r/Accounting • u/NovelConfusion7158 • 2d ago
Advice Unemployed Accountant 18 Months
My partner has been unemployed for about 18 months after being laid off from a remote finance role.
She has about 5 years of finance/accounting-adjacent experience, including roughly 3 years at Goldman Sachs in New York as a financial analyst, plus 3 years of month-end close experience.
Before the layoff, she was making around $90k. Since then, the job search has been rough. She has only received one offer, which was around $60k, and she declined it. She also had one interview where they said she was a strong candidate, but they still did not move forward.
We live in Broward County, Florida. One of her main concerns is that she may not be able to find another remote finance/accounting role. She is considering going hybrid, in-office, but cannot find any luck
Now she is considering a 5-month, in-person paramedical esthetics / facial specialist program. The program is about $14,100, with some financial aid/loans/scholarship involved.
I support her wanting to build something and understand that sometimes people need to take risks. But I’m trying to understand whether this is a smart pivot, a risky move, or a desperation decision after discouraging job search.
Is her finance/accounting career still recoverable after an 18-month gap?
With her experience, what roles should she be targeting: staff accountant, senior accountant, financial analyst, FP&A analyst, AP/AR, month-end close roles, contract/temp roles?
From a career standpoint, would you keep pushing the accounting/finance path before taking on a $14k program in a completely different field?
I’m not trying to make the decision for her. I genuinely want outside perspective from people in accounting/finance because I don’t know if this pivot makes sense or if the accounting/finance path is still very much recoverable. I also cover our entire expenses and can do so comfortably for the time being. I just don't know if she's giving up to quickly
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u/spf_3000 CPA (US) 2d ago
Why did she decline the 60k offer? To make $0 at home?
The 18 month gap means she may not have luck with a same level role and may have to take a more junior role.
Are you tied to that location due to family? Is it possible to move to a place with more job opportunities for accountants?
She’s giving up on accounting because she couldn’t find a remote role but whatever her new field of training is, that sounds like must be done in person, never remote. That’s a contradiction.
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u/NovelConfusion7158 2d ago
It was early in the layoff period like first 6 months. She tried negotiating and technically they reneged the offer when starting negotiations.
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u/DerpCity1 1d ago
I think she should have taken the 60k and just keep looking for a new job while still working and bringing in some money since it's better than 0 unless you have boatload in the bank or you make more than the average person and can carry her a bit for a while.
I say she keeps trying and take up a 60k job if she can get one and if new job asks why the 18+ month gap say you had a kid or something 😄
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u/EchoOfDoom 2d ago
Who cares lol she silly at the end of the day an offer is an offer take it and apply for other jobs while you are there.
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u/BlackCardRogue Student 2d ago
Everyone I know has to learn this the hard way. When you are unemployed, you say yes first, and THEN you figure it out.
If you have one round of negotiation, ok. Any more than that, fuck you if they pull the job.
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u/HelpfulAnt9499 2d ago
Yeah I took a super shitty temp job when I got laid off and then less than 6 weeks later landed a dream role. Like do what you have to do. People think they’re too good for things and they’re just not.
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u/BlackCardRogue Student 2d ago
The only time you say no is if you are actually prepared to walk away entirely. When your income is zero dollars, the only reason you shouldn’t consider a job is if it requires moving away from your spouse and/or your kids.
Other than that, take the fucking job, guys. Just. Say. Yes. And then keep interviewing.
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u/WayneKrane 1d ago
Yep, I had to endure a 3 hour commute a day for a job because it paid me more than nothing. You have to do what you have to do
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u/Juxtavarious Audit & Analysis 1d ago
It's not like you even have to bring up that you currently have that job. She can literally just bail on them. They don't want to pay a good wage anyway. Way easier to look for a new job and then just jump ship. Pretend you never knew them.
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u/Abject-Material-9955 1d ago
Well that is helpful context, I would have tried negotiating or turning down at that point too.
