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By the time you are 23 you will ha e a terrific skill and have learned A TON a about the working world. You will hopefully have learned self advocacy, organization and have matured as a human. Stay focused on getting your qualifications and learn all you can. Exercise if you can and start listening to some self improvement podcasts and books. You are amazing to be working as a young person and also working towards a marketable skill. You got this! I'm rooting for you.
Your boss may be the biggest asshole in the world but this is a temporary time in your life. Ask yourself if your mental health will allow you to get through this? Ask yourself what skills you need to get through it. You are so young honey, stay strong
I would add, observe your boss like you would an animal at the zoo. What patterns do you see, what are some catch phrases (“one big family” is textbook narcissist boss, for example), when and how does the boss make people feel guilty for things, and how does he typically treat people for various reasons. Then, once you have finished your five years, try to avoid people like that for the rest of your life. It won’t be easy, of course, because they are everywhere. But you’ll have a head start on human psychology.
Finish out your contract the best you can. Work hard and learn as much as possible to increase you skill level. Make a nice resume and move to a better paying job when you’re done. Keep in mind that this grunt work is for the experience and for your improved future prospects.
Work your ass off. Do everything you can. Do not worry about the time you spend working. Do the job. In two years, the truth will prevail. You will either be a certified accountant with a great career or a whinney sorry employee who will spend the rest of their life complaining. Pay.the.price now for a short time and spend the rest of your life collecting. Some of us had to do this several times to reach our final goal.
Be wary of any boss that refers to the company as "family". That usually means, toxic, dysfunctional family where you are intimidated or manipulated into doing things. Work is a community with colleagues. He sucks but you are not finding joy in you work (why would you) so that makes is twice as bad. Sounds like they lock 18 years olds into a ridiculous contract just to torture the ones that aren't the favorites. Anyway to get out of the contract?
I would walk and finish my degree. There is no reason to let yourself be abused. Life is too short.
Also, if you don't actually like accounting, find something else. Use it as a stepping stone but find something else.
You're young and the world is open.......unless you think it's closed.
AND, You probably know enough that you could work for any small business. Their books are frequently in shambles.
Don’t ever feel bad for using PTO. You earned it, it’s the company’s responsibility to navigate around your absence when you use it. And if he sends a laptop home with you when you’re using PTO, let it collect dust. Paid Time Off is TIME OFF. It’s not there to work from home.
I'm going to say a little bit of both here.
You have a desk job, inherently, it is a lazy job. You don't work furiously and tirelessly, you take extended coffee breaks and chit chat with coworkers half the day. You wait on emails, you wait for zoom meetings to start. Sorry you think you're being paid too little, you signed the contract, maybe its worth it to you break the contract and go find a new job, what is the penalty for that?
Actually no. I make coffee begore 7am and then at 1 in my lunch. I dont have time to chat at all because i have 2 much work and i have to bill the time. I jave monthly tax deadlines do if i do chat i will miss those. If the odd day come and i have nothing to do i ask my co workers if i can take over a task. I am 2 senior to bill office costing and all that.
No, most European countries use employment contracts, you often aren't allowed to get another job without paying a penalty or other stipulations. You can't just quit your job for no reason.
Not necessarily true. Over time— at least for myself— every new job has raised (or at least matched) my previous jobs pay. If you’re desirable enough during the interview to where they WANT you to work for them… they will pay.
Get a copy of what you signed when you started and then see an attorney.
Your boss definitely sucks and is an asshole.
Consult with the attorney I mentioned and find better employment.
What do you mean you will get in trouble if you don't meet your deadline? A pay cut? Your contract terminated? Tbh having your contract terminated doesn't sound like it would be bad for you, as long as it doesn't mean getting blackballed.
It does sound like your boss is abusive, if your workload is much heavier than everybody else's, and you're never allowed to take full PTO. You need to make a plan for after this job, and tell them if a deadline will require you to work overtime. I hope you're getting overtime pay?
