HELP. I am new to finance and feel regret and over burn.

Theaatnooby

Help. I have loved studying AAT and I fully plan on going on to do CIMA after.

1 year ago I got my first job in the world of finance as an accounts assistant.

Even at this level it seems like everyone is burning the candles at both ends. I’m having worries that this is going to be it now for the rest of my career as surely it can’t get any easier as you move up the ladder. My peers seem to be flat out non stop, working a lot of additional hours completely unpaid or with no flexi time.

So is this it? Could it just be the company? Are there better jobs in finance for work life balance?

Anyone with years of experience please advise as I am starting to panic a little. And just to add I was in no way expecting an easy ride but I didn’t foresee working myself into the ground and a lot of stress.

Thank you for any help or tips given

sjtoomer

From an un-experienced ex- Book-Keeping Student:

Well, other people may think differently, but it seems that Accounting/Finance is a lot of effort and is not straight-forward, and a lot of the positions are under-paid, in my opinion. Personally speaking, I don't think that employers are properly valuing the AAT Qualifications, especially given how difficult they are to obtain/pass.

I did AAT L2 Book-Keeping and AAT L3 Book-Keeping, I looked solidly for 8 months for an entry-level accounting/book-keeping job, but I was un-able to even get a job interview, let alone a job; therefore, my experience has not been very good, of the profession (which is a shame, as it seemed to be so promising, when I was doing the AAT Qualifications). Anyway, not all people will have the same experience as me; you have an Accounting/Finance job. I eventually had to accept an IT job, although I wanted an Accounting/Finance job, as I couldn't keep waiting for Accounting/Finance employers to 'pick me'; my salary is about £5K p.a. higher than an entry-level Accounting/Finance salary, which confirms my opinion that Accounting/Finance jobs are under-paid for what is involved in them.

Clare888

It’s all about time and experience. If you work hard you will reap the benefits in time. Get a couple of years as an assistant behind your belt and then move up to Management Accountant level. You should be able to do this with perseverance and an appetite to succeed. Agencies and companies will see this and hire you.

I’ve been working in Accounts for 17 years. Passed CIMA in 2010. Everything becomes second nature and easier in time. You will still have to work hard like in any job but a task that used to take 2 hours 5 years ago will probably take you 20 minutes now. It’s all about experience and acquiring knowledge.

The salaries are very good once you reach a controller or director level. Management Accountants can demand salaries up to 60k. I look at the job market nearly every day. Check out indeed and Reed websites to give you an idea. Also, you can move into different areas of business with CIMA. You don’t have to stay an accountant forever. Lots of door open in business from project management to commercial and operations management. Good luck.