Accounting jobs that pay 6 figures out of college
Why do people keep telling me they know accountants that make 100k+ right out of college. Pretty sure that’s not a thing. But it’s not like you can call these guys out on their bull shit to their face.
Anyone have any data points?
Working at an accounting firm is not the same as "being an accountant."
In other words, I'm sure there are some people who went to target schools and work in advanced transaction advisory consulting or whatever at the Big 4 firms and clear 100k.
But if you're asking whether your average Big 4 audit associate coming out of a state school is making over $100k - almost definitely not.
That's not a thing. No one makes 100k starting in Big 4 out of undergrad in accounting. Auditors break 100k at the manager+ level.
I’m asking about literally any accounting job. Doesn’t have to be big 4 (although I feel like they pay the highest?). I’m including accounting jobs at Apple and IBM etc
Big 4 firms pay 55k base + 5k for passing the CPA + ~5% cost of living adjustment for bigger cities + 0-10k annual bonus. Given that most accounting professionals start off in Big 4 or at least a smaller CPA firm, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone making 100k+ out of college. That's not to say it's impossible... I'd love for someone to prove me wrong, but until then, I'm calling BS.
Nowhere. It doesn't happen.
Unless you're (wrongly) bucketing financial analyst jobs as "accounting", it's not a thing. FAs at big tech companies in FP&A/other CorpFin departments can indeed break $100k+ total comp straight out of undergrad.
Maybe an SFA at a FAANG company in SF, otherwise never right out of school. Those companies run LDPs and their first year analysts may get close to 100 but never at or over it, it's all a fixed schedule.
Currently work at a Big 4 and have to say that $100k as a first year associate is far fetched. No chance that is possible straight out of college. Most wont clear $100k until 5 years at a firm.
The only way I can even imagine this is if someone went undergrad->Masters in Tax->Law school->Big 4 tax
Accountant for the cartel maybe
Thanks for the insight. I guess these guys are just rounding their salary to the nearest hundred thousand
If you count Big 4 Corporate Finance as "accounting" then first year analysts clear 95-110k all in (glassdoor data). Still below streets tho.
Deloitte S&O and Strategy& probably clear 80-90k.
But again these are not "accounting" jobs.
Big 4 Corp first years don’t clear 100k
Aka you have no clue, this isn't true at all.
lol my favorite on this forum is "yeah man I know pharma reps and people in software sales making 250k ez"
Because there's truth to that statement. It may take longer than finance but there's surely a fair amount of medical and software sales professionals earning a quarter.
It's certainly not easy but I know people in sales clearing $200 in their early 20s. They put in serious hours though. Sales is a real skill, especially technical sales.
Yep.
A marketing VP I knew used to work at J&J he'd tell his new hires (out of college) that they should be clearing $200k within 3 years. If they weren't doing it within 5 they should look for other employment.
As is being a hot blonde with great cans.
Also OP you’re hearing the truth, agreed so far on the cartel being the only reasonable path to 100k in accounting right out of UG
I'm sure people with accounting degrees clear 6 figures, knew several who went into IB/Consulting.
Sometimes roles that fall within "accounting" at F500's will pay that, but those are rare. I know of one or two, that if you stretch the definition to include benefits, max bonus, restricted stock, and 401k matching it crosses 100k.
Every person I knew hired out of college to Big 4 or one of the smaller ones for Audit/Tax is making in the 50s
Can tell you that no one in the Big Four at an entry level position is making $100k plus, just not how the comp structure works. Advisory is paid around $75k in places like NY and SF, and around $65k starting in other cities.
No way anyone is paying an associate out of undergrad $100k. They don’t even pay associates with a masters that much their first year.
Also, I don’t know any big 4 accounting firm hiring kids out of undergrad anyway.
I know people who got their Ms Accounting in undergrad in 4 years. then started in the big4 in a lower COL city starting at like 75k+5K+5K if I recall correctly.
Still not $100k and pretty positive they would be an outlier if we are talking about a straight out of undergrad data-set.
Varies by city, but most first year audit associates at big 4 will make around 60K. The Transaction Advisory programs are tougher to get into. Almost everyone wants to transition to that side after their first busy season. From my experience, if you make it to senior (3 years), and have a CPA, you can get a rotation in TAS. After the rotation, they throw you back in audit for busy season. You wont make 100K as an associate at any audit firm, even on the TAS side.
The highest paid accountant I know makes more than $150k a year working in a heavy industry (think oil/mining) with several years of experience. I work in accounting too and no, six figures right out of undergrad is not true.
Totally false. Most likely auditors trying to compensate for the fact that they made an awful career choice.
*I was an auditor, and I have no shame stating that.
Is auditing really that bad?
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