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Advice gurus,
I’m a Accounting Director (upgraded staff accountant really) at a small non-profit. I’ve been with the org since getting out of college 2 years ago. My firm loves me but I’ve decided to switch, mainly because I’m not liking the AD position. First because come close of the year and January, I pretty much want to drown my life in as many Guinesses as I can find. 80+ hours per week just sucks after a while and my org doesn’t let me drink. 🙁 Second is personal – I’m wanting to be closer to family and friends.
I took the AD job because I thought it would put me well on my way to a CFO job down the road. So my question is this, are there other good ways to get to that end without going AD, Controller, CFO or something similar? Do I just need to suck it up and keep being an AD for a few more years before I can move to a controller position? Finally, if I take a staff accountant position how does that look? Thanks.
-Can’t wait to drink again
Good afternoon Guiness,
If being a CFO is your goal, you need to assess the qualities and skillsets that CFOs in your industry possess. Consider a few things when doing so:
1. Get Your CPA – There’s no denying the importance of getting the three letters next to your name. As you progress you in career, having a CPA will keep doors open for you. Read up on Adrienne’s great CPA coverage if you don’t know where to start.
2. Lose the title – You’re still very young in your career, so my advice to you is to worry less about titles and more about opportunities that open doors and expose you to a variety of accounting responsibilities. This is meant as no offense to you and your career thus far, but a staff accountant at a large corporation most likely sees more complicated accounting issues than say, a charity bookstore. Roll up your sleeves and challenge yourself.
3. Location – before you have a spouse, kids and a mortgage, get back to where you want to be. It will be easier to find a staff-level job than a specialized, more technical job that you’ll be qualified for five years from now. And call your mother, she misses you.
4. It’s not like Mad Men but… – The liquor store sells the little nip bottles for a reason. It’s a scientific fact that whiskey helps ease the frustration of 80+ hour work weeks.
May the drink-at-work Spirits be with you,
DWB
The best piece of advice I have for surviving layoffs (in private industry) is to make yourself extremely hard to replace. Everyone is replaceable, but some people are less easily replaceable than others. It may be necessary to withhold knowledge of how to do certain tasks and processes from the people above you. As a manager, I don’t like when my employees do that. But that’s the point, right? The pain involved in replacing an employee is absolutely a consideration when it comes to layoff decisions.
The best way to not get laid off in public accounting is to work harder and be better than all your peers. They don’t lay off the top performers. If you don’t want to work hard and be a top performer, or if you’re not smart, then you just have to accept the fact that you have a target hanging around your neck whenever there’s a layoff.
Sad but true.
Hard but true.
And if I didn’t say it before, absolutely true.
Maybe if some tax practitioners are laid they’ll go out on their own or buy a small practice: there are SO MANY CPAS retureing – a tax practice can snatch up lots of new business. Being on your own is fulfilling and more profitable than being a cog in the wheel.
I think you meant laid off, not laid. Although you might be right either way!