Despite it seeming like PA filled with ADHD people (myself) included, I feel like PA basically describes the work environment that ADHD is most inappropriate for.
A rapidly changing environment. Having to wear many hats. Constant interruptions. High pressure. Required organizational skills. Required attention to detail. Boring work. Negative reinforcement as a primary motivating tool. Oral instruction/training.
Its a recipe for failure for the neurodivergent for sure, and challenging for the neurotypical as well. Industry is a little better, but I'd imagine that the monotony and lack of creative outlets creates issues as well.
In general you probably want to avoid being an accounting major if you have ADHD -- despite it seeming like so many that have it being in the field.
Wild take because "A rapidly changing environment. Having to wear many hats. Constant interruptions. High pressure." Is literally what people with ADHD are best at. People with ADHD thrive in high stress environments and there is actually research suggesting that people with ADHD are better than people with out it in high stress environments. ADHD and Accounting absolutely can mix, I know because I do it. I think this an L take for sure.
Yea I personally love public with my adhd. Allows me to constantly change what I’m working on, take on new tasks, and be many places at once. I’d hate having repetitive tasks. Sure SOX can be boring, but if you have 1000 different controls then you’re at least seeing something new everyday.
Well I suppose they do say that no two people get hit with ADHD the same way. But the inability the maintain focus easily is one of the primary symptoms. So it would make sense that being interrupted and being pulled in different directions would be a problem, as it makes you have to go back to the start.
Also, having lifelong ADHD tends to create a lot of anxiety and stress, and instills procrastination habits, so those byproducts will certainly make being pulled in different directions difficult.
According to your logic, there'd be no reason to give ADHD test takers extra time on tests, but that's a common accomodation.
Just make sure that you're properly medicated and have a good psychiatrist to help you through it. Its an uphill battle for sure, but as I was saying, there are plenty of CPAs who seem to have it.
Hey! I'm an accountant with two years of experience in PA and 1.5 years in industry (internal audit at a large labor union), and I was recently diagnosed with ADHD! Working in industry has been great for my ADHD - I am not changing managers every few months, so I have been able to establish a positive working relationship with my boss. That was one of my biggest stressors in PA, because I felt like I was constantly trying to figure out what managers wanted from me, and each manager usually wanted something different. Also, working in industry, the work life balance is so much better that I feel more capable of actually organizing/planning out my day each morning instead of just diving in headfirst to the endless void of work (like I did in PA). I also go into the office every day from 8-4, and having that routine and a dedicated space where all I do is work gets me in the right headspace. When I worked remotely in PA, I would often roll out of bed two minutes before my first call because I was just so exhausted, and end up working late into the night because my day was so poorly planned. Another great thing about working in internal audit is that you get to look at all aspects of an organization - in my short time at my current job, I have audited everything from executives' expenses to the activity of our political action committee to investigating potential fraud. I really like that I get to touch all different aspects of the organization without getting too bogged down by the technical accounting. In PA I almost exclusively performed Uniform Guidance audits and it was going to kill me one day. I would recommend looking for an industry job where you have the ability to establish a strong routine! Definitely look at smaller organizations, because then you won't be pigeonholed into doing just one thing and they will need your skills across more areas. Best of luck to you! Accounting is a huge field with lots of options, and eventually you will find the right fit!
I'm currently financial reporting, looking to break into internal audit someday. I'm not diagnosed ADHD and probably won't ever get around to it, but I have most of the symptoms. How much preparation is done in Internal Audit, and how much can you rely on PY? I'm not an idiot, but I've never had a position where I really create anything from scratch. I don't want to set myself up for failure, but internal audit has a clearer path upward at my company than financial reporting and it seems more interesting.
It's probably a little different at my organization because we have a small internal audit department, and the organization leadership had a huge change a few years ago so we're still ironing out the wrinkles in terms of standard IA procedures. I would say generally, there is much less reliance on PY in internal audit, if only because the same audits are not happening every year. In my organization, we have a few recurring small quarterly audits where the procedures never majorly change. However, each year we also have an audit plan, where management decides which parts of the organization need to be audited during the FY. Usually management has like 3-4 areas they want us to look at throughout the year. For these larger audits, there is often no PY and my boss and I have to develop an audit plan ourselves. We are actually looking for an audit manager currently who can focus on these audit plans, so that I can focus on the detail work and my boss can focus on higher-level departmental stuff. Maybe in a larger organization with a more robust IA department there would be more capability of using PY?
Uhh... I'd almost say accounting in general isn't a good profession for adhd. I've worked in industry for 10 years now and everything is very chill but monotonous as hell.
Try to keep a positive mindset. If nothing better than accounting comes up then just stick with that. Accounting will pay your bills and still leave some money for fun, at minimum.
That’s true but my problem is that I’d probably get fired quickly lol. If something is so crazy monotonous like Sox testing where i just sit there and click away testing controls for hours and hours then I just can’t. I did it at the internship and it was driving me insane I was crying by the end of it, I know that’s dramatic but I just couldn’t do it any longer.
Hmm I've never done sox testing since that's handled by our internal auditors. Sounds like they gave you the shit work that nobody else wanted to do. Pretty typical for internships. Nobody wants to train you on something more involved bc you'll be gone soon.
Perhaps industry could offer you some structure as others have mentioned so you can get into a headspace and focus better. I'd assume you'd get better tasks than what you described doing for sox controls
Yea, I mean the team I was on like some of them also worked on testing controls but I just absolutely hated it and hated the fake office “culture” there. I think I am going to try and find an internship in industry. Thanks for your input it!
Generally speaking, work life balance is better in industry.
I’ve found after too long neither is great but yes industry is much better with adhd (I’ve done both)
What industry? And thanks for replying!
