So I think the stereotype for accountants is that the job is boring and dull. I'm in operations right now but way way back I did my undergrad in accounting...What's accounting like these days? Do people actually choose to be accountants over consultants and bankers? If they do what's the reasoning? Is it WLB? Or the opportunity to freelance? Thinking whether I should study for the CPA and side hustle as an accountant. Do people even do that like during tax season?
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It may depend on the industry too. I heard SaaS companies have it pretty straightforward. Fintech is probably nuts since the business’ core is money. What kind of operations do you do?
RE: WLB, it’s a pretty easy life if you want it to be. There are predictable periods that are busier than others (e.g. tax season, year-end audits, month/quarter/year-end close). The cadence depends on your specialty, but it’s generally pretty chill outside of those busy times.
RE: side hustle for tax accounting, you’re probably going to want to work PT for a tax firm just to get some experience under your belt before you freelance. Bc why would anyone pick you over H&R Block or any other sole-proprietor firm? Just because you have a CPA doesn’t mean you know anything. Plus, you need to be prepared to defend your client in front of the IRS if your name is on the return.
And yeah, some people do only work during tax season. I know a retired guy that works PT like 4 months out of the year just to get away from his wife and extra spending money.
Honestly though, getting and maintaining your CPA just for a side-gig might not make financial sense. You’d have to make quite a bit of money to offset the time and cost of the exams, registration fees, and CPE courses.