About 8 months ago, I quit public because I felt I was getting burnt out.
I was a newly promoted senior working 80 hour weeks at a regional firm, basically running all of our office's engagements because all of our managers and staff quit after a merger with another firm. It was literally me, the intern, and the ever-so-present (/s) partner running all engagements, even the larger ones that were ALWAYS run by a manager or above.
Anyway, I quit a newly promoted senior (even though I had been senioring for a year and a half prior, but due to certain politics and bad timing, didn't get promoted until later). I went to work in private.
At first, it was OK. Easy as shit and I got to leave before 5. Same pay. But then, I look around and I see people in the same position they've been in for 4-5 years (and I'm talking lower level staff accountants and seniors, not directors and managers). It just seems like the company isn't interested in growing their employees, and my job is getting more boring by the minute. And, turnover with management has been crazy here too, none of the managers that hired me on are still present.
Then I start to remember how it was in public, with CPE and "opportunities" abound, and people actually wanting/encouraging you to go up through the ranks….yes, I may be looking at it through graduation goggles, but am I crazy to wanna go back?
I wouldn't want to go back to my old firm, that place is a ghost town now. But I was thinking of going mid tier or even big 4 if they'll take me as a senior.