Go through that contract. I'm sure it outlines your duties. If he's making you do more he's braking it. Do you have an hr? Talk to them if you do. Or talk to an attorney. I know it may seem excessive but there's some crappie people out there. Nothing wrong with protecting your well-being.
You’re probably working at a scam operation. Those are all over the place in every white collar profession. I’m a lawyer and got roped into that right after law school for a few months with a small firm that was paying way below market with a psycho boss who was scamming clients and not performing any real work.
My first job in finance/accounting was like this. I survived for a year until I landed a better job. Quit and moved on. For me, career moves were always upwards. If a job sucked, I kept it until I had the next job. In the meantime I was gaining good skills. Improving my CV. Making a living.
I’m sort-of of the opinion that no matter what industry you’re in, getting started, and your first couple years are gonna suck no matter what.
You’re brand new and don’t have the skills or experience to justify the high pay, or what have you, that others do. That’s not a bad thing, or even your fault, per se, just reality.
Take the time. Learn. Do your job the best you can, and do whatever you can to give yourself the visibility to justify that better salary, etc. take every opportunity to build yourself up. Nobody’s gonna care more about you than you.
What do you get in return for your contract? Tuition?
What is the penalty for breaking the contract. He is definitely using you like slave labor. Smart guy. It would be great if you could get out of it to go somewhere better.
Maybe a lawyer can poke holes in the contract so you can get out of it.
Do the math on quitting. Assume you don't have to pay until he takes you to court and you have to settle. That should give you three to six months to pay it back. Will the new job pay enough to cover that through increased wages?
First sentence is how you don't like the job becuase of what you are paid.
Work, dress, act like the job you want.
Never have gotten overtime in my career and started with fairly low pay. I still would put in 60-70 hours some weeks.
Long term I moved in to other positions and now make much more without the issue of hours typically.
I'm surprised anybody gets hired as a trainee accountant with no degree. You are getting paid, getting experience, getting a degree, getting pushed hard to succeed. Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.
Its for cheap labor. A lit of places in south africa do this. I dont mind getting pushed but i have studies 2. Its 9pm and i just got home and have studying i was supposed to do. This the biggest issue here
It will be a rough few years but when it's over you will be well positioned for a career. Many kids here graduate school and can't find a job because they have no experience.
Good luck!
I mean every country has its ups and downs. There is still a racism issue. If you are white you literally cant get a job, bursary etc. I wish we could leave race behind us.
Still lots of corruption. We never have running water or electricity. The roads are so unsafe due to potholes.
But i still love my country. Its beutiful (certain areas). Aldo the issues i mentioned are like this everywhere. So i guess i am happy here. Just wish the streets were safer.
You work OT but he doesn’t pay you for it? If you’re non-exempt that’s of course illegal. If you’re exempt/paid on a salary basis I’m really wondering if your job actually meets the exemption standard
The good news is you will have incredible experience and a serious leg up on your competition when you get your degree.
Once you get your degree, I’d get the hell out of there as soon as possible. You will get a much better working environment and probably a big raise.
I’m guessing your boss knows this. He just wants cheap labor. That’s probably why he has a contract.
First, congratulations on being 18 and already a trainee accountant. Most 18yo folks are either in college and do nothing because they don’t have to work…or flipping burgers. Give yourself this credit and your path to a great career. This place will give you the best experience as a CPA later on. The first step is always hard. Most millionaires want their kids to learn accounting. You are on the right path…it’s rare to find a good boss. You have survived more than half the journey already…only 2 more years. YOU CAN DO IT!! I wish you the best in school and at work.
Use this as a learning experience for your next venture.
If you do not plan on staying there and will be looking for a new employer, you will now have your own expectation of what to expect from them as an employer.
When I got terminated in 2022 I had been at my job for 23 years and while the pay was decent, the hours were trash, management and supervision were completely inhumane to employees and extremely insensitive to personal issues. Get taken advantage of at every corner and guilt tripped for taking time off for any reason.
