I’ve been in public practice for about 3 1/2 years. Here you’ll find some info on things I’ve learned/what it’s like to work in an accounting firm.
I’ve been in public practice for about 3 1/2 years. Here you’ll find some info on things I’ve learned/what it’s like to work in an accounting firm.
"Look at last year's file" 
does the “the view expressed in this blog are mine alone” disclaimer actually work? I got a bit of slack for associating my personal blog with my corporate blog, although the two are intertwined from a finance and accounting perspective, one is obviously far more abrasive than the other…
…maybe I need to keep my mouth shut at work and leave my personal projects out of it? 😉
By: Junior on February 7, 2009
at 7:59 am
I honestly don’t know. I just put it in there because I figured it couldn’t hurt.
I try to keep this blog on the DL and let people find it on their own. That way I know the people who are coming here are already interested in the stuff I’m talking about. So yeah, maybe keep it under wraps when you’re at work.
I wish you didn’t sell that nintendo controller painting. I would’ve picked that up!
By: LYF on February 7, 2009
at 3:16 pm
I’m having this debate with myself right now, since i joined LinkedIn. Dunno if I should not add my blog-contacts on linkedin, and just keep it to work contacts, otherwise they’ll all start mixing together, and may find out about each other and get jealous 😉
By: accountingelf on February 19, 2009
at 8:37 pm
It sounds like you’re having a “worlds colliding” problem (i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxuYdzs4SS8).
I say collide away.
By: LYF on February 20, 2009
at 1:59 am
hey, great blog! just came across it today.
what do you think of my situation right now:
i’m taking the usual sleu of CA courses right now, so it’s interesting to see how your work is like just to get a better idea of what i might be doing later on.
unfortunately, i’m having a bit of an identity crisis for the past few months about what field i want to go into. i’m still in the accounting stream, but i hate it.
what makes you “aspire” to be a CA? is it the good job prospects and the salary? or do you genuinely like accounting/audit and find it interesting/fulfilling?
as much as i like the supposedly great job security, “open opportunities” and the handsome salary that comes later (not to mention how my parents want it too), i’m worried that it might not be the right thing for me. did you ever feel that way about accounting? i just had my auditing midterm today, and although it’s always good to know the processes and whatnot, i just can’t seem to picture myself as an auditor.
thanks!
By: [ n ] on February 27, 2009
at 4:54 am
[n] – those are all great questions and I can’t do them justice here, so I’m going to write a blog entry, which will allow me to really address what you’re asking in detail.
Thanks for the kind words!
By: LYF on February 28, 2009
at 6:37 am
Hi,
Sorry for the unrelated question but, do you happen to know if people who go into tax at one the mid-size to larger firms eventually get a CPA while doing tax? In other words, do these companies have some sort of rotational work-slip until the tax employees qualify for CPA licensure? Or is it even simpler?
Thanks.
By: Daniel on April 22, 2009
at 2:44 pm
Oops. I mean work-split…
By: Daniel on April 22, 2009
at 2:45 pm
Hey Daniel,
Honestly, I have no clue. I’m in Canada, so I’m not sure how things work in the states. The way it works here is that you have to fulfill a certain minimum hour requirement across a breadth of functional areas. It could be similar in the US, but that’s just a guess.
Try contacting Mariette Knoblauch (http://www.linkedin.com/in/marietteknoblauch ). She’s a staff accountant based out of Seattle. So she might be able to answer your question.
Or you could try Francine McKenna. She used to work for a big 4 accounting firm in the states (fmckenna@mckennapartners.com).
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
You thinking of becoming a CPA?
By: LYF on April 23, 2009
at 2:57 am
I wish there were blogs like these 15 years ago when I was your age and doing the same things at D&T! Would have made some of those days easier to handle.
By: Maggie on June 1, 2010
at 8:45 pm
Thanks Maggie!!!
By: LYF on June 5, 2010
at 9:22 pm
I discovered this Blog a few days ago and i’m loving it. . . Most of the accounting blogs that i’ve come across were so boring. . But now i’m really happy. . Keep writing good stuff for us.
Savvy, India
By: The Budding CA on September 1, 2010
at 12:34 pm
Thanks! I know I’ve been slacking. I’m in the middle of writing something right now.
By: LYF on September 1, 2010
at 1:24 pm
Nice to see something real out here on accounting.
I am like [n] in some ways, except that I’ve graduated and already started working in public practice. In my interview, the people who hired me said to me, “You’ll probably want to quit after three months, but if you stick around.. you -probably- -might- want to stick around after six months.” :p I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea, so I should say that the people I work with are very friendly and down-to-Earth compared to a lot of other people I’ve seen working at other accounting firms.
I guess what I want to ask is… in your opinion, is accounting something you’re kind of “called” to? Or is it the kind of job where if you keep at it, you’ll grow into it, and hopefully flourish from there (like most jobs, I suppose).
I suppose my beef could just be with public practice, or the fact that I’m still very new to the profession and am not completely comfortable with my lack of knowledge.. hehe
By: jimbo jones on December 20, 2010
at 2:47 am
check out the latest post
By: LYF on December 21, 2010
at 8:25 pm
Absolutely love this blog and glad I came across it on the “DL”. Now, in addition to wasting hours on end on another71 forums and trying to get feedback on the CPA exam, I’m fulfilling my other curiosity as to what my first career job as a level 1 staff accountant is going to be like.
I started on October 18 — 4 months after graduating with my BS in Business in Accounting/Finance. Let me just say that you’ve had a tremendously positive impact in my view on accounting. It’s been a little over a month since I started and you’ve addressed a lot of the concerns I had myself — being scared to ask questions for fear of coming off dumb or bothering the managers/stockholder, hating my job or doubting my ability to thrive in accounting, networking issues with above and below your level, billable hours/budget issues, and working on a tax return using SALY (same as last year) but not knowing what the hell you’re doing or why you’re doing it or how it ties to the big picture.
I’d write more but I’ve been up for 20 hours — the past 2 hours which was spent reading your blogs.
I just wished you “tagged” your newer posts more descriptively..that way I could more easily navigate through your site and find the information I’m interested in, although the more I read — the more I realize there are some useful advice in almost all your posts — accounting related or otherwise.
Keep it up man. Even if you have a small list of “downlow” readers, you’re making a big impact. As should be evident by the time and thought I willingly put into this comment.
By: David on December 3, 2011
at 11:17 am
Nicest comment I’ve gotten in a while. I really appreciate it!
It sounds like you’re from the GTA…shoot me an email if you ever need help with anything.
By: LYF on December 3, 2011
at 6:40 pm
Hey so I think it was you who mentioned taking vitamin D and fish oil to help improve memory and to mitigate the fatigue that one feels around 2pm after lunch.
So, I took your advice and told my folks to pick some up for me. Well, my mom came back from Costco and got some 1000mg Omega-3 with Alaskan Salmon Oil and Vitamin D3 2000 I.U.
..are these the same as what you were referring to?
By: David on December 4, 2011
at 9:33 am