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.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Staying in a stable staff accountant job in industryDid this help you?
- 2Going back to public accounting despite past burnoutDid this help you?
- 3Trying to find an industry job that fits without feeling FOMODid this help you?
- 4Working in industry or government insteadDid this help you?
- 5Leaving public accounting after a few years to switch over to industryDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, 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 ↗
“All I know is that I wish I can find a good industry job that works for me without feeling that FOMO of public accounting.”source ↗
“My health is beginning to feel important to me… and public accounting takes away from that.”source ↗
“Public is a means to an end. You learn in Public so that you can get your next job”source ↗
“Public accounting is way easier to break into than industry at an entry level. Many people do a few years at public then switch over.”source ↗
“I wish I stayed in public accounting longer”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Why can't I get an interview at a public accounting firm?
- 2Scared about graduating with an accounting degree and forgetting everything
- 24Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 27What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 6Can I skip public accounting and go straight to industry?
- 3Why is corruption and fraud so normalized in public accounting?