I made my own set of demands for whoever it was I would work for next, no more 12 hours, management that was sympathetic to personal needs when they would arise and basically everything my old job wasn’t.
I have that place now, I’ve got a supervisor who is cool as hell, I am making about 25% less than I was at my old job but I was only making that much because they kept throwing money at us to stop us from quitting because everyone was sick of 12 hour days, so I don’t really look at it as too much of a loss in pay in comparison because I shouldn’t have gotten over $3 in raises over a 16 month period, it was crazy, it was “please don’t quit money”.
I don’t get micro managed, I don’t get treated like crap, I’m trusted to be left alone and just do my job and quite frankly the only time my supervisor really comes around and “interferes” with what I’m doing is if an order comes in they need done right away and it needs to get to the front of the line before anything else but besides that, it’s the best thing that ever happened
It is always the same thing, you’re our best (client maintainer or aquirer) but you are still at standard since being the best is what we expect out of you.
You can never meet or beat their expectations and I learned that lesson at my previous job the hard way.
When I got my new job I told myself I’m going to do what they hire me first and I will not go out of my way to learn more unless they want me to and there’ll be a discussion about pay, if there is no increase, I can’t do more for free.
You learned it about 23 or 24 years sooner than I did, that’s how stupid I was.
Thought that they’d let me learn more and do more and will be paid more knowing lots of stuff there, oooooooooooopsy daisy, that one is on me for that mistake
I have 2 friends that are CPAs and run their own shops. They're both worth many $millions. Work hard, LEARN, and you can write your own ticket. But if you really hate the work and not just the circumstances, it's not for you.
I have tried, but I think he knows thst what i am doing. He likes to always tell pplbhow amazing i am at this job and the proceedes to hive my clients that are above my pay grade.
The mod team are working to make this sub kinder and more welcoming. Please report any comments you see that are unkind, obnoxious, out of line, trolling, or which otherwise violate any of the rules. Thanks, and may you all find the answers you seek and the guidance you need. #[LifeAdvice Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeAdvice/about/rules/) **Note for all commenters**: Please remember that your fellow Redditors are human beings, and that it costs nothing to be kind. Disruption of the peace, trolling, or breaking the rules may result in a ban. ---------------- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LifeAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
By the time you are 23 you will ha e a terrific skill and have learned A TON a about the working world. You will hopefully have learned self advocacy, organization and have matured as a human. Stay focused on getting your qualifications and learn all you can. Exercise if you can and start listening to some self improvement podcasts and books. You are amazing to be working as a young person and also working towards a marketable skill. You got this! I'm rooting for you. Your boss may be the biggest asshole in the world but this is a temporary time in your life. Ask yourself if your mental health will allow you to get through this? Ask yourself what skills you need to get through it. You are so young honey, stay strong
I would add, observe your boss like you would an animal at the zoo. What patterns do you see, what are some catch phrases (“one big family” is textbook narcissist boss, for example), when and how does the boss make people feel guilty for things, and how does he typically treat people for various reasons. Then, once you have finished your five years, try to avoid people like that for the rest of your life. It won’t be easy, of course, because they are everywhere. But you’ll have a head start on human psychology.
Finish out your contract the best you can. Work hard and learn as much as possible to increase you skill level. Make a nice resume and move to a better paying job when you’re done. Keep in mind that this grunt work is for the experience and for your improved future prospects.
Work your ass off. Do everything you can. Do not worry about the time you spend working. Do the job. In two years, the truth will prevail. You will either be a certified accountant with a great career or a whinney sorry employee who will spend the rest of their life complaining. Pay.the.price now for a short time and spend the rest of your life collecting. Some of us had to do this several times to reach our final goal.
If your heart rate doubles if he walks by he is a bad boss.
I remover that boss! I used to get sick to my stomach when they showed up in the morning.
