Surfed 204s in San Clemente around 6:20 a.m. this morning, and the current was pretty strong. Got caught inside on a big set, went over the falls, and ended up snapping my board. Getting back to shore was a struggle with the current.
There was a ton of water moving out there. Definitely a good reminder not to underestimate the ocean.
Stay safe out there, everyone!
I’m 26 and curious what other accountants think about my career progression because it feels pretty damn fast to me, but I also don’t know if I’m just getting thrown into everything because my company is understaffed.
I started about 13 months ago as a Project Accountant for a general contractor doing around $100M a year in revenue. Starting salary $62k.
About 6 months in I moved into Accounting Manager and went to $75k. Last week I asked for $95k and got it without any negotiation.
Two months back our Controller was fired, another Project Accountant quit, and now it’s basically me and one project accountant handling the accounting department. Our CFO is only in one day a week.
So my job has turned into a lot more than what I was originally hired for.
I’m doing AP/AR, cash management, check runs, bank/credit card reconciliations, cash receipts, WIP, job costing, month-end close, quarter-end close, adjustments, and project accounting for around 9-10 jobs.
I work directly with PMs on their jobs too. We go over actual costs, revise projected costs, deal with scope changes/change orders, look at budget vs. actuals, etc.
We’ve also been dealing with a pretty significant AP/cash timing issue. At one point we were around $2M behind on the AP/cash spread. We’re now around $1M, partly because we’ve had a lot of project starts this year and cash flow has improved. I’m involved in managing the check runs and figuring out what needs to get paid and when.
I also recently submitted all my paperwork to the California board of accountancy and am now waiting for my CPA License.
On the process improvement side, I’ve built a bunch of Excel trackers/macros to automate stuff that was previously being done manually. Things like lien waiver tracking, automated emails requesting waivers, creating lien waivers, supplier joint-check tracking, automatic joint-check releases, etc.
We also moved from QuickBooks to Foundation, which was absolutely insane, but we got it done.
My next big project is building an Excel template to analyze around 40 historical jobs over the last few years and compare actual costs against historical data. Basically trying to figure out what we consistently underestimate or go over budget on so our estimators can actually use that information when bidding future jobs.
For example, if structural steel goes over budget on 27 out of 40 jobs, I want the template to show that instead of us just guessing when we build the next budget.
The hours have gotten pretty stupid too. I’m usually there around 5 AM and leave around 4:30 PM. So 50+ hours during the week is pretty normal, and I’ve been coming in Saturday/Sunday to work on some of these projects.
So I’m probably looking at 60–70+ hour weeks at times.
I know some of this is because we’re understaffed, but I feel like I’ve gotten a ridiculous amount of experience in 13 months.
Basically:
$62k Project Accountant → $75k Accounting Manager → $95k Accounting Manager + CPA in 13 months.
My goal is eventually to make it to the Controller position.
For people who have been in accounting longer than me, is this actually unusually fast progression?
Or am I just getting the accounting equivalent of being thrown into the deep end because everyone else quit/got fired? 😂
I’m a 28-year-old guy, and for the last 2-3 years I've somehow ended up being part of what we jokingly call the "Chaotic Activity Crew" with my younger sister and her best friend.
It started when they were 15 and 16 and I was 26. At first I was just the guy surprising them with random adventures. I'd hide envelopes with gift cards, plan scavenger hunts, organize day trips, spa days, shopping days, Disney trips, whatever I thought would create fun memories for them.
Over time they started inviting me along, and before I knew it we were spending a ton of time together.
Over the last few years we've gone snowboarding, jet skiing, skydiving, parasailing, shark diving, submarine rides, Hawaii trips, random city adventures, and honestly more things than I can even remember. I even taught them how to surf.
The part they don't know is that for the last 2 years I've been secretly building each of them a photo book. Not a small one. A 500-page photo book.
