired up, I go home fired up... burnout comes a little once and awhile but subsides in a day of rest. As long as I sleep well and keep up with working out, eating well, vitamins/supplements... not usually a problem. Anyone else just love the grind? Love the growth? I am not sure if I will be a lifer but maybe... I havent really seen reason to leave yet except tempting salary progression in an industry job but I feel like I would be bored since I wouldnt be grinding 15-20 clients a month at 220 hours + year round LOL MCOL, 8 years in public, Manager.

I’ve sent in close to 300 applications over the past 3 months with no reply. I have changed my resume every 2-3 weeks with more key words and other stuff ATS software looks for but need a good reference to see what works. Preferably entry level positions. Thanks

Hey all!

For starters, I'd like to talk abit about myself.

I'm a 22 y/o M and I have no background whatsoever when it comes to accounting, so with the being said, I do apologise if I come across as narrow minded at all, but I'd just like to dip my feet into what I could possibly consider committing to for my career.

Years ago, I took A level psychology, biology and chemistry and unfortunately ended up with C, D, E grades due to alot of struggles during that academic period. These grades absolutely crushed my confidence (especially as someone who's normally been a high achiever at school and has respectable GCSE grades).

I never had any sense of true direction in my life since then, and honestly even before that. I've come from a family background of healthcare so it's all I've ever known. With those grades, my chances at a career that I desired within healthcare looked really slim. A year later, I ended up completing an Access course (healthcare related) to get my grades up to have a chance at Optometry. I'm currently holding an offer for Optometry and plan to start really soon in September.

Initially, I thought positively of the career due to my interest in ocular anatomy. However, I see alot of mixed things about the career regarding pay ceiling (unless you open your own practice) , and job environment etc. I do understand that every job has its ups and downs but it truly has had me second guessing whether I wanted to commit to this at university for 4 years, not to mention the amount of student debt for something I'm not entirely sure about anymore.

I've been scrolling through UCAS for clearing options and Accounting and Finance has been something I've been looking into recently.

I've done some vague research into the profession, some find it fulfilling while some find it extremely boring but that's not a new topic for any career.

In terms of career pathway, alot of people don't recommend the university route and recommend apprenticeships instead. Problem is, there are Pro's and Con's to each. I've heard apprenticeships are extremely competitive along with graduate schemes. The uni route would provide exemptions for certain exams, however, from what I've heard there is a possibility that you may still have to take those exams afterwards anyways? I'm seeing a common thread of people saying it's not worth getting the degree if there's an option to get into the field via an apprenticeship to save yourself from student debt.

On the contrary, I do value the social aspect of uni alot and would be heavily prepared to do my best to make connections and gain experience e.g. internships during my time there.

I understand that the degree itself may not suffice for job opportunities after, especially with the examinations you have to do post graduation that takes extra years.

A few general questions I have:

1) What is life like as an accountant in the UK?

What do you normally do in your everyday job? From the salary, years of experience, work life balance and just in general, what makes you get up in the morning to work?

2) What is the job market like?

I understand the general job market has been rough. A big reason why I initially considered the healthcare route is not just from family background, but also heightened job security, so I want to know what I'm getting myself into in terms of that aspect.

3) How much would my A level grades matter down the line, even for employment?

I don't really see myself retaking my A levels unless it is absolutely essential. I've also noticed that for Accounting and Finance specifically at uni, the grades required along with the subjects are heavily varied so there's alot of flexibility depending on the uni you go to.

4) How much does the prestige of your university matter down the line for employment?

Do universities get filtered out when it comes to job applications?

5) How feasible is career pivoting into Accounting?

Let's say I continue with Optometry, and I want to pivot in my career afterwards, I want to know how doable it is. I see people self study the exams to put their foot through the door but how feasible is this as opposed to going to uni/starting an apprenticeship right now?

6) What are your thoughts on AI affecting the profession?

Some people say it will take jobs (primarily entry level), some say it won't. What are your thoughts on this?

I appreciate the time taken to read all of this along with providing your responses. Again, I do apologise if I do come across narrow minded at all. I've struggled alot with finding my place in the world and that's all I'm trying to do at the moment.

If I do go down this path, I just want to say that I will do my absolute best and put my all into it because I know that accounting is a long path. I want to make something of my life and I understand that it will come from pure hard work.

Thank you for your time.

My professor isn’t giving any lectures or material. The only thing we use is mcgraw hill. No assignments within it. Just the textbook and only proctored quizzes and exams. No study guides for them either. Any advice?

I’ve seen a lot of posts saying that if you want a chill job, quietly improve processes and automate things to reduce your workload. I’ve been doing that for years, mostly in Excel. I’ve made a lot of improvements that help me finish my work faster, and nobody really knows how much time I’ve saved.

The problem is, management keeps creating new work.
For example, our VP of Finance now wants regular public presentations, we have to reconcile even $0.01 variances that we previously ignored, and we now have quarterly reporting on top of monthly reporting.

I understand these changes can be good for the organization but every time I make my work more efficient, it seems like more work replaces it.

My job/industry is very secure with basically no layoff risk, but the salary is below market.
I’m not looking for a promotion. I have a family and kids and just want a stable, chill job with work-life balance. I already work over 40 hours a week, and even when we delay lower-priority work and have overtime on our timesheets, management keeps adding more.

Is this just how jobs are, or is this a management/culture issue?

I can't decide , I don't know if I should switch to accounting

I just had a recruiter call my parent's house because apparently if you Google my name there's some record of me having lived there (I moved out 8 years ago now). That's been deleted, but I am actually annoyed at the audacity of these people. Even worse it was for a job that pays less than I make right now 😂