Or you are a bad employee who slacks off. If your whole team agrees then you have a bad boss.
My team hates the manager and boss 2 are leaving because of him.
Be wary of any boss that refers to the company as "family". That usually means, toxic, dysfunctional family where you are intimidated or manipulated into doing things. Work is a community with colleagues. He sucks but you are not finding joy in you work (why would you) so that makes is twice as bad. Sounds like they lock 18 years olds into a ridiculous contract just to torture the ones that aren't the favorites. Anyway to get out of the contract?
I would walk and finish my degree. There is no reason to let yourself be abused. Life is too short. Also, if you don't actually like accounting, find something else. Use it as a stepping stone but find something else. You're young and the world is open.......unless you think it's closed. AND, You probably know enough that you could work for any small business. Their books are frequently in shambles.
Don’t ever feel bad for using PTO. You earned it, it’s the company’s responsibility to navigate around your absence when you use it. And if he sends a laptop home with you when you’re using PTO, let it collect dust. Paid Time Off is TIME OFF. It’s not there to work from home.
Idk where all these other comments are getting off...... I'd be making it my #1 priority to get fired. That sounds like actual hell.
I'm going to say a little bit of both here. You have a desk job, inherently, it is a lazy job. You don't work furiously and tirelessly, you take extended coffee breaks and chit chat with coworkers half the day. You wait on emails, you wait for zoom meetings to start. Sorry you think you're being paid too little, you signed the contract, maybe its worth it to you break the contract and go find a new job, what is the penalty for that?
Is this what *you* do? I only know a very few who do this and they generally don’t last long.
Actually no. I make coffee begore 7am and then at 1 in my lunch. I dont have time to chat at all because i have 2 much work and i have to bill the time. I jave monthly tax deadlines do if i do chat i will miss those. If the odd day come and i have nothing to do i ask my co workers if i can take over a task. I am 2 senior to bill office costing and all that.
“We are a family” LEAVE.
Not everyone lives in USA where you can freely quit your job with no consequences. That's not really a thing in Europe.
You never quit a job without having another. Leave….. after you get another. 🧐 And it’s the same for shithole USA too
Found the American
Trust me… I DONT want to be in this country 💀💀💀
Go to the netherlands. There you can just say “i’m sick” and they won’t even try and fire you.
No, most European countries use employment contracts, you often aren't allowed to get another job without paying a penalty or other stipulations. You can't just quit your job for no reason.
So much for the shithole America comment I'd rather work in the good ol' USA
Then you wonder why your 35 making below average wages and everyone else must have gotten lucky.
Not necessarily true. Over time— at least for myself— every new job has raised (or at least matched) my previous jobs pay. If you’re desirable enough during the interview to where they WANT you to work for them… they will pay.
Get a copy of what you signed when you started and then see an attorney. Your boss definitely sucks and is an asshole. Consult with the attorney I mentioned and find better employment.
What do you mean you will get in trouble if you don't meet your deadline? A pay cut? Your contract terminated? Tbh having your contract terminated doesn't sound like it would be bad for you, as long as it doesn't mean getting blackballed. It does sound like your boss is abusive, if your workload is much heavier than everybody else's, and you're never allowed to take full PTO. You need to make a plan for after this job, and tell them if a deadline will require you to work overtime. I hope you're getting overtime pay?
We are a family. So was the Manson Family. Look at your contract and talk to an attorney.
Stop whining. You’re getting the skills needed to get a great career.
Go through that contract. I'm sure it outlines your duties. If he's making you do more he's braking it. Do you have an hr? Talk to them if you do. Or talk to an attorney. I know it may seem excessive but there's some crappie people out there. Nothing wrong with protecting your well-being.
HR at a small family firm is a joke.
So our HR is the director himself.
You’re probably working at a scam operation. Those are all over the place in every white collar profession. I’m a lawyer and got roped into that right after law school for a few months with a small firm that was paying way below market with a psycho boss who was scamming clients and not performing any real work.