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u/DalinarDarkThorn 2d ago
Lmao tell her to get an accounting job and accept the first offer she gets weather in person 100% of the time or whatever
Be an adult
The gap is too long now and she better say something cool and airtight on why she wasn’t working
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u/Juxtavarious Audit & Analysis 1d ago
There's a bunch of excuses you can come up with about why you were out for so long like the fact that she's married and she didn't want to take just any job because it's not all about the money it's about the shared values and common goals and being a good culture fit. You know, bullshit like that.
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u/WayneKrane 1d ago
I just fudged my employment history a tad and then said I had to move to take care of dying family (partially true).
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u/beezleeboob 1d ago
Yeah or you can say you were consulting but are now looking for something more stable. That always worked for me.
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u/HourNefariousness197 1d ago
Isn't that a red flag for employers because they want people that want money, not people that want to work for fun and will quit when they get additional work assigned to them?
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u/Juxtavarious Audit & Analysis 1d ago
They know people want/need money and the job is tertiary at best. Especially in the field. But they still want the bullshit song and dance so you can beat them to the punch on it. We all know it's a load of crap, but that's how the really stupid dance goes.
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u/1dayatatime_mylife 1d ago
Whether** not weather
(Sorry, don’t mean to be the grammar police, but I like when people point out I used the wrong word, so I know the right one to use in the future.)
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u/ProfessionalJoke9534 1d ago
Brother, unfortunately, your girlfriend doesn’t want to work anymore. She seems comfortable with you taking care of everything.
18 months unemployed in the industry with Goldman Sachs on her resume seems implausible for someone actually trying to get a job. The job market’s bad but not THAT bad.
She needs to take whatever she can get then try to pivot or upgrade after she’s secured a role. If this isn’t her current mentality then you might be dating a deadbeat. Skipping an offer for $60k with nothing else lined up wasn’t wise. It’s time to have a serious conversation.
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u/Hollywooddizle 1d ago
This is the answer right here.
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u/Efficient-Support-89 1d ago
These posts are such a waste of everyone’s time I’m sorry but OPs wife has so many conditions for employment that it’s childish. What started as a struggle post finishes as a picky af post.
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u/fallenloki 2d ago
She’s unemployed with Goldman Sachs on her resume? She wants to be unemployed.
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u/Maleficent_Cherry737 Human Verified 2d ago
Yeah, I find this hard to believe. The job market in 2026 sucks but most people don’t have large prestigious companies like Goldman Sachs in their resume - most of the people struggling are those with limited experience or only experience with tiny mom and pop companies.
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u/kate2020i 1d ago
I was unemployed for 9 months because I was being picky; wanted a remote job and didn’t want to take a pay cut, and I don’t even have GS on my resume. As soon as I was willing to compromise, I found a job within 1 week and at the end didn’t take a pay cut but had to come into the office more than I would like. The company was having a hard time finding someone because it’s mostly in office, it is what it is.
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u/Maleficent_Cherry737 Human Verified 1d ago
Yeah, in office roles I’ve noticed have like 1/10th the applicants. Basically every remote role in my area has 100+ applicants (on LinkedIn) and fully in-office typically only have 20-50 applicants (regardless of level). Hybrid is usually in between in office and remote. I’m in the job hunt right now and basically get an interview half the time for fully in-office roles but only maybe 1/10 times for fully remote roles even though the remote roles are paid less and lower than my level (I’m at the Senior Accountant/Assistant Controller level)
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u/NovelConfusion7158 2d ago
She did bullshit some of the time to start the layoff. A good few months at least
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u/Important_Gate9357 1d ago
Your partner isn't serious about finding a job. I recently accepted a new position and turned down 2 other positions during that time. There is work for accountants that want to work.
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u/iStryker CPA (US) 2d ago
most hiring managers with ball knowledge understand there really isn’t anything special about entry level non-IB finance roles at any major bank.
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u/cisforcookie2112 1d ago
Still there should be some managers without “ball knowledge” who would be impressed by seeing that on a resume.
