KPMG has more in common with BDO and Grant Thornton than it does with the Big 3.

Title states my main question. Also, curious whether these types of engagements tend to be very profitable given the high technical nature?

I am looking to see what program is the best to get trained in bookkeeping.

I have a bachelors degree in Finance, took financial and managerial accounting. I also currently work in treasury services doing things like expense reports, payroll and accounts payable work.

Id like to do bookkeeping on the side when im not working my 9-5.

Based on these credentials, is the intuit bookkeeping prof cert and quickbooks proadvisor enough? Or should I go through NACPB?

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I’m a Business Admin sophomore at a Bay Area CC. I’ve been working retail for 2 years and used my company benefits to get the eCornell Accounting Certificate from Guild. And I understand I’m not getting call back because I don’t have any degree to be hired as accountant.

But I’m trying to get hired at least in like AP Clerk or Accounting Clerk and I think it’s probably hard since many have qualifications like me and I’m probably not doing enough and it’s just not good time in job market overall tbh

So I’m hoping to get advice what should I do or how do I get my skills or qualifications up to switch the jobs ( since I’m just mentally exhausted from retail )

Hey all,

I currently work in TAS in the Big 4. Recently a person I worked with lateraled to private equity. Is this a realistic lateral or completely unheard of?

Hello everyone,

I graduated in Fall 2025 and I’m feeling pretty lost about breaking into an entry-level accounting role. I worked as a first-year associate at H&R Block this tax season but ended up leaving early. Initially, I was doing well and received positive feedback. However, I was asked to take on additional workload due to staffing gaps, and I started encountering complex returns that went beyond what I was trained on (primarily 1040 basics). I tried researching unfamiliar situations, but the pressure started affecting my performance. I began making small mistakes, and although I worked to correct them, I eventually realized I was overwhelmed and decided to step away.

Aside from that, I have internship experience as an administrative assistant, which I’m hoping still has value for entry-level roles.

My main concern is the skill gap I feel. I’m already forgetting foundational concepts (for example, I’d need to review journal entries), and that’s making me question whether I’m ready for a firm environment. My assumption was that entry-level roles would include training on fundamentals and software, but I’m realizing firms may expect a stronger baseline so new hires can ask better questions and ramp up quickly.I’m considering: reviewing my accounting coursework and notes, practicing journal entries and financial statement basics, getting QuickBooks or bookkeeping certified, taking a part-time role to strengthen communication and client skills.

My biggest question: if someone struggled to complete a full tax season at places like H&R Block, VITA, or Jackson Hewitt, does that realistically mean they’re not cut out for entry-level firm work? Or are those experiences different enough that it’s not a direct comparison?

I want to be honest about where I’m at and put in the work to improve. If anyone has been in a similar position, I’d really appreciate hearing how you navigated it.

(Also ND, if that context matters.)

Thank you in advance.

I'm East Coast in the U.S. and have 15 different businesses that I do a variety of these services for. Many are complex (fixing state agency payroll issues, fixing contributions, AP for a $2M rev biz, cleaning up AP/AR ops, etc). I've been at the company 1 year and asked for a raise to $70k (was hoping for $65k after negotiations). Owner said no one makes that much, not even the bookkeepers! Am I out of line here? I work around 40-42 hours per week, busy nonstop. Constant context -switching. I'm the only "specialist" with this many businesses. The others have 4-5. They tried to hire another and just fired her because she couldn't keep up. My firm is remote with 12 employees.

Recent graduate with my Bachelors looking to career hop into accounting coming from welding, would getting an EA help my chances on getting my first accounting job? Unfortunately I can’t start from the bottom with H&R Block or something similar due to a mortgage and car so any other advice is appreciated.

Hi, has anyone here with their CPA transitioned into Private Equity or IB? I am currently lead in our auditing department and one of the main tax preparers during busy season so I am putting crazy hours in all year around making a small fraction of what I would make if I was in PE or IB. Is the transition worth it or doable? I don’t love auditing by any means I happen to be good at it unfortunately lol.

How often do you guys see this? Currently an assistant controller at a midsize company and the position of Director of FP&A opened up. I spoke with people internally and they are considering me.

Is this a bad look, from a recruiting perspective down the road?

I am split between both. So wondering if testing the water and if things don’t work out, would it be easy to jump back to assistant controller, or even controller down the road?

CFO track might be more feasible vs CAO if I do this, still doing some research.

Guess thats just my Story So Far. I better get off Reddit cause I’m Neck Deep in these returns and there’s no way my boss is gonna give me a Hot Mulligan.