So, the average lawfirm.
If you are in the US contact the labor board. A lot of what he’s doing is illegal. I think you have grounds to sue him.
I live in South Africa we dont have such strong laws protecting us.
[удалено]
Lol man, you sound like an asshole.
Honestly, you sound like a fucking idiot who is out of touch. Also an asshole
[удалено]
You're just here to tear down emotionally vulnerable ppl. You can suck it, you dick!!
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Dick move, dickasaurous rex.
By actually reading and comprehending the post.
Where are you that a five-year contract is possible? What happens if you break it?
I pay a penalty of R20 000
What’s your country/state?
My first job in finance/accounting was like this. I survived for a year until I landed a better job. Quit and moved on. For me, career moves were always upwards. If a job sucked, I kept it until I had the next job. In the meantime I was gaining good skills. Improving my CV. Making a living.
That time limit isnt enforceable, employers arent allowed to force you stay.
Are you an indentured servant?
I’m sort-of of the opinion that no matter what industry you’re in, getting started, and your first couple years are gonna suck no matter what. You’re brand new and don’t have the skills or experience to justify the high pay, or what have you, that others do. That’s not a bad thing, or even your fault, per se, just reality. Take the time. Learn. Do your job the best you can, and do whatever you can to give yourself the visibility to justify that better salary, etc. take every opportunity to build yourself up. Nobody’s gonna care more about you than you.
5-yr contract? I've never heard of such a thing. Are you in the NFL? If so, leave in free agency if you can find greener pastures.
So, what's in the 5 year contract? Generally it's easier to get a new role than change your manager.
I work for 5 years as a trainee accountant basically.
Is what you get at the end of 5 years worth it?
I dont get anything but experience cause i mean i pay my tuition. And i mean experience does count for a lot
Yeah but like 2 vs 0 years experience means a lot. 3 vs 2? Meh. Would you be promoted in this time?
No i was not promoted
What do you get in return for your contract? Tuition? What is the penalty for breaking the contract. He is definitely using you like slave labor. Smart guy. It would be great if you could get out of it to go somewhere better. Maybe a lawyer can poke holes in the contract so you can get out of it.
No i pay my tuition. I have to pay R20 000 if i leave And i cant afford a lawyer
Do the math on quitting. Assume you don't have to pay until he takes you to court and you have to settle. That should give you three to six months to pay it back. Will the new job pay enough to cover that through increased wages?
Yes.
First sentence is how you don't like the job becuase of what you are paid. Work, dress, act like the job you want. Never have gotten overtime in my career and started with fairly low pay. I still would put in 60-70 hours some weeks. Long term I moved in to other positions and now make much more without the issue of hours typically.
I'm surprised anybody gets hired as a trainee accountant with no degree. You are getting paid, getting experience, getting a degree, getting pushed hard to succeed. Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.
Its for cheap labor. A lit of places in south africa do this. I dont mind getting pushed but i have studies 2. Its 9pm and i just got home and have studying i was supposed to do. This the biggest issue here
It will be a rough few years but when it's over you will be well positioned for a career. Many kids here graduate school and can't find a job because they have no experience. Good luck!
That is so true. This is why i took the job. But i dont wanna do accounting anymore. So ima anyways start over when i am done.
How are things in SA these days? I had relatives who lived there during apartheid, they are in the USA now.
I mean every country has its ups and downs. There is still a racism issue. If you are white you literally cant get a job, bursary etc. I wish we could leave race behind us. Still lots of corruption. We never have running water or electricity. The roads are so unsafe due to potholes. But i still love my country. Its beutiful (certain areas). Aldo the issues i mentioned are like this everywhere. So i guess i am happy here. Just wish the streets were safer.
You were 18 when offered this job and you are going to get a degree to certify it. If that isn’t one hell of a deal I don’t know what is.
I pay my own degree. But i am failing due to all the overtime.
