This from a CPA trainee who writes under the ever optimistic title: The Journey to Success
Last week, I had my first out-of-town job at my new job. I was in New Jersey for 3 days, and learned a lot. The job revolved around doing financial due diligence for a private equity firm who is in the process of purchasing a small company in NJ. I enjoyed some typical accountant/consultant hours during these days. My average day looked like this: Wake up at 6:45, breakfast at 7:30, work at 8, lunch at 12, back to work at 1, dinner at 7:30, back to hotel by 9, work til 11, bed by midnight.
The correct term our intrepid trainee was looking for was ‘super-audit.’ You know, the kind that when you mess it up, it’s your ass on the line. The kind that entitles you to know the seller’s inside leg measurement, sexual preferences and drinking habits.
Some learning is worth the pain, especially when it engages the learner in doing new and interesting things. See – you can get excited about being a professional accountant. Even as a third year trainee! You only get truly cynical after butting your head against the bureaucratic brick wall for around 5 years. After that, it’s plain sailing as many professionals drift into what seems like an odd admixture of apathy and disillusionment tinged with a streak of fear at being sued any time soon or forgetting to fill in Institute paperwork
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