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Anonymous

March 15,2022 at 1:50PM UTC

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Hello everyone! I'm looking to see if anyone has a similar experience to the one I am about to share: I left my corporate career in accounting and taxation to work in the non-profit sector of financial education and counseling because I feel into the "work in your passion" mindset back in 2016. Now, I am looking to transition back into my corporate career because working in the non-profit has not been lucrative - huge paycut from corporate, contracts ending meaning job cuts (constant threat that I'm tired of), thankless service (the services sometimes don't match with the community needs) under-utilized skills, too much bureaucracy, etc. I do plan on staying in this particular non-profit sector as a volunteer. The issue I'm facing is that, I left my corporate career too soon to gain any real traction for upward mobility. Now that I'm looking to go back in after nearly 5 years, I feel that I may have to start from scratch because my time as a financial counselor had nothing to do with accounting and extremely limited taxation. Should I go back to school for a masters in accounting or should I apply for entry level accounting to rebuild my experience (I remember nothing, lol)? Should I go for certifications instead (CPA, Chartered Tax Specialist, etc.)? Or should I just become a bookkeeper (there's a difference)? Does anyone else have a similar experience of career changing back to their former career path? Thanks in advance for your comments!

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Heather CutlerMarch 15,2022 at 1:59PM UTC
I just made a similar jump, moved from a membership organization back into corporate...and I had many of the same concerns you cited above!
As you transition back into a corporate space, I'd strongly encourage you to look at tuition reimbursement programs so you won't be fully on deck to pay for a graduate degree.
If it were me, I'd be VERY open to taking a more junior role if the corporation was paying for my advanced degree.
Have you thought about testing the waters with some positions at different title bands, to see where HR places you (rather than you assuming where you'll fit?? With so much focus on ERG issues, I'm wondering if a corporation will value your time at this non-profit and consider it a benefit.
I can't help but think that a resourceful resume writer will help you ease this return back to corporate...and can wordsmith some of your non-profit experience so it will be desirable to a corp audience. Best of luck in your search!
Just lookingMarch 15,2022 at 2:26PM UTC
Have you thought about roles that would allow you to leverage both? For example, consulting or working for an accounting firm that supports government (e.g., grants management, single audit, GAO etc.) would look at your experience on the ground plus technical as hugely valuable. Paired with a certification, ideally at a firm that helps pay for further education, it might allow for catch up faster too.
AnonymousMarch 15,2022 at 5:39PM UTC
Have you considered contracting? The market for it is really “hot” right now, at least where I live in a mid-sized city. I quit a toxic job a few years ago and swore I wouldn’t go back to Corp accounting/finance. But here I am and it happened through taking some contract projects to get my feet wet and reskill / up skill. I’m so glad I took that route, it rebooted my confidence tremendously.
GirlBossanova934974March 17,2022 at 12:44PM UTC
As a person with an MS in Accounting and over a decade in Finance and Accounting, I would say you first need to figure out what you want to do. Do you want to be an accountant or a finance person? Once you decided upon that, it is time to apply for various positions. I would go for those accounting or finance positions requiring 2-3 years of experience. I don't see the need for the extra diplomas as you are taking on significant expense and time for something you may not even like. Tax can be lucrative but it is very 1 dimensional for example. Very specialized. You may even consider a career as a 'financial analyst' where there is much more variety of tasks and assignments.
ShutingMarch 17,2022 at 1:16PM UTC
From my experience working with students with different backgrounds (i.e., from new graduates to individuals who have work experience for over 10 years but just in a different country), I found that the transferable skills, as well as the specific technical skills, are usually what the employers look for in the candidates. For example, if you have taxation experience in a non-profit organization and technical skills like QuickBooks and SQL, you might be quite qualified for an intermediate level of accounting position in a corporate company (though probably not the big 4 at the moment) as long as you can convince the employer that you have enough skill to do the job well and willing to learn more.
On the other hand, certifications like CPA and master's in accounting do have their own benefits for career development too. They will be able to help you to refresh the accounting and finance knowledge that's required in most of the positions in the field, but at the cost of your time and energy (and money too especially when you want to quit your current job and make a transition to a new one).
My suggestion is probably to do what you can at the moment. For example, if you really need a stable new job now, working on your resume and starting to apply to jobs will be more efficient. But if you do have more luxury on money, energy, and time, then going for a master's and full-time preparation for the certification can be a good choice too. Good luck!
AnonymousMarch 17,2022 at 2:13PM UTC
Hi- How many years have you worked in corporate?
Do you have a network/friend in similar role you can get feedback from on how to get back in your old field of work? I too have left the Accounting and Finance ‘corporate’ world for a smaller firm for better work life balance and one thing I noticed is that once I was on the other side is that Accounting and Finance people in general seem to think highly of themselves and little of the other teams they work with. I think that you can get back in the role you desire without additional schooling/certifications if you get out of your non-profit mindset, at least during the interviewing process. Accounting and Finance people have different requirements and needs than non-profit and I think you may have forgotten since you got out of that environment. Kind of walk the walk and talk the talk, it’s just a matter of how you come across and sell yourself.
LaurenMarch 17,2022 at 2:18PM UTC
Start applying for jobs that align with the skills/experience you have. Going back to school may not necessarily get you ahead. Check out all of the Big4 firms. You may not start at a high level in corporate, but I doubt entry level if you have the education and experience.
Liza LeeMarch 18,2022 at 1:31AM UTC
I have done exactly what you're looking to do now over a year ago and am very happy with my choice.
I'm in a very specialized area of finance namely risk management which is usually within corporate treasury. I also had over a decade of experience before I left corporate in 2016 (after a highly unpleasant acquisition experience) and wanted to finally pursue a passion gig. I had a phenomenal time learning how to set up my own business and discover the pros and cons which satisfied my curiosity about doing something people who knew me thought I had a knack for. When Covid arrived, I pivoted back to corporate because my new work was not "Covid friendly" and I also loved what I used to do in risk mgmt anyway. I spent the early Covid days reading back up on professional association materials oriented towards certification in my field to remember the lingo and mindset which a lot is theory and experience. I subscribed to podcasts to understand what was current, and worked with a professional coach from The Mom Project for interview guidance. That was enough for me to get back into the saddle and help my confidence return during interviews. It also helped that I had WFH experience in my last corporate role as we entered remote work in 2020-21. The way I saw it, Covid was just another "black swan" (risk terminology for unexpected events) aside from the others I've dealt with in my 10+ years of risk mgmt. Give yourself more credit for your cumulative experience, what you learned from the opportunity to try a different path, and that you're not any lesser for it. In fact, it's a strength that emboldened me when I re-entered corporate.
I have also maintained my LinkedIn connections with those who are genuine. Over the years, they have continued to be supportive as references or who eventually connected me to the people hiring. Nurture those connections if you haven't already. Every little bit helps.
Once back in, then take advantage of tuition reimbursement or rejoining any professional associations you may have been with to upskill. Good luck!
Liz MilneMarch 19,2022 at 3:07AM UTC
Go for a Masters: that gives you a reason for being away from the sector for a while, and will give you new, fresh skills that you can parlay into a higher level job. That strikes me as a better option than starting out at the bottom again, with all the newbies...
(redacted)March 23,2022 at 12:34AM UTC
I’d love to talk to you about a career as a financial advisor. It’s a far more lucrative field than corporate AND you get to help people with financial literacy and coaching. Your experience would be really valuable to your clients. (Fair warning: you might not get to practice tax depending on the firm you join.) Reach out if you’d like to discuss offline.