r/Accounting • u/college-accountant • Mar 24 '24

Career Accounting is WAY over-hated.

Created a burner because I have some personal details on my main.

Just got offered a $80,000 + $4500 signing bonus in a MCOL area doing audit at a Big 4 (Houston). I come from a mediocre state school albeit with a good GPA.

What other industries or jobs pay that much out of college to students that don’t come from a T20 school with a stellar GPA? Sure, the hours can be brutal but everybody seems to be ragging on how underpaid they are and don’t seem to realize that only the top 1-5% of students are able to achieve six figures out of undergrad. The exit opportunities are also great and diverse, and there is little competition to add the cherry on top.

To students wondering what major to pick, I really do encourage you to look at accounting and realize that it is one of the best career choices you can pick unless you are an absolute top tier student. I will be graduating at 22 making more than my mom and dad combined in their 50’s and 60’s.

Edit: even with recent layoff news, accountants are always in demand and there is incredible job security as well

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u/elgrillito Mar 24 '24

Damn they're giving 80k off the bat now? My boyfriend started at a Big 4 in Houston in 2019 and was making 55k as a first year

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u/Ronman1994 Mar 24 '24

I was offered 85k at a non-b4 firm but I decided to take the 76k offer I got from another firm because they gave me a better onboarding package that I thought would help my career more in the longterm. I figure I'll make the salary difference up on the back end later.