Can I run competitively if I become an accountant?

experience wrote:

Do it. And then when you turn 35 and aren't PRing anymore, have fun looking at your former peers who made their careers a priority and are now successful and rich...while you're just another loser accountant going through the motions of another day at the office and dreaming of that week's Turkey Trot.

You have your whole life to make money.

Staying healthy is more important.

Make running and health a priority

International tax CPA wrote:

You have your whole life to make money.

No you don't. Careers are built in people's 20s and 30s. You don't suddenly wake up at 40 with the resume of a slacker and say, "ok...time to be successful now." But keep telling yourself that having a successful career and being healthy are mutually exclusive in order to justify your own choices.

experience wrote:

International tax CPA wrote:

You have your whole life to make money.

No you don't. Careers are built in people's 20s and 30s. You don't suddenly wake up at 40 with the resume of a slacker and say, "ok...time to be successful now." But keep telling yourself that having a successful career and being healthy are mutually exclusive in order to justify your own choices.

Keep wishing you'd really gone for it and ran some quality times and won some big races. You're not any less of a man because you never broke 16.

experience wrote:

Do it. And then when you turn 35 and aren't PRing anymore, have fun looking at your former peers who made their careers a priority and are now successful and rich...while you're just another loser accountant going through the motions of another day at the office and dreaming of that week's Turkey Trot.

Yes, you can be a workaholic and a serious runner. I was once both of those at the same time. But you can't fit a wife and two kids in with those, and probably not a wife and no kids. Come home after another 12 hour day and go straight to the bathroom to s--- and change cloths and go run? Every day? Guess what I had to give up.

Not a CPA wrote:

experience wrote:

Do it. And then when you turn 35 and aren't PRing anymore, have fun looking at your former peers who made their careers a priority and are now successful and rich...while you're just another loser accountant going through the motions of another day at the office and dreaming of that week's Turkey Trot.

Yes, you can be a workaholic and a serious runner. I was once both of those at the same time. But you can't fit a wife and two kids in with those, and probably not a wife and no kids. Come home after another 12 hour day and go straight to the bathroom to s--- and change cloths and go run? Every day? Guess what I had to give up.

If you think 12 hour days are long, you're not a workaholic. Being very successful at many things is literally incompatible with running at a high level.

you know there are doctors known as hospitalist, that work 1 week on / one week off and make 220k a year. So they work half the year and make 220k.

Retribution wrote:

you know there are doctors known as hospitalist, that work 1 week on / one week off and make 220k a year. So they work half the year and make 220k.

Um...ok...what's your point? Even if you were trying to make some kind of point:

Average Joe's work schedule:

5 days/wk X 8 hours/day X 48 weeks/yr = 1920 hours

Hospitalist working "half the year":

7 days/wk 12 hours/day X 26 weeks/yr = 2184 hours

SnakeOil wrote:

"If you want to be a top athlete you have to be a little bit wild, not be an accountant."

- Renato Canova

Isn't he an adviser to American Distance Project, where a full time accountant Alisha Williams is one of the prominent members?

thanks for the replies thus far. while we're on the subject of accounting, for those of you that do it, do you enjoy it? im really worried about switching majors at this point because i dont see anything else that i would do. i dont want to be completely miserable in accounting if i stick with it, but right now i just dont get motivated to learn the material. it doesnt excite me at all. i can force myself to grind it out but ill really need to improve my study habits next semester.

i have heard that accounting in the workplace is nothing like in school, is that true? i get so confused on textbook problems and all the concepts that i feel like if i was put into an accountant role i would have no idea what to do. is all the knowledge and textbook work crucial or is it really a lot easier in the field? and is it enjoyable to you, if so why? what makes you like your job? i really do want to like it but right now i just dont.

also, for those of you that did say you were able to run and handle the accounting workload, what PRs were you touching? props to you on your higher mileage training. that is what id like to do

experience wrote:

International tax CPA wrote:

You have your whole life to make money.

No you don't. Careers are built in people's 20s and 30s. You don't suddenly wake up at 40 with the resume of a slacker and say, "ok...time to be successful now." But keep telling yourself that having a successful career and being healthy are mutually exclusive in order to justify your own choices.

You can get back to work at 40 - why not?

experience wrote:

International tax CPA wrote:

You have your whole life to make money.

No you don't. Careers are built in people's 20s and 30s. You don't suddenly wake up at 40 with the resume of a slacker and say, "ok...time to be successful now." But keep telling yourself that having a successful career and being healthy are mutually exclusive in order to justify your own choices.

They are NOT mutually exclusive, but a big obstacle is that many firms don't give two shits about health. People tend to age quickly in many of these firms. Spending 8-12hours per day in a room with no sunlight is not healthy.

Thfejjdhmdhjder wrote:

Spending 8-12hours per day in a room with no sunlight is not healthy.

Good thing my boss lets me unlock my shackles occasionally

Ive been at a good size local firm for 4 months, running 20-25 mi a week right now, but can easily run every day do 60+. I get into the office earlier, 7-7:30, to get my runs in after work which works well. Racing at around 16:00.

Also as far as time restraints, there was a thread about this recently: getting requirements done for the license. An extra year of school (masters is common) is needed and passing the exams are other huge time commitments.

