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Do it! I did the same in my late 30s and most accountants become accounting managers/controllers, and CFOs. I was an auditor in public accounting and one of the worst jobs ever. 2 years of legalized slavery, working 12 - 16 hour days during the busy season which is usually Jan - April. We got the worst of the worst clients to audit, bit definitely taught me how to be a controller which is what I'm doing now.
Although, I feel when it comes to accounting, most companies and business owners prefer tax accountants over audit accountants because tax accountants known how to save you money versus audit accountants are the ones that show you how to report your financials so you don't get in trouble. Auditors are usually considered the annoying accountant nit picking at everything.
You're fine. They start to age discriminate in your late 30s. I was 38 when I went into PA and they thought I was ancient. Lol they asked me if I new excel haha, how old do I look? If you go for big 4, you'll definitely be on the older side. If you go for small to mid size, there's older people like 30s - 50s, but most are already in a senior to manager role.
The benefit for working for a small firm is you get exposed to the whole audit, and for my sake, we got the worst of the worst because we had to charge cheap to attract clients, and those cheap clients had horrible books! So it took forever to finish audits. But I learned a lot also.
I've heard at big 4 or big size firms, you're exposed to only sections of an audit. They'd rather have you be a master of a section, rather than to learn the whole engagement audit. Don't quote me on this, but that's what I've been told.
I second everything Controller 1 said except the tax/audit piece! I recently left Big 4 after 7 years in audit. Currently 31. Even if you do 2 years in Public Accounting (audit), it will open endless doors for career options afterwards.
IMHO, audit is more generic and you learn a companies entire business model. Tax is more niche and specialized, which can limit your exit ops to a certain degree, but regardless, public accounting is a great launchpad to more lucrative careers down the road.
Hours will suck and pay isn’t the greatest, but pay your dues and reap the benefits down the road.
The biggest challenge will likely be adapting to the hierarchy. Coming in to a firm at 30, you’ll likely still be the low person on the totem pole. You may have senior associates and managers that are “above you” and are the ones assigning you tasks, reviewing your work, and evaluating your performance, yet they might be 3-4 years younger than you.
I’ve seen some older folks come into KPMG from a career change later in life and only last a couple months because they didn’t like working “under” someone recently out of college.
But I’ve also been the manager/supervisor to someone 10years older than me, and she had the best attitude and willingness to learn, and that’s all it takes. She stayed for 3 years, got promoted, passed the CPA, “paid her dues”, and moved on to a cushy industry role.
It’s all about mindset/attitude. It’s a grind, and sometimes an odd dynamic for someone a little older, but it can be done, and I think it’s a great option to consider.
Hours are nuts but you get a ton of experience and you are the revenue generator