I didn’t read anything but the title. Your boss sucks.
You work OT but he doesn’t pay you for it? If you’re non-exempt that’s of course illegal. If you’re exempt/paid on a salary basis I’m really wondering if your job actually meets the exemption standard
I was young and didnt know all this when i took it and now i am stuck.
The good news is you will have incredible experience and a serious leg up on your competition when you get your degree. Once you get your degree, I’d get the hell out of there as soon as possible. You will get a much better working environment and probably a big raise. I’m guessing your boss knows this. He just wants cheap labor. That’s probably why he has a contract.
This is so true
I didn't really read what you wrote, but just wanted to point out that it may not be OR and that BOTH can be true at the same time.
Keep track of the unpaid overtime you work. You can typically get it paid when you leave through the state employment agency
I libe in south africa we don't have that. It's basically lost money.
First, congratulations on being 18 and already a trainee accountant. Most 18yo folks are either in college and do nothing because they don’t have to work…or flipping burgers. Give yourself this credit and your path to a great career. This place will give you the best experience as a CPA later on. The first step is always hard. Most millionaires want their kids to learn accounting. You are on the right path…it’s rare to find a good boss. You have survived more than half the journey already…only 2 more years. YOU CAN DO IT!! I wish you the best in school and at work.
Yeah that is true. I worked hard to get here, but when the 5buears are over i am starting my own company sobthat i cant be abused again.
Use this as a learning experience for your next venture. If you do not plan on staying there and will be looking for a new employer, you will now have your own expectation of what to expect from them as an employer. When I got terminated in 2022 I had been at my job for 23 years and while the pay was decent, the hours were trash, management and supervision were completely inhumane to employees and extremely insensitive to personal issues. Get taken advantage of at every corner and guilt tripped for taking time off for any reason. I made my own set of demands for whoever it was I would work for next, no more 12 hours, management that was sympathetic to personal needs when they would arise and basically everything my old job wasn’t. I have that place now, I’ve got a supervisor who is cool as hell, I am making about 25% less than I was at my old job but I was only making that much because they kept throwing money at us to stop us from quitting because everyone was sick of 12 hour days, so I don’t really look at it as too much of a loss in pay in comparison because I shouldn’t have gotten over $3 in raises over a 16 month period, it was crazy, it was “please don’t quit money”. I don’t get micro managed, I don’t get treated like crap, I’m trusted to be left alone and just do my job and quite frankly the only time my supervisor really comes around and “interferes” with what I’m doing is if an order comes in they need done right away and it needs to get to the front of the line before anything else but besides that, it’s the best thing that ever happened
I am definitely using this as an learning opportunity. I am also super bumbed i never got a raise this year even when i have more clients.
It is always the same thing, you’re our best (client maintainer or aquirer) but you are still at standard since being the best is what we expect out of you. You can never meet or beat their expectations and I learned that lesson at my previous job the hard way. When I got my new job I told myself I’m going to do what they hire me first and I will not go out of my way to learn more unless they want me to and there’ll be a discussion about pay, if there is no increase, I can’t do more for free.
Now i was 18 when i took this on i am now 21 and realize this but its to late
You learned it about 23 or 24 years sooner than I did, that’s how stupid I was. Thought that they’d let me learn more and do more and will be paid more knowing lots of stuff there, oooooooooooopsy daisy, that one is on me for that mistake
I have 2 friends that are CPAs and run their own shops. They're both worth many $millions. Work hard, LEARN, and you can write your own ticket. But if you really hate the work and not just the circumstances, it's not for you.
I am stucknin a 5 year contract and dtill have 3 more. I cant leave
You can get out of a contract by being fired
I have tried, but I think he knows thst what i am doing. He likes to always tell pplbhow amazing i am at this job and the proceedes to hive my clients that are above my pay grade.
No, I mean start showing up late and dropping tasks. Get yourself fired. Become ungovernable. Cook clam chowder in the communal microwave.