Classes aren't very similar to real life yet.. Starting out you do menial tasks, preparation, and a lot of work is done on software. But if you don't like accounting already and youre struggling with it, tax could be more your area, and I wouldn't think about Big 4. It would be assumed that youre at least if not both very into accounting work or very good at accounting work. You would stick out like a sore thumb.

Try looking at another business related major or Economics?

thanks jack shepard. did you start big 4 or the local firm is you're at now is where you started?

im wondering if i should just grind it out in big 4 for 2 years to have it on my resume. i guess id give up competitive running from 23-24, so id lose two years of pretty crucial developmental training...but then maybe i can jump ship into industry and get back into running as a 25 year old? is 2 years of public good enough to get a good job easily in industry or no?

what makes you say tax might be more my area? just asking, genuinely curious. i havent explored audit or tax yet, barely understand what accounting is all about. trying to get a grasp on it all. still very confused but just trying to figure out the best quality of life i can have with accounting and what would be the smartest route to take. and if you dont think big 4 for me, would you just say a regional firm? i heard salary is similar to start, but it really limits promotions and job opportunities down the road if one doesnt go big 4 to start, true?

are government acc jobs hard to get? that also seems like it would be a good idea with a set schedule and probably nice benefits. i do realize that public is best for its name recognition, i just dont have the goal to be a workaholic.

Let me tell you this:

If your struggling in accounting in college your gonna struggle big time if you want to go the Big 4 route. Accounting in college should be relatively easy. I know cost accounting has its pressure points and taxation (especially international) can be quite confusing but you don't really get deep in accounting at the university level. Not even at the graduate level. You only get an appropriate accounting flavor once you start managing day-to-day client issues in practice.

Also, if you want to be successful you shouldn't be looking for a quick way to success. 2-3 yrs Big 4 and then out. That's not the model anymore. There are no easy pathways to success operating as a full-time accountant. And its not flexible. Give up the big running dream. Maybe train for a few races during the offseason but thats it. Don't get caught in this "chase your running dream" crap that these posters love to entertain. If you have the talent level and have the times to back it up then yes, go for it. But don't be an accountant. Not yet. Go be a teacher or some $40K/yr "financial analyst".

That will do...

I am very interested in this thread; thanks to all the folks sharing experience. I have an un-related BA degree and I've recently completed accounting pre-reqs for a Masters program.

I am also wondering what the transition is like going from the classroom to actually being in practice. The intermediate financial classes were challenging and I didn't enjoy them terribly (similar to the OP). Right now I'm enrolled in an Intro Tax class which I really enjoy. While I can remember many concepts from Intermediate I and II, I'd have a hard time doing accurate journal entries now that a year has passed. I saw one comment that said most everything is done w/software nowadays -- so how important is it for me to remember the specific entries for Construction in Progress or ARO's?

I have no desire to go to a Big-4 and climb a corporate ladder so I'm interested in hearing some ideas of what it is like in regional firms or working for a small business (ballpark salaries / hours). Also, suggestions on areas within accounting that allow for a great quality-of-life without huge pressure / long workdays (even if it means lower $$ expectations).

Thanks in advance for further comments. Cheers

Bump

You have been cursed. You have the curse of being better at running than anything else. I have seen this curse many times and sadly also its unfortunate paradoxical effects. Its the running gift that teases and distracts the recipients from focusing all their energies on doing what's in the best interest of their futures. Sure many can handle the gift, but many make choices that have the sad result of them looking for real careers in their 30's. They were so focused on running career oportunities were missed.The gift of great running ability is a curse. Beware!!!!

Accountant wrote:

Bump

In all honesty if you dislike accounting classes as much as it sounds you won't make it long in a Big 4 environment. Maybe even a regional environment.

I didn't always enjoy the classes and there were clear moments of confusion or "am I in over my head" thoughts when I got into the later accounting classes. And even times when I thought switching to a general business admin degree.

Although, I always had the mentality that I can get a business admin job with an accounting degree. But it would be pretty difficult to get a accounting job with a business admin degree. The idea of job locked down before graduating at the time (2007) was nice too since there was still a big hiring frenzy in public accounting (which I think is slowly coming back).

So, I just stuck with it and finished. Went straight in to public accounting and was there for 6 years and just recently took a job as the Controller of a large local company. Public accounting wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be (at the regional firm level). I'd worked full time jobs before with OT and the idea of working full days and sometimes more wasn't a shock. If I came from a background of never working....it would probably be different. But I also don't have much sympathy for people in that previous environment.

What you learn in school is only a good base to build off of. Just lots a theory and not much practical use. While I think you need to have a decent grasp of the material you don't need to be getting A's on everything to survive in the real world. You'd be surprised at how far technical knowledge vs. good personality and social skills will get you in a regional firm. As you are really a salesman and delivering a service to a paying customer after you advance past the first few years of senior accountant.

If you stick it out you won't regret it but I don't know that it sounds like you can stick out even. The fact that you are already looking for the easiest possible job says a lot about you desire....

Despite what others say I still think, if you find the right firm, that you can run a decent amount and work in public accounting. As I said earlier I was working in public accounting and having no problems putting in 80-90+ miles a week on a very consistent basis while also being married. It really comes down to how much you want it. I wasn't afraid to hit the road at 4am if I had too.

I will agree with the previous poster though, regarding a workaholic.....12 hour days isn't much of a workaholic. Many local level firms front load so much of their business in the first 4 months of the year that they do nothing in the summer and fall....this isn't all that restrictive to someone both working in public accounting and running.