Corporate office accounting position

[candy184]

I have been offered a position in the finance/accounting department, but after reading all of the posts on this website I am skeptical. Does anyone have any input about working in the corporate office outside of customer service or about the accounting department?

[Intern]

Originally Posted by candy184

I have been offered a position in the finance/accounting department, but after reading all of the posts on this website I am skeptical. Does anyone have any input about working in the corporate office outside of customer service or about the accounting department?

Absolutely.

I worked in the accounting department at the corporate office for my group for about 1 1/2 years. There are some positives and negatives with the job.

First the positives:

-Great learning experience
-You are surrounded by powerful people that can launch your career
-Secure job
-For the most part you don't have to deal with customers

Now the negatives:
-Horrible pay when compared to what other companies are paying accountants
-Extremely difficult to move up beyond accounting supervisor position

My overall experience in the accounting department was relatively good. The position is not very difficult, but it also makes you use your brain. I was able to get to know some very powerful people on a personal level and have casual conversations with on a daily basis. But in the end it really came down to 1) Money and 2) Where the position was going to take me.

Expect to start around $15-$16/hour ($31,000 to $34,000 per year). Similar accounting jobs easily pay around $45,000-$50,000 per year. Promotions are very difficult to come by. Making the step from "Accounting Supervisor" to "Business Manager" is extremely difficult, even just getting an Accounting Supervisor spot is tough.

I figured the game out pretty quickly and knew that movement in the "Business Department" was going to be awfully tough. After a year and a half I called it quits, took my experience and made roughly $15,000/year. Unless you plan on obtaining your CPA designation I wouldn't plan on moving up since that is a big deal in the accounting department.

In the end I don't regret working in the Accounting Department for ERAC but I know that I could have made more money elsewhere fresh out of college.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide to do. Hope this helps.

[caliente]

accounting is not bad. its an easy gig and not a bad job, but the only bad thing is the pay, enterprise relly shorts its accountants big time when it comes to slary, you could get a similiar job for another company making a lot more

[TrailerTart]

I agree with caliente. You can do a lot better working for a different company.

All the accounting personnel in my region (and group) were paid horribly and worse, treated like crap. Even the supervisors didn't have it easy. Just like in rental, they burn and churn. If the job outlook is bad, then by all means take the position. Always keep your options open and don't get too comfy!