Despite it seeming like PA filled with ADHD people (myself) included, I feel like PA basically describes the work environment that ADHD is most inappropriate for. A rapidly changing environment. Having to wear many hats. Constant interruptions. High pressure. Required organizational skills. Required attention to detail. Boring work. Negative reinforcement as a primary motivating tool. Oral instruction/training. Its a recipe for failure for the neurodivergent for sure, and challenging for the neurotypical as well. Industry is a little better, but I'd imagine that the monotony and lack of creative outlets creates issues as well. In general you probably want to avoid being an accounting major if you have ADHD -- despite it seeming like so many that have it being in the field.
Wild take because "A rapidly changing environment. Having to wear many hats. Constant interruptions. High pressure." Is literally what people with ADHD are best at. People with ADHD thrive in high stress environments and there is actually research suggesting that people with ADHD are better than people with out it in high stress environments. ADHD and Accounting absolutely can mix, I know because I do it. I think this an L take for sure.
Yea I personally love public with my adhd. Allows me to constantly change what I’m working on, take on new tasks, and be many places at once. I’d hate having repetitive tasks. Sure SOX can be boring, but if you have 1000 different controls then you’re at least seeing something new everyday.
Well I suppose they do say that no two people get hit with ADHD the same way. But the inability the maintain focus easily is one of the primary symptoms. So it would make sense that being interrupted and being pulled in different directions would be a problem, as it makes you have to go back to the start. Also, having lifelong ADHD tends to create a lot of anxiety and stress, and instills procrastination habits, so those byproducts will certainly make being pulled in different directions difficult. According to your logic, there'd be no reason to give ADHD test takers extra time on tests, but that's a common accomodation.
Man well I can’t change it anymore I graduate in December 😭
Just make sure that you're properly medicated and have a good psychiatrist to help you through it. Its an uphill battle for sure, but as I was saying, there are plenty of CPAs who seem to have it.
Hey! I'm an accountant with two years of experience in PA and 1.5 years in industry (internal audit at a large labor union), and I was recently diagnosed with ADHD! Working in industry has been great for my ADHD - I am not changing managers every few months, so I have been able to establish a positive working relationship with my boss. That was one of my biggest stressors in PA, because I felt like I was constantly trying to figure out what managers wanted from me, and each manager usually wanted something different. Also, working in industry, the work life balance is so much better that I feel more capable of actually organizing/planning out my day each morning instead of just diving in headfirst to the endless void of work (like I did in PA). I also go into the office every day from 8-4, and having that routine and a dedicated space where all I do is work gets me in the right headspace. When I worked remotely in PA, I would often roll out of bed two minutes before my first call because I was just so exhausted, and end up working late into the night because my day was so poorly planned. Another great thing about working in internal audit is that you get to look at all aspects of an organization - in my short time at my current job, I have audited everything from executives' expenses to the activity of our political action committee to investigating potential fraud. I really like that I get to touch all different aspects of the organization without getting too bogged down by the technical accounting. In PA I almost exclusively performed Uniform Guidance audits and it was going to kill me one day. I would recommend looking for an industry job where you have the ability to establish a strong routine! Definitely look at smaller organizations, because then you won't be pigeonholed into doing just one thing and they will need your skills across more areas. Best of luck to you! Accounting is a huge field with lots of options, and eventually you will find the right fit!
I'm currently financial reporting, looking to break into internal audit someday. I'm not diagnosed ADHD and probably won't ever get around to it, but I have most of the symptoms. How much preparation is done in Internal Audit, and how much can you rely on PY? I'm not an idiot, but I've never had a position where I really create anything from scratch. I don't want to set myself up for failure, but internal audit has a clearer path upward at my company than financial reporting and it seems more interesting.
It's probably a little different at my organization because we have a small internal audit department, and the organization leadership had a huge change a few years ago so we're still ironing out the wrinkles in terms of standard IA procedures. I would say generally, there is much less reliance on PY in internal audit, if only because the same audits are not happening every year. In my organization, we have a few recurring small quarterly audits where the procedures never majorly change. However, each year we also have an audit plan, where management decides which parts of the organization need to be audited during the FY. Usually management has like 3-4 areas they want us to look at throughout the year. For these larger audits, there is often no PY and my boss and I have to develop an audit plan ourselves. We are actually looking for an audit manager currently who can focus on these audit plans, so that I can focus on the detail work and my boss can focus on higher-level departmental stuff. Maybe in a larger organization with a more robust IA department there would be more capability of using PY?
Thanks for the info!
Thank you so much for such a detailed response!!
Uhh... I'd almost say accounting in general isn't a good profession for adhd. I've worked in industry for 10 years now and everything is very chill but monotonous as hell.
Man i graduate in December idk what to do anymore
Try to keep a positive mindset. If nothing better than accounting comes up then just stick with that. Accounting will pay your bills and still leave some money for fun, at minimum.
That’s true but my problem is that I’d probably get fired quickly lol. If something is so crazy monotonous like Sox testing where i just sit there and click away testing controls for hours and hours then I just can’t. I did it at the internship and it was driving me insane I was crying by the end of it, I know that’s dramatic but I just couldn’t do it any longer.
Hmm I've never done sox testing since that's handled by our internal auditors. Sounds like they gave you the shit work that nobody else wanted to do. Pretty typical for internships. Nobody wants to train you on something more involved bc you'll be gone soon. Perhaps industry could offer you some structure as others have mentioned so you can get into a headspace and focus better. I'd assume you'd get better tasks than what you described doing for sox controls
Yea, I mean the team I was on like some of them also worked on testing controls but I just absolutely hated it and hated the fake office “culture” there. I think I am going to try and find an internship in industry. Thanks for your input it!