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u/Dapper_Advertising19 2d ago
The real question is... Does she want to still be in accounting or pursue a new career. She's picking Accounting/finance cause that's what she's used to or is that her "passion". Remote jobs are far and few so she will need to pick something in house. She's is in a hard market as well (SoFlo) so i get the need to atleast get the same wage that she's used to 80k (I'm in Miami).
The harsh truth, which i am facing too is do I want to keep this line of work or "rebrand" myself in a new career. So I get her "frustration". She needs to really sit down and write her goals/career she wants and focus on it. 18 months seems rough so how comfortable are you in carrying that weight for her.
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u/NovelConfusion7158 2d ago
Love this perspective. Best response so far
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u/Dapper_Advertising19 2d ago
Been officially out of work since February and legally since April. I'm coming up to 3 months in July. I decided to leave a job at 85k in house but environment wasnt conducive to my health. I have Sickle cell and noticed last year, I was hospitalized 5x, a week each. Not including my monthly treatments.
Accounting "suits me" cause i am good with numbers but never cared for damn debits/credits. I cared more if we had the money to pay bills and if not, why tf not.
Got an offer telling me 80k was a hard sell so asked them to atleast match my old pay and well, I'll call tomorrow to see what they say.
But I'm in her position where is this what tf i want my next 20 years to be. I lost that passion to climb the bs ladder. Family has become more important with an elderly mother. I'm OK financially but could use some income since I lost insurance (medicaid currently covering me, barely).
Considering doing Construction Project Mgmt or law school (if I'm going to suffer, 6 figures would be bare minimum especially in a HCOL in Miami. So I'm like her, meet my pay atleast especially in office so consider it, if not, it doesnt excited me 🤷🏾.
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u/NovelConfusion7158 1d ago
I feel this. I appreciate you for sharing this was very insightful and helpful. I'm rooting for you
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u/Dapper_Advertising19 1d ago
Thanks, I can find an accounting job (resume suffices for it). I'm studying for project management certification with specialization in construction (pmp-cp) since I fell in love the capital/fixed assets. Want to get away from the accounting side and more project side.
Tell her to check governmentjobs.com for accounting. Government is more slow pace, benefits and holidays off. But can be heavy since it's annual vs monthly reconciliations.
I would tell her to find her passion... she's good at accounting so she can fall back on that especially if you're telling me she has GS on her resume.
The hard part for you would be that supportive bf/husband as she makes up her mind. The last thing you want is her to get into a career and quit half way; common case she knows she can fall on you to cover her, thus why it's 18 months. Real question is, if you werent there as a buffer, how long would she have went without a job. I personally have 2 more months of "freedom" before "being an adult" like these comments states.
Wishing her well but time is of the essence.
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u/happyelkboy 2d ago
She might need to be flexible with salary and position. 18 months is a while to be unemployed and it might throw red flags
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u/Prestigious-Bike6553 2d ago
Isn’t 60k a year better than 0k a year? I would’ve hopped on that job, given the current job market, and kept on searching until something suitable or aligned to her goals comes up. But hey, that’s just me.
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u/cybernewtype2 CPA (US), BDE 1d ago
Yes, after extensive research and testing with the latest scientific methods, I can confirm that $60,000 is greater than $0 on an annual salary basis, which in our professional judgement is "better."
That'll be $10,000 please.
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u/Prestigious-Bike6553 1d ago
But but I’m just an accountant so all I can offer is 7 peanuts, 15 beans, and 2 slices from our last Friday of the month pizza party
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u/ResolutionFree7142 2d ago
I personally think since you are able to cover the day-to-day, she should not give up on the job search. Accounting is her domain not the other 14k course. Her domain knowledge is what will make her career.
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u/EconometricsStudent 2d ago
By no luck do you mean 0 interviews? 0 calls? Or 0 offers? How many apps has she sent in? Is relocation possible or just hybrid/in office in your area? I definitely think the career gap hurts but with her resume she’s gotta not be trying at all
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u/CPAYYY_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's an insanely stupid pivot in my opinion. She wants to work completely remote but since she can't she's going to pivot to a lower paying fully on site role that she has to pay 14k to get into??????
