Next Steps – I think I want out of GL Accounting

Considering a Change from GL Accounting

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but I need to share my experience to seek some guidance. I graduated with a BS in Accounting in 2017 and started my career with various temporary jobs before settling into a small company for five years. Eventually, I realized I wanted to take my career more seriously, aiming to break the $45K/year barrier, so I enrolled in a Master’s program to become CPA eligible and accepted a Staff Accountant position with a small startup in late 2023, earning $75K.

Unfortunately, that role didn’t go as planned. Just two weeks into my job, my hiring manager, the only other accountant, left, which drastically shortened my training period from what was supposed to be 3-6 months to just 3-6 weeks. A new CFO and manager were hired, and they quickly decided that I wouldn’t fit into their plans. As a result, I was only with that company for about five to six months. On a positive note, I did have success in accounts receivable, reducing outstanding AR by 50%, which gave me some confidence. Afterward, I thought I could transition to an AR/AP job while continuing my studies.

In May 2024, I was actively job hunting and had several interviews, eventually landing at a larger company with $250M in annual revenue. They placed me in the GL Department for Staff Accounting, convinced I’d be bored in collections — a decision I now regret, especially as my coursework intensified in July 2024.

Initially, I felt I’d made the right choice. Earning $70K in a larger company, I thought there would be ample room for growth. However, over the past three months, I’ve experienced a significant shift. With the demands of my Master’s program and a recent acquisition changing all our reporting processes, I have been putting in 12-13 hour days between work and school. I’m struggling at work again; there are reports I’m responsible for that I still don’t fully understand even after eight months of effort. I spend my weekends juggling practice reports and homework but feel like I’m not making any headway. It’s exhausting.

I’m starting to doubt my ability to thrive in this role. My team has been supportive, but they expect me to have a grasp on my responsibilities by this point, and I don’t. During my first performance review, I barely avoided being put on a Performance Improvement Plan, and the next review isn’t until six months down the line. While I’m not in immediate jeopardy of being let go, it’s still disheartening. Every day feels like a struggle to leave my past failures behind and learn new concepts, but I’m losing hope that it will click. If working 13 hours a day for three months hasn’t helped me grasp the material, I’m beginning to think I might not get there.

I do want to complete my Master’s by this August, but I’m rethinking my path to obtaining my CPA. I recognize that stepping away from this route might affect my future earnings potential — graduates from my program typically earn over $90K, whereas I’m barely scraping by at $70K in a staff position. I believe I’d excel more in a specialized role, like AR or AP, where I can grow into management. In my current position, I still assist with AP for about a week each month, which is the only area where I’ve received positive feedback.

So now, how do I navigate this transition? I’m beginning to search for new opportunities, but many companies want to funnel me into staff or senior staff roles or management positions that I feel underqualified for based on my experience. I’m hesitant to start over, but it seems clear that the traditional Accounting path isn’t the right fit for me. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!