accounting being outsourced, blah blah blah

There's so much outsourcing talk over on the Monster.com Finance
message board. Outsourcing, HB-1 visas, no jobs left in the future,
etc. Are things REALLY this bleak?

http://forums.finance.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=1290

 

I'll tell you what is really bleak, having a US CPA designation and
working your ass off for PricewaterhouseCoopers Egypt for $ 350-500 a
month.
That's why many individuals from developing countries dream/fantasize
about going to the US or Canada.

 

You complain about not being able to find a suitable job with you
bachelor degree. Which university did you graduate from ? Is it the
norm for the graduates from this university to get decent jobs ?
I would feel real compassion if you are a graduate from a ranking
university and are facing these problems. I would consider you to be
unfortunate.

By the way, What university did you graduate from

 

IMO, what you get on such fora (as here) is a preponderance of negative
reports--same as the newspaper: good news doesn't sell.

It's not great, certainly, but there are jobs available--perhaps not as
cushy or as lucrative as one might like, but as one who did on-campus
recruiting for a number of years, I've been through similar periods
before--it'll turn around again as well. But, I'd caution strongly
against thinking (as apparently does another naysayer who posts his own
"doom-n-gloom" here regularly) that such sources as monster.com are a
premier job locater....

 

That is consistant with what I have read. Works out to a buck or two
an hour. With our really stupid implementation of the concept of
'free trade' without any quid pro quo, the International Accounting
Firms would be foolish not to export all the work they possibly can.

But, on the other issue,, you have to look at the salary versus the
cost of living in Egypt. Egypt as a socialist country provides a
great number of services that you would have to pay for in the US. I
would imagine, within the concept of 'social justice' the subject CPA
would live in a comparable situation.

Best Regards.

*****************************************
Boycott list:

Belgium, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, PRC, Iran, Syria,
Hollywood, San Francisco, Massachusetts, New York City, Sierra Club, ACLU,
Movies of the first blacklist, Turner, Madonna, S. Crowe, Dixie Chicks, Cher, U2, rapp,
Trudeau, W.Miller, Disney, ABC news, CBS news, NBC news, CNN, PBS, B&H Photo Video, Heinz
Foods,

Sometimes the only influence you have is to say, "No, I'm not buying."

For those who are unclear about the situation, California is the Clinton - Davis model for the rest of the United States of America.

 

So, it would be unfortunate for a Harvard grad to be unable to find a decent
job, but OK for a graduate of Sam Houston Institute of Technology to be
unemployable. (note: I did not graduate from either Harvard or S.H.I.T.)

 

You just supported what I have been writing in some of my posts. Sure
there are ordinary accounting and other business related jobs out
there, but it's extremely difficult to get one at a top firm. That's
why I always brag about getting into a top B-school.

 

That's not what I meant. It's normal for any Harvard or other top
ranking university graduate to be employed at top tier firms. So I
would sympathize with one who was unlucky to find a decent job,
specially after trying so hard to be admitted and paying a whole load
of cash for tuition. On the other hand, only a handful of graduates
from the S.H.I.T type get decent offers. They shouldn't really
complain about not getting the "perfect" job.

 

Well, that's no new news--if one is intent on a particular career path,
one had best prepare oneself to be able to compete in that market or
face the likelihood of being unsuccessful in that niche. That includes
facing the reality of one's level of capability and choosing the
appropriate method of achieving the goal. There's a certain amount of
incestuousness in the system, granted, but for the <most> part, if
you're <really> capable and willing to sacrifice sufficiently, you've
got a reasonable chance. The number of dunderheads in posh
universities, while not zero, is not a large fraction, either. Not
everyone <is> going to be "x"....and, of course, being prepared and
capable isn't necessarily going to mean you'll end up being President,
either--there's the "individual outcome" vis a vis the "statistical
average" argument that's been a recurring theme here recently as well.

 

My thinking was that basically, a college degree doesn't get you
nearly as far as you did in the past. Many students go in thinking
that a degree will lead them to some sort of career opportunities if
they work hard and do well. But what they don't tell you in school is
that much of that opportunity depends on the economy, timing,
location, and luck. Even as late as 2000, my school was pushing
business/computer information systems as a viable major.
Computer-science grads finding jobs--maybe. But a general business
degree with a CIS major has led to nowhere for everyone I've talked to
(whereas in the late 90's, grads with no experience were starting out
at $40K).

I now have majors in both CIS and accounting (from a state school),
but had to move after graduation (and will have to move again) due to
my husband being in the military. I haven't had difficulty finding
jobs, but they aren't really what I expected. I guess another issue
is that I don't really want a super-stressful career that requires me
to work 80 hours a week (well, outside of tax season). I want a
balanced life--to make a nice home, to have children one day, to spend
time with family, etc. I'm not solely driven by the pursuit of money.
I want to have monetary security, but I'm not the sort of person who
defines myself by what I do.

I'm hoping that once I pass the CPA exam and pick up some accounting
software skills that I'll be able to one day find some flexibility and
have more options.

 

....saga of experience w/school and job hunting plus wish list...

Nothing any different in this than was true when I graduated more years
ago than now seems possible...opportunities are, have always been and
always will be predicated on the overall economic situation and other
factors including the "quality of life" issues you mention. As I've
noted previously, I spent over 20 years doing on-campus college
recruiting and it varied enormously from year to year over the business
cycle and particular corporate needs...now is really nothing all that
unusual in the bigger picture. And as for the value of the degree, if
you're finding difficulty now, think what your opportunities would be if
you were holding a HS diploma only...

 

unfortunately being a military spouse and moving with your husband can
present difficulties in a career. I live in a military community and
employers recognize this type of turnover and may subtly discriminate
against promoting. But on the plus side you can build up varied and
valuable experience that may be beneficial.

 

BTW, good luck and God bless and thank him for us...

-dpb

 

This could be bad. Although the greatest number of H-1B visas are used
for Information Technology, other fields are already being targeted by
this visa. I'm not sure exactly what extent it has effected the
accounting field. Also, outsourcing usually involves using workers
from other countries with a lower cost of living (and therefore a
lower salary).

A solution is to get involved as much as possible: write congressmen,
tell your friends about this, do research on the H-1B visa, etc.

it_worker250
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antih1b

 

Thanks so much! Luckily, he's a bit older than me and can get
military retirement in six years if all goes well (with the grace of
God--even military jobs aren't immune to being lost due to downsizing
[or injury])! I'd give up ANY career opportunity to be with my
husband, he's so worth it! I only want to work to help contribute to
our financial security and to take some of the pressure off of his
back.

 

Accounting is already outsourced to external firms, so its not unimaginable. The Big4 and such make too much money to go anywhere anytime soon though.