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lelik
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Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: United States
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Posts: 1396

Posted: 09 Jul 2008 at 12:55 \| IP Logged

cacpawanabe, I love working as a federal auditor. I wouldn't want to be a State or City employee, though. :-) It's a great work environment, low stress and decent pay plus great benefits and job security. At times, it's a little bit slow (you need all of those approvals or have to wait for the responses from the auditees). There are many job opportunities. You should check usajobs.gov. The application process can take several months because there are very many regulations and budget restrictions. Once you get in, you never need to leave this place. :-) It's very easy to move between the Agencies and between the cities (easy to transfer). The best way to get in is networking as everywhere else. :-) Right now, federal government is not hiring, but the situation should be better in August per our recruiting manager.

By the way, you have highly marketable skills (IT+CPA). We have a separate group (in auditing) that works with the security problems and other IT related issues. Many people in this group have a CISA license. I believe that it's a very exciting field. You might want to look into it.

http://certification.about.com/od/certifications/p/CISA.htm

http://www.isaca.org

Edited by lelik on 10 Jul 2008 at 16:46

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Jrb724
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Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Location: United States
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Posts: 50

Posted: 09 Jul 2008 at 22:34 \| IP Logged

I live in the San Francisco Bay area to. I don't think it's a great offer but its not ridiculously low either. It sounds like the amount of overtime you'll have isn't too bad for a CPA firm. The Big 4 may pay more but you don't get paid any OT and you work more hours. It all depends on what other offers you may have lined up.

If this is any help, I remember graduating in 2002 and the Big 4 were offering 50-55k. I don't know what they offer now - maybe a bit more. I ended up starting at 34k for the government back then. I believe federal government auditors start at about 43k in the Bay Area.

You better start thinking about how much rent you could be shelling out as well. SF is expensive.

Someone asked how much you make now? That should also be a consideration to as well as the advancement opportunities at this firm. Good luck with whatever decisions you make.

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cacpawanabe
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Joined: 20 Dec 2007
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Posted: 10 Jul 2008 at 16:31 \| IP Logged

Lelik,

Thank you very much for your valuable opinion and information. I will check out the website and do a little research to see if anything I can do to improve my chance of getting hired in the meantime. I will wait after one year at my current employment. Hopefully, by then things will improve. Have a good weekend. Can I just say, "You rock." LOL. But, you do. Thanks again.

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lelik
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Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: United States
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Posts: 1396

Posted: 10 Jul 2008 at 16:55 \| IP Logged

cacpawanabe, thanks! I don't think that I rock, but I worked for several companies in several countries and in different fields. So, I have some work experience. :-)
You have a job. :-) It should make you feel better. Corporate accounting can be either very interesting or very tedious. Internal auditing may suit you a little bit better. And if you work for a larger corporation, you could probably transfer to any department without leaving your employers and creating "short-term employments" on you resume. What exactly don't you like about your current job? After working for 7 years, I came to conclusion that most jobs are very alike, the only difference is the people who you work with. :-)

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Inko
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Joined: 28 Apr 2008
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Posted: 10 Jul 2008 at 19:42 \| IP Logged

Just to add 40 cents:

Most firms in general are not hiring so if you're choosing between having a job and not i'd accept the offer. Nearest hiring date in general is Oct. interviews for Jan. starts.

However I think it is a low offer. In Sacramento you can expect on low end 43+ overtime and high end 52 with no OT. SF should be around 48-57. Big-4 are still 55 in bay and 48 in Sacramento. Novogradac paying hourly comes out to 55k I've heard. Numbers may go up in Jan. for inflation.

Depends if you need a job. If you take the job with getting the CPA certification experience in mind it may be worth it definitely. Then interview with other companies later...I know sounds shady. Plus you're an econ degree so anything helps to get foot in.

I made mistake of not going full-time route, but the offer wasn't the problem.

Other things to consider:
Any debt you owe.
Transportation 50 per month if use metro. More if car.
Rent with roommates ranges from 500-600 with ton of roommates to 1,200-1,400 by self. Either off street parking or garage. Add more $.

My ex lives in S.F. I'm sure others on here can confirm prices.

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