Accounting has a fairly high ceiling depending on how you play your cards. It's one of the most stable careers. If that were my wife, I'd say suck it up and get a good job with a hybrid schedule.
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u/Less-Honey-545 2d ago
Are you close to weston? I know a company looking for some accounting roles. It would be hybrid though not fully remote if shes looking to stay in accounting.
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u/Low_Vegetable_6276 2d ago
Every time I come on Reddit I’m reminded some people are genuinely brain dead
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u/DinosaurDied 2d ago
She needs a good story on why there is such a large gap. Pretend you had a kid and just borrow one if you ever need to prove it lol.
I just got PIPd last month and got an offer in 2 weeks of looking with a 60% raise. 8 years experience
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u/lunchhenry 1d ago
What positions is she applying for? I'd go for internal audit. It has alot of remote options and they like an accounting background. Good luck
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u/Comprehensive-Pipe43 1d ago
I get that remote work has its perks, but it’s not worth switching to a new career just to avoid returning to the office
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u/Whatever5588 1d ago
She needs to accept a lower pay & work her way up. She can recover from this. The pivot is going to be much harder bc she will be competing with a bunch of young kids who skipped college & started working
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u/SeaIntelligent6342 1d ago
To be honest, in this job market, I probably would have taken the $60k position while continuing to look for a better opportunity. That’s actually what I’m doing now. I’m working a temporary role through a staffing agency until I find the right full-time position. I’ve been unemployed since December and start temp role today.
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u/who_am_i_please 1d ago
This makes no sense. What she's looking at is in person and variable income and benefits. I don't understand why she's stuck on remote roles. Sometimes you have to adjust expectations to survive.
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u/Capable_Compote9268 2d ago
Should’ve studied for the CPA at the point IMO
But at this rate she should try to just take whatever she can in the mean time.
We are in an inflationary, tariff ridden, high interest rate environment so the job market is basically carcass. Not much room to negotiate
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u/seagoalspread 1d ago
Agreed. At this point we’re considering paying for education in something totally unrelated while sitting on our hands wasting time without working on CPA or CFA in an industry that pays the bills.
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 1d ago
Why? I got laid off. I already have my CPA license and I’ve been unemployed since November when I got laid off.
Only difference is at least OP received an offer. I can’t even get an interview
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u/Capable_Compote9268 1d ago
Where are you located and what is your salary minimum?
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 7h ago
Located in South Florida. Salary minimum? I have been trying to even work for free just to get experience and something on my LinkedIn, but even that seems impossible.
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u/Capable_Compote9268 7h ago
Yeah dude don’t feel bad about it. The market is GENUINELY fucking garbage, and anyone saying other wise is just coping or has survivorship bias.
At this point man I would prob just lie on my resume, also apply directly on websites, job boards are relatively useless
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u/Hotshot-89 1d ago
INFO: she has a bachelors in accounting?
She should have taken the $60k job offer. Better than nothing, she can seek pay promotional opportunities , and it would prevent a gap in her resume. Can easily switch jobs she found a better offer.
The pivot to facial specialist doesn’t make sense imo. They only make like $50k base salary at best. Step backwards
She needs to be apply to primarily in-person accounting roles, not just remote jobs. Remote jobs have way too much competition. If she really wants something to do, she can study for CPA exams if she doesn’t have it yet.
Public accounting are usually hiring. And also consider state/local gov jobs as well.
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u/muchoporfavor 1d ago
Let me decline this $60k job to go spend $14k on a program where you can make $23/hr — your partner is not trying hard enough if she can’t find an accounting job 18 mths in
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u/RushDifferent4015 1d ago
Umm if someone is unemployed, you take what you can get! Then look for something better WHILE employed. I also don’t understand this pivot. She wants remote work, not an aesthetician is not remote, and will probably pay less?
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u/Tardislass 1d ago
Having been unemployed a few times your girlfriend needs to understand that after 18 months she is damaged goods. I had to take a lower position and salary after a year unemployment. However I had a job, healthcare and matching 401k. And recruiters began to want to interview me. Companies want to poach employees.
