What do I want to be when I grow up?

I know I'll get in trouble for posting this here but I honestly have no clue what forum it belongs in. Sorry.

I've been browsing the net for jobs if we do decide to move. And I'm at a crossroads in my career.

The jobs I'm qualified for are either:

Management-level accounting, where I would be someone's boss
or
CPA firm

Both would pay really well and I would feel like I am actually using that piece of paper hanging on my wall (CPA license....which means nothing at my current job)

But I'm too scared to actually move up.

I don't think I'm capable of managing someone. I'm not assertive enough. I'm not smart enough.

But at a CPA firm, there's tax season. My major mental break that resulted in multiple hospitalizations in 2008 started right after my very first tax season. I can't handle being away from my family so much for 4 months straight.

And then I go wondering - do I even want to be an accountant? I picked accounting because I'm good with numbers, good at math....but do I actually LIKE this? And if not, what the heck do I do?

We're way too broke and in debt to consider starting over at minimum wage in a new career field.

There's one thing I've thought of, but after looking at a few job postings it appears I would need another degree.

Statistics.

I took a couple statistics courses in high school and college, but I don't have much experience. And most jobs I was finding were asking for a Master's or PhD in statistics. Yikes.

Hey Martina,

I don't have any answers for you as I am struggle too.... sorry

All I have known is working in care working with both Adults and Children with disabilities. Now after 10 years I am stuck. I did work part-time in Supermarkets but do I want to go back to that?????

What can I do, I honestly do not know!!

Just so you know your not alone

Martina,

I know the feeling - I'm job hunting too. Public accounting isn't even an option I'll consider I hate tax too much, and all my experience is in corporate accounting. Have you thought about looking for senior level financial analyst roles. Large companies have them, and up here the pay for a senior financial analyst is typically 70-80K. The jobs are generally interesting in that you're usually interacting in a support role to a business unit, but you don't have the hassle of actually managing people. The only downside is firms frequently want industry specific experience.

Just a thought.

--splitimage

I actually browsed through a few analyst positions but most of them were asking for qualifications that I don't have, like an MBA. I started an MBA but didn't finish because I got pregnant and couldn't do school-work-and mom at the same time.

I guess I can apply anyways and see what happens.

I did the CPA think thing back 15 years ago; I love accounting but then thought it through and realized I loved doing accounting problems, not accounting

Actually, you are probably good with word problems, algebra?, can write papers well (state and support a thesis)? Maybe you should look into web design a little, programming, that can be conceptually similar to word problems (I enjoy that too, have several websites). I would think larger than accounting and try anything that requires "manipulating" words (do you like case studies? I love reading them) to get a particular result, "adding" them up in essence

Great ideas, thanks. Only problem is I can't go back to school. I already have $25,000 in student loan debt, and I'm not about to add more.

So I guess choose the position you know won't cause you to have a mental-break down. After all, if you don't have your mental health, what do you have?

But if you write well, you could think of accounting text book writing/editing, other technical publishing (companies on Wall Street and their investor papers/financial summaries, etc.); yes, the company itself, its financial department might write them but the publisher/printer/whoever has to have someone on its staff to proof the copy before they give it back to the company to mail/hand out? You could join the FBI? they like accountants.

Actually I'm leaning toward something part-time, but at a better hourly wage than what I'm making now. Not really losing much money overall. I'm thinking $18-$25/hour instead of the $13 bucks an hour I'm making now. Something where I can drop my daughter off at school in the morning, and pick her up in the afternoon, avoiding daycare and not stressing myself out so much with oodles of overtime. Save money on childcare costs, too. And I could take her to things like gymnastics lessons at 3:00 instead of 5:00 so dinner wouldn't be so late.

But most of the part-time jobs I see listed are lower level jobs like entry-level accounting clerks making $10 bucks an hour.

I'll find something.

Good luck.