Quote:
Originally Posted by geos
Get ready to work a ridiculous amount for nothing for awhile. It does pay in the end, if you're good (which is the key to success in all education paths), but you'll give up some of the best years of your life for essientially free.
Good things take sacrifice of course, but just be aware of what you're getting yourself into. It's a respected profession and none in that profession are respected more (deservedly or otherwise) than CAs.
|
If memory serves me right, I don't think you're a CA.I think you even said you'd pick a newly designated CMA over a newly designated CA.
Yes, most CA students work a lot of hours in their first few years, but so do many other professions. It's because you are learning and training as well as working. You also don't work for nothing. It's not a huge salary, but at some firms you can bank your overtime to be used in the summer when you are studying and they pay for all of your CASB courses and exams on the first go round.
For the first while it was actually way less work than I was used to. In undergrad I spent about 30 hours per week at campus, 40 hours studying and another 40 bartending. When I started articling I had to work about 50 hours a week and maybe up to 60 in busy season. This was so much more relaxing than the 110 hours I put into work and school.
Like most fields of work, they don't hire you to be the president and give you a six figure salary right out of university. You definitely don't give up these years for free. You get paid a salary, get training and get to take with you a CV and knowledge to your next job or your next position within the firm. Just because they are intangible, doesn't mean they are not valuable. When you are offered a job as a controller, VP, etc. these are the rewards for putting in hours and dedication. Your twenties are not the best years of your life. If they were, your last sixty are surely going to be disappointing. The CA profession is hard, but if it was easy everyone would do it and/or it wouldn't be as highly regarded. You get compensated for your output.