CPA
(Female, Age 42) from Austin, TX
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 42 who works as a CPA in Austin, TX. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | CPA |
|---|---|
| Salary | $48,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Austin, TX |
| Years Experience | 5 months |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
An accounting firm of 5 people that serves the needs of other companies in a variety of industries.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I audit the financial statements of our clients.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health insurance only
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with others on a daily basis, but I enjoy it usually because it makes the day go by faser.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Small office within a complex with approx. 10 other offices for small business, typically service oriented. I hate walking across the parking lot in the dark.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 3
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | I leave the house around 7:30 to stop by my office to drop off any completed audit files. I leave the office by 8am to drive to the clients business. |
| 8am to 9am | Commuting time to client’s business. |
| 9am to 10am | Review the audit workpapers from the prior year’s audit of that particular rental property. Then acquire the same supporting documents provided by the client for the current year. |
| 10am to 11am | Upload the prior year’s account balances and excel spreadsheets onto computer. Manually enter the current year’s account balances. |
| 11am to 12pm | Enter current year’s account balances into the excel spreadsheets previously created in prior year. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch hour. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Reconcile cash account balances. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Reconcile prepaid insurance balances. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Reconcile prepaid insurance balances. Identify client provided support for other assets. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Compute current year depreciation expense. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Reconcile notes payable to bank. Recompute interest expense. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Identify client provided support for other liabilities. |
| 7pm to 8pm | Commute home. |
| 8pm to 9pm | N/A |
| 9pm to 10pm | N/A |
| 10pm to 11pm | N/A |
| 11pm to 12am | N/A |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
newspaper ad
What was the application process?
submitted resume
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I interviewed once with the owner and the owner’s daughter who also worked their. They described the job and wanted to know if it was something I would like to do.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
If I had experience with the low income housing industry. Whether I was a current CPA.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, by explaining what was expected during the interview and having me work as a team with two other people.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, the level of accounting taught was adequate.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Did not intern.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Pass the CPA exam after graduating from college.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Should be computer literate, posses technical skills regarding accounting practices all companies abide by, and be able to interact with the client’s management.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Definite must have a 4 year college degree in accounting
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Don’t limit yourself to working in a specialized field at first.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, I enjoy accounting
What are your current career goals?
To learn more about the tax aspects of my clients.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It can be brutal when clients don’t cooperate with you.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | CPA | 5 months | 48000 | Audit of financial statements. |
| Prior Job 2 | CPA | 13 months | 48000 | Audit of financial statements. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.2 | UMKC | BS Accounting |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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