What I wish I knew before starting a career in audit

I’m doing it! I’m writing an ebook!

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One of the ambitious goals I set for myself this quarter is to write an ebook about my audit journey (including epic career fails and wins) to help aspiring accountants and auditors gain insights into the profession.

This felt important to me because when I was an accounting student, I didn’t know enough real-life accountants/auditors to help me decide whether it was the right career for my introverted, I-hate-Math self.

As some of you might know and as shared in a previous blog, I got pushed into the accounting profession by chance. After breaking my promise not to enter an audit firm, I told myself I will only stay for a year.

But I ended in an audit firm across three countries for almost a decade.

As a student, I promised not to enter an audit firm, thanks to the horror stories I’ve heard from former auditors. But I realized that many of those stories were overrated, and sometimes biased toward the storyteller.

Of course, we can’t avoid being biased as storytellers. We tend to make ourselves the heroes of our stories. We give off main character vibes all the time. And that’s ok.

Because each of our stories contain nuggets of wisdom and traces of our transformation

I believe stories are the foundation of our civilization’s growth. Without the stories passed through generations, we wouldn’t learn from our mistakes, we wouldn’t improve, and we wouldn’t be where we are now.

Your story is a reflection of the change you went through. And wouldn’t it be great if, through your stories, you can leave something behind?

Also, try asking ChatGPT about the job of an auditor. Are you satisfied with what you see?

The battle-tested, experienced auditor will probably notice inconsistencies and half-truths. It’s because we’ve done such a poor job of explaining ourselves inside the digital world. Thus, the AI algorithms only produce the usual stereotypes associated with our profession.

Not only are our textbooks and manuals full of dry, technical stuff.

Accounting and audit standards are also full of dull gobbledygook that fails to capture the imagination of young people looking for engagement and meaning through their career journeys.

So, if you’re an experienced accountant/auditor, whether you’ve had a horror ride, a meaningful trip, or just a “meh” season, will you share a story worth telling to future generations of accountants and auditors?

I’m happy to include your story in my ebook to inspire, guide, and illuminate the path forward for those wondering what it means to be in this profession.

Will you become part of my Magic 10?

I aim to collect stories from at least 10 people for the ebook.

Here’s how you can participate. The only requirement? You must have at least 1 year of experience doing financial audits, regardless of location.

Start a journey back through memory lane. Self-reflect using these questions as a guide.

• What period from your audit career was most unforgettable? (i.e., junior days, senior days, manager days, partner days, etc.)

• What specific event made this period memorable? (The more specific the event, the better.)

• What dilemma/conflict did you face at such an event?

• Who are the people involved? (Avoid name dropping. But if a specific person was critical to your story, use a codename or mention position only.)

• What was the outcome from solving the dilemma/conflict?

• What lesson did you learn?

Your three options to contribute

1. If you want to write the story yourself, feel free to do so and share the final draft no later than 25 May 2025. You can share your draft via Google link through [email protected]. (I’ll share more guidelines in case you prefer to contribute the story yourself.)

2. If you prefer to get interviewed for your story, you can reply to this email and share at least three availabilities for a virtual call between 10 to 25 May.

3. Don’t have a story to tell or no time to write/share a long piece? Get straight to the point and answer this prompt instead (in 3-5 sentences) through this link.

   What do you wish you knew before starting a career in audit?

As my loyal subscribers and readers, you get the first tea (or updates) about the ebook project. Stay tuned!

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Tin here! Welcome to Busy Season Journals, a newsletter made especially for you by a fellow accountant/auditor, adventurer, and coach-guide. I write about my adventures as an accountant and auditor and everything in between. You get deeper insights and personal stories on how to shape a happy, meaningful journey.

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What do you think of today’s newsletter? Suggestions or ideas are always welcome through [email protected].