i'm a tax senior at a big 4 firm. previously i worked in the tax department at an airline. getting into the big 4 is definately the way to go. working there at least 2-3 years will get your foot in the door at other places if you decide to leave public accounting.
i found corporate accounting to be a little boring. it was a complete "8 'n skate" job at the lower levels. public was much better for me. it has a faster pace and more money, but it does have grueling hours.
audit vs. tax is a tough argument. it really just depends on the person. some find tax boring and some find audit terrible. there are definate pros and cons for each. with audit you can leave public and easily find a job in corporate doing almost anything. tax you are pretty limited to a gov. position or corp. tax (they never come open).
the hours with both can be long and strenuous. if something abnormal pops up during an audit you might not leave until it is tracked down, which could be a long time. in tax things stay busy through out the year. it is a constant grind sometimes. other times it can be overwhelming with how much has to be done, but it depends on the client. there have been times when i don't see the light of day.
if you go with audit a CPA is basically required. with tax you have more options. a CPA, Enrolled Agent, or Law Degree are all very useful. personally i think i will be getting an EA and then a law degree. with the law degree i can represent clients in court which can be very lucrative.
i found corporate accounting to be a little boring. it was a complete "8 'n skate" job at the lower levels. public was much better for me. it has a faster pace and more money, but it does have grueling hours.
audit vs. tax is a tough argument. it really just depends on the person. some find tax boring and some find audit terrible. there are definate pros and cons for each. with audit you can leave public and easily find a job in corporate doing almost anything. tax you are pretty limited to a gov. position or corp. tax (they never come open).
the hours with both can be long and strenuous. if something abnormal pops up during an audit you might not leave until it is tracked down, which could be a long time. in tax things stay busy through out the year. it is a constant grind sometimes. other times it can be overwhelming with how much has to be done, but it depends on the client. there have been times when i don't see the light of day.
if you go with audit a CPA is basically required. with tax you have more options. a CPA, Enrolled Agent, or Law Degree are all very useful. personally i think i will be getting an EA and then a law degree. with the law degree i can represent clients in court which can be very lucrative.