Every trip, every adventure, every ridiculous moment is organized into chapters from beginning to end. I also wrote each of them a personal letter that's hidden at the end of the book. The final chapter ends with blank pages and a "To Be Continued..." theme because I don't see it as the end of the story.
They're both leaving for college soon and I'm finally giving them the books.
The thing is, I'm kind of a mess about it.
I know college is exciting and I'm genuinely happy for them, but this friend group became a huge part of my life and the best years I've had.
Part of me feels silly for being so emotional over this, but another part of me knows these years meant a lot to me.
If someone gave you something like this, how would you react?
And parents of Reddit: if your daughter came home with a gift like this from a longtime family friend, what would your honest reaction be?
It’s still a work in progress, but here is one of the letters
Dear Ally,
Writing isn’t my strong suit and my handwriting sucks, so bear with me.
I’ve been sitting here for a while trying to express my feelings and put the words into this letter. It’s easier said than done.
Putting this photo book together was bittersweet. I’m glad I’ll always be able to look back on it, but it made me emotional more than once. I knew we had a lot of memories together, but seeing them all in one place really made me realize how much has happened over the last few years.
A few years ago, I never would’ve guessed that my sister’s friend would become someone I ended up spending so much time with. But I’m really glad it turned out that way.
I’ve always loved being able to create memories with you guys, whether it was activity driven, random day trips, or just plans I’d throw together because I wanted us to go do something fun. Sometimes I couldn’t even make it because of work, but I always appreciated getting the photos and still feeling like I was a part of it.
Some of my favorite memories are with you and Brooke. Losing countless bets to you in Gomoku. That weird day in LA when it felt like the Amish people were taking over. The jet ski incident.
One thing I’ve always admired about you is how you never really overthink things—you just go with it, and you’re always open to trying something new.
And I know you’re going to roll your eyes at this, but your chipped front tooth is one of those little things that just makes you you. It’s weird how the small things are what stick out.
As excited as I am for you to start college, I’m going to miss this time in my life a lot more than I can explain in this letter. The Chaotic Activity Crew became a big part of my life, and you were a big part of that for me.
I hope college is everything you’re hoping it will be. I know you’re going to make a ton of new memories, meet great people, and come back with a whole bunch of new stories. As much as I’m going to miss this chapter, I’m really excited for you and everything that’s ahead.
Thank you for all the laughs, all the adventures, all the Gomoku games, and all the memories. These years genuinely meant a lot to me, and so did you.
I’m proud of you, and I’m always here if you ever
want to talk.
Hello everyone,
I’m putting together a photo book documenting the past 3 years with a small friend group of mine before they all head off to college.
I’m 26, and they’re 18 now. One of them is my sister, and the other is her best friend. It started out with me treating them to things like shopping trips and spa days, and over time it naturally turned into me actually joining them for more group activities. I kind of became part of their circle along the way, and I’m really glad I did.
We’ve done a lot together: amusement parks, hikes, go-karting, ATV riding, jet skiing, horseback riding, parasailing, a submarine tour, shark diving, and countless LA, San Diego, and Catalina day trips. I also taught them how to surf and drive once they got their permits. It’s been a mix of big adventures and just normal hanging out in between.
I’ve really enjoyed documenting everything over the past few years, and I think it’ll be nice for them to look back on this chapter from when it started through now as they head off to college.
For each of them, I’m also writing a personal letter to include in their section of the book, reflecting on memories and wishing them well as they move into their next chapter.
How would this come across as a gift? Would love
honest feedback.
Waves were calling 4–5 ft, so I figured okay, no problem.
Then a massive set rolls in — definitely not “4–5 ft” anymore. I start paddling out to get past it, but nope, I’m not clearing it. I ditch my board because I can’t duck dive it well enough and it’s already breaking right on me.
I go under, but still get tossed around pretty badly. Somewhere in the chaos my leash snaps.
After about six waves like that I was completely gassed, but eventually managed to swim back in.
Might invest in a better leash next time… lol