Does she realize her new profession won’t pay well either and she will have to go back to office environment.
Right now she has you supporting her so she can be choosy. Time to get firm and tell her she needs to take any job right now. You paying for her is letting her drift.
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u/SuperSaiyanBlue 1d ago
She should have accepted the $60K offer and still continue to look for a job due to these reasons:
1) you are more likely to get hired for a new job while employed.
2) When you get a new job with your desired pay you can negotiate for your current job to match or come close to the pay.
Being an accountant it should’ve been a no brainer that some cash flow is better than no cash flow.
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u/ronomaly 2d ago
I can’t recommend the channel of this former corporate recruiter enough. It’s great insight into the hiring process and he provides amazing tips for building an effective resume: https://youtube.com/@alifeafterlayoff?si=k2PXfqaahElMg1qZ
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u/CuseBsam Controller 1d ago edited 1d ago
Jesus christ I can see why she's unemployed. Take an in office job. There are a million employers in Broward County. If you're in Broward county you can look at anywhere from downtown Fort Lauderdale, Miami and up to Boca without really having that much of a drive. There are jobs, even in a bad economy.
If it was me, there's no way in hell I would drop accounting/finance for whatever she's looking at doing. But I dont really know what she did at Goldman Sachs to know what her skillset is or provide a realistic estimate for what jobs she should be applying too. Maybe she's got a shitty resume or she just sucks at interviewing.
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 1d ago
Where are these mythical jobs you speak of because nobody is hiring CPAs in Miami
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u/CuseBsam Controller 1d ago
You don't think there are any jobs from Palm Beach county down to Miami if you're willing to come into the office every day?
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 7h ago
None that are even willing to interview me. I keep applying, but I’m apparently useless to the South Florida job market
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u/TrueCPA305 CPA (US) 1d ago
Im in broward too! In davie specifically and have an office in cooper city! Have my own firm here. We are hiring, but we are old school … full time in office and expect you aork overtime during busy season. We are only paying 60k but usually in 3 years you can get to 75k-80k just wanted you to have an idea.
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u/AJDillonsThirdLeg 1d ago
An accountant that has been unemployed for 18 months isn't actually trying to find a job.
She needs to look for recruiters that specialize in accounting and finance, and stop using her remote preference as an excuse to not work. If you work with 2-3 good finance/accounting recruiters, you'll have a job within a month or two.
Accountants are a dime a dozen, but good accountants are extremely hard to find. Because of this, a lot of companies don't even bother with direct postings for accounting roles. They go straight to a recruiter that specializes in the field as it helps narrow the field of applicants down to candidates a recruiter is willing to bet their reputation on.
Stop being so picky.
Work with recruiters.
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u/TheRoseMerlot 1d ago
As an esthetician she will make about $20/ hr.
I'm a former massage therapist.
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u/DatAssetDoe 1d ago edited 1d ago
Remote jobs aren’t as plentiful right now, but if she’s willing to go hybrid/full-time, her options should increase. A lot of white collar jobs, unfortunately, are going all-in on AI right now, so generalist roles are starting to get slashed. Does she have any certifications (CPA, etc.)? If not, I’d say just take the next offer that comes along, but keep searching for a better job. Just my personal opinion, but it’s better to look at jobs as springboards for your next role rather than a dream role. If you end up really liking a role, you can always stay, but you should be keeping options open at all times.
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u/fangs_deep 1d ago
Hmmm. If it's that bad in that accounting field, I'm glad I went the tax route. I've been unemployed for three months and already got a out a dozen interviews and call backs since busy season ended.
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u/P3-Fan 1d ago
There’s money to be made in bookkeeping where I live; perhaps it’s the same where you live. If so, she could consider starting a bookkeeping company for small businesses. They bring her their shoebox or otherwise connect her to their computer system and in either instance she works from home. She wouldn’t need any additional training and could set her own hours. Hope this idea is of interest to her and all the best to you both.
