| Topic Name: |
Why so many hours for so little money? |
| Message Name: |
Hours |
| Date Posted: |
03/21/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
I'm an undergrad starting this summer in audit. I'm not really sure what I want to do, and I just kind of fell into it.
The pay is similar to F500 finance and accounting jobs, which are my only other options out of UG job-wise.
I've heard the hours can get up in the 55 range during the busy season, but it was my understanding that the rest of the time they are in the 40s with weekends being rare. Is this incorrect?
I also plan to do law school eventually, but wanted to work for 2 years first. I'm hoping that 2 years audit experience plus the CPA will give me an edge in the job-search compared to other law school students (with everyone being so similar, some differentiation must help, even if it's not necessarily relevant to law).
Also, unless your firm is unique, your hours for biglaw seem a bit low (you said you haven't been there long, so maybe it's slow atm). According to AmLaw surveys, the hours are 60-70 for ALL associates, with junior associates obviously being higher. In that case, investment banking would seem to be a better comparison if you want to compare $$$, and we all know who will win that battle. |
| Message: |
I have no firsthand experience, but my friends from undergrad who went to PWC claim they work 50-60 year round, and 70-80 during busy season. It probably varies based on what office you go to. The problem is that recruiters can be a bit misleading, and you can't really start asking about how many hours they expect of you if you want to get an offer from them. Hopefully you actually KNOW some people at the office you're going to and have an inside scoop on the conditions.
The hours I've been working in biglaw are pretty indicative of the overall load. The amount from WEEK TO WEEK varies a lot, but the work is evenly distributed throughout the year. Some of the surveys you're reading are probably NYC firm dominated, and it's fact that hours in NYC are a lot worse. I looked around a lot and picked my firm/practice area very carefully. Unfortunately, shopping around wasn't much of an option when I was looking at accounting jobs. As a new lawyer, it was nice to have some REAL CHOICES in where I worked.
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