How do I get back into accounting after a long pause?
Taking a long career break leaves accountants wondering how to re-enter the field, especially when dealing with outdated skills and worrying about employers' concerns. Many find themselves stuck trying to balance getting their CPA or returning to public practice just to escape low-paying, dead-end roles.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Start applying
- 2Staying in a low-paying, dead-end industry job
- 3Transitioning into internal operations of financial institutions like credit unions
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just sent in the form and fee to finalize my path to become an actual-factual CPA. It then occured to me that to get out of my dead-end, low pay, toxicly stupid job I might have to, *gasp*, return to public.”source ↗
“My experience is five years in tax (because that's what I could get) and one as the sole accountant in a small credit union (current role).”source ↗
“PA was just a different type of toxic, but dang am I sick of being broke.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How to get an accounting job without a CPA
- 17What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 2Will a two-year career break hurt my chances of returning to teaching?
- 23Feeling lost and overwhelmed starting a new accounting job
- 17Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 7How to get tax experience without an entry-level job