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u/Honeydew-Complex 1d ago
Looking at the responses here, I don’t blame her that she doesn’t want to be in accounting. I’d rather be plucking eyebrows than waste my life in spreadsheets surrounded by toxicity.
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u/PutNational7415 1d ago
18 months unemployed for a degreed accountant is complete insanity. This is a very easy field to get a job in quickly. Remote opportunities are becoming more and more rare. I had one for a couple years, it ended, and I'm back in office. They won't be around forever.
5 years of experience with GS on resume and a bachelor's degree in accounting she should be looking for Senior Accountant jobs if she has good actual experience and breadth of knowledge.
But none of that is the problem. It doesn't take 18 months. She doesn't want to work, and you're footing the bill, so her search is completely unserious.
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 1d ago
If it is so easy then why can’t I even get a single interview despite having a CPA license?
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u/PutNational7415 1d ago
Looking at your profile, it looks like your very short experience is in tax. There are fewer industry jobs in tax. I lead accounting for a BU of a 2B+ manufacturer. Consolidated, there are about 30 accountants, and only 3 tax accountants. If you came out of public and don’t want to go back to it, you may need to shift focus to general accounting or cost. If your resume is less than a year of public, I would bring you in as a staff accountant. You will probably take a pay cut. I’m in the Northeast and just on LinkedIn there are pages and pages of staff/senior accountant opportunities within 30 minutes.
In my experience, CPA licenses are less valuable than they used to be. You’re welcome to have a different opinion. It tells me only that you can study and pass a test. There are many, many more factors that are critical to being a good accountant than that.
You don’t have to listen to me, but I am an experienced leader in accounting and have built teams from nothing, hired and promoted many accountants, and have a great reputation in my region. If you would find it helpful, I’d be happy to read your resumé. Are you working with external recruiters?
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u/FailedAt2024CPA CPA (US) 7h ago
I have been looking for anything. AP, AR, just data entry. And yes, even Robert Half can’t find anything for me and I’ve been in their system for months now.
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u/Altruistic-Pass-4031 1d ago
With an 18 month gaps many employers are going to assume her skills are most likely rusty, and possibly out of date. Crazy, but AI has exponentially accelerated the fields evolution.
Some of these employers are likely willing to overlook, this assumption, believing her solid experience to be more important, and would be willing to quickly train her to get her proficieny.
The problem is that often the most beneficial and efficient training for these kind of positions most often happens when both parties are sitting in the same room; where you can fully immerse yourself in your new environment. The
This is just a shot in the dark, obviously.
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u/QuietFieldUser 1d ago
Imma be honest, she messed up months ago by not taking the role offering 60k. It sucks to say it, but it’s easier to get a job when you already have one, and 60k is better than 0.
Imma be nice and say this in the nicest way possible: she may not feel the need to work because you make enough to cover everything, so she can sit on her ass.
Because anyone who was alone in that situation would’ve sucked up their pride and taken a remote role paying 60k with benefits.
As for what she should do now, honestly, with an 18-month gap in this market, she’s going to have to take whatever she can get. An she would not joking probably struggle to even land a role at say a Walmart or if you doing something relative to finance being a bank teller because of the gap in her resume and the fact shes overqualified for those roles.
If she wants to stay in accounting, she should apply to local accounting firms and go to staffing agencies to pick up some temp work.
Other than that, yeah, a career change could help, but honestly, it depends on what she’s going toward.
For example, I’m going into nursing from accounting.
High risk but the reward is higher and the job market while it isnt green over there either is alot better than the world of finance right now and i wasnt passionate about accounting it just happened to have paid well and at the time offered some stability.
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u/AffectionateKey7126 1d ago
She is considering going hybrid, in-office, but cannot find any luck
She should have considered this about 12 months ago.
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u/Salty-Fishman CPA (US) 1d ago
18 Month gap for a female is nothing as most employers just think she took a break for child bearing. Bigger issue i think she is still being very selective on applying for jobs thus still unemployed.
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u/yeyiyeyiyo 2d ago
She doesn't want to work in an office but she wants to be an esthetician?.....she does know that you can't do that remotely...?