Why do I want to work in public accounting when I know it's miserable?
Even after experiencing brutal hours and burnout in public accounting internships, many accountants feel an intense pressure and FOMO to return to audit or tax. This internal conflict makes it difficult to settle into a stable industry job without feeling like career opportunities are being missed.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Staying in a stable staff accountant job in industry
- 2Going back to public accounting despite past burnout
- 3Trying to find an industry job that fits without feeling FOMO
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Like even if I have a stable ok-paying staff accountant job I just feel an extreme sense that I'm missing out if I don't pursue a career in audit/tax/public.”source ↗
“Idk if I have Stockholm syndrome or something because when I did an audit internship two years it was extremely brutal, stressful, and I worked 70+ hours a week. Yet for some reason my brain just wants to go back to that.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why can't I get an interview at a public accounting firm?
- 6Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 8What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 19How to break into accounting as an international student with a low GPA
- 3How to get an accounting job without a CPA
- 21Feeling lost and overwhelmed starting a new accounting job