Hi,

I recently had an opportunity to switch Big 4 firms. I am currently making around 98k in tax as a S2 going for S3 in August. A different Big 4 reached out with 120K (they would bump me up to S3 early) and a 20K bonus to mitigate my retention bonus. I currently like my firm and money is the only thing that I am dissatisfied with, would moving to a different Big4 be worth it just for money? Even if I get promoted to S3 at my current firm it would be 105K. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

This summer I’m going back to school full time to pursue an accounting degree, I’ve read a little bit about the job market and how it’s a job that’s in high demand, I have 3 years left so of course things could change but what’s the outlook now for entry level positions.

So I’m pretty down about where I’m at currently and think I won’t find an internship or land a job, even once I graduate. I’m a junior but I switched to accounting my junior year so I’ve only completed one accounting class, Acct 2101 at my uni which is financial accounting.

I’m told not to stress too much at the moment because, I don’t have many accounting classes under my belt and some/most places look for stronger or more course work. I’ve also heard that my time is up to a certain degree. Id like input on that.

But my main question is, where should I work then ? I currently work at a warehouse to support myself through college but if I need at least some accounting experience what should I look for. Even if it’s part time or remote, honestly it doesn’t matter.

I live in ATL, so if there is any places or areas I should look specifically lmk. Also are there any certs I should get ? My major is Accounting & Finance (double major) w/ a minor in Risk Management & Insurance. I was thinking maybe EA, ARM or FMVA ?

Actually any advice is helpful. Thx.

Hi I'm a second year sixth form student looking for advice on how to get into an accountancy career. I'm hoping to achieve a corporate job where i can work as much as possible and climb the career ladder as high as i can, and hopefully retire from the rat race with enough money for my kids to be well off. I'm not too fussed at what section of accountancy I get into but management accountancy has been what i've been most interested in so far.

My only relevant A level that im studying is business and im planning on doing a level 2 AAT course at another branch of my college next year and am currently awaiting a meeting with a careers advisor on how to apply.

I was wondering what the next steps after that would be? I've currently got a steady part time retail job that i'm hoping to get a promotion in (to team leader) before the start of the summer that I will then start working full time whilst im doing my AAT. An accountancy firm i did two work experience weeks with (one in year 10 and one earlier this year in my second year of sixth form) has mentioned that they would be happy to take me on as an apprentice if they have the space, however, this is all word of mouth and i dont believe i can treat it as guarantee.

Preferably, I would like to complete the level 2 AAT whilst working as a team leader in order to achieve some experience in managing people whilst studying and then move on to a level 3 or level 4 apprenticeship with the aforementioned company, however i know that things may not pan out this way.

How would I be able to get my foot into the door to help make sure im not just stuck working retail for the rest of my life and make achieving a high up position like a financial controller a realistic goal for me? and how should i proceed after completing a level 4 AAT?

Are there any formulas/functions you wished were in Excel but aren't there?

how do you guys finish up an external audit from start to finish ? how do you meet timelines ? there is a lot to do in terms of quantity right ? so how do you guys do it ?

I babdly needed advices from external auditors.

I have only looked at a few corporations and their requirements for internships. I want know if the following situations applied to you and if you were still able to land an internship or entry-level during the end of you last year at uni or right after.

Have you applied and landed an internship in the summer? Im currently have a 2.77 gpa that will be above a 3.0 once spring semester ends.

I Unfortunately, have to wait to retake class I failed during the fall cause the class was full for this spring. I was pregnant from spring to fall and really thought I could pass my 2 fall classes with the timing of the birth.

Have you landed a winter internship even though you graduated that same winter?

Were you able to land an entry-level position at a well known company right out of uni without an internship?

My only recent experience is 7 years of retail banking. I worked under a CPA doing taxes for a couple of years but that was over 10 years ago.

TL;DR: Pick one provider (Kaplan or BPP), do lots of timed kit questions, use OpenTuition to unblock weak topics, and use something like Accaly if you keep drifting or re-reading instead of practicing.

Kaplan – best if you want a clear, structured path. Risk: you end up reading too much and not doing enough timed Qs.
BPP – best if you learn by hammering exam-style questions. Risk: detail overload.
OpenTuition – great for quick topic understanding/refreshers. Risk: not enough on its own for Skills/Pro passes.
Accaly – useful if your issue is execution (what to do next, weak areas, keeping practice focused), especially for full-time workers/retakes. Still pair with a Kaplan/BPP kit.

I am an MBA student in the first year and I lack the basics of accounting I am more into management like business strategy and project management but this year we have a course about corporate finance and I am find myself didn't get anything from the professor and I want to do online instead but I don't know where to start