Sales vs Accounting graduate job

Solomon Pleasant

Hi guys,

I appreciate this is After Hours but I want opinions from all of ye so fire away.

I've 2 graduate job offers for when I finish college. One is from a tech company in Dublin paying 45k (Sales role) and the other is from a big 4 accounting firm (auditing role) paying 26k a year.

I don't have much love for either of these areas but I imagine sales would probably be a wee bit more interesting.

However I come from a rural area and don't fancy living in Dublin forever due to extortionate rent prices and the fact I probably won't ever be able to afford a house there. I also think becoming a chartered accountant through the big 4 would be better as it would be easier to find work in a more rural area with an accounting qualification from a big 4 firm then with just sales experience. That being said, 26k in Dublin is not much to survive on.

What do ye reckon? Any useful advice on which one I should take?

They are very different roles and paths.
What are the odds you will be moving back home?

Solomon Pleasant

Deleted User wrote: »

They are very different roles and paths.
What are the odds you will be moving back home?

Long term, I probably see my future back home because Dublin is, to be honest, a bit of a kip. Standard and price of accommodation makes me feel ill haha!

But the pay is much better for the sales role and I think it's pretty good for someone just out of college!

Solomon Pleasant

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

............. I also think becoming a chartered accountant through the big 4 would be better as it would be easier to find work in a more rural area with an accounting qualification from a big 4 firm then with just sales experience..........
What do ye reckon? Any useful advice on which one I should take?

Chartered accountant through one of the Big4 says you can deal with lots ........... sales roles are a tad meh really.
You could hate either and most likely will, if you aren't cut out for sales it's awful....... soul destroying. Even if you are and you excel you just get bigger targets to meet :pac:

eviltimeban

Pay sounds better in sales but one thing to remember is that in Big 4 your salary will go up each year, and you'll get bonuses etc, plus loads of experience for your CV. You can move out of auditing if you don't like it. Once you qualify, your salary will rocket up.

Sales is commission based, so you'll only earn what you can sell, which doesn't guarantee a steady income. I've worked in commission based sales and it can be hard sometimes, you'll have a bad month or around quiet times, and you won't get as much money. Plus you won't have as quick a career progression.

Regarding living in Dublin, you could look outside the city centre to the suburbs or even the commuter belt - once it's serviced by a train or bus then sure you've got a commute, but the rent might be cheaper.

PhoenixParker

Accounting will be easier to move home with.

Sales is a personality thing. To a large extent you either love it or hate it. If you have the personality you, most likely, won't have too much trouble buying a house in Dublin or affording decent accommodation. The pay is good.

gandalf

OK the Sales job will more than likely be 45K OTE (On Target Earnings) so it's a base salary and commission. You need to find out the split for it. It its a bad job it could also be 100% commission. If it is 100% commission walk away from it. The typical split is 60% Salary 40% Commission. Depending on the company Sales can be a very stressful role. If the company is good they will give you plenty of time to bed in and build a pipeline. If they aren't you could be expected to hit 100% of your target after 3 months.

If you are being offered a role in Accounts I assume that your qualification is accounts based. Is the money the only reason your not interested in this role? Or do you find it boring? Maybe check out what the career paths are in this company that this role could open up for you. The HR people should be delighted with you checking this.

Check out Glassdoor to see what others say about working with both companies. Check if you know anyone or if any of your close friends and family know anyone working there and ask them about it.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Baby01032012

From a head point of view

the accountancy has the biggest potential...starting 26k but that will gradually increase and double in 3.5 years once you qualify (im a chartered accountant btw) and as you said wider scope for jobs if and when you move out of Dublin

Sales role very different skill set...depends what your selling...all about contacts and large portion would be commission based i guess...not a lot of potential salary wise and as you said ties you to the bigger cities.

At the end of the day...its what ever floats your boat and you have an interest in...might be worth seeing a career expert and doing some psycometric testing to see where your abilities lie..you might be surprised by the results...now is the time to do it..you have your whole career ahead of you..make the right move..theres no mad rush to commit for any industry right now other then needing some €€€ to live on.

Good luck!

eviltimeban

Ah ok, if it's 45K OTE then I'm sorry to say, that is not your salary. It'll probably be a basic of about 20K in that case. They always pump up the on target earnings, and you need to be very good at your job, straight away, and work your ass off 7am - 7pm to get those targets. I've worked in sales and this is what it takes. You get burned out very quickly too.

I'd echo the other statements and say go the accounting route. You can switch sectors and roles more easily, travel abroad with it, and work locally too.

BattleCorp

I'd go the accounting route. You'll do better in the long run.

Sycamore Tree

Accounting. Get chartered and the world is your oyster.

eviltimeban

The other thing is, all the Big 4 have regional offices so you could see what the potential is to move closer to home, even after the first year. Or be a trainee in one of those offices.

wobbie10

Having worked in sales for over 15 years i couldn't wait to get out of it. Hard soul destroying work (sometimes) depending on what your selling.
The older you get the harder it gets to deal with people also
Go for accounting job and you will reap the benefits later.

Fiftyfilthy

Accountancy route, but it’s a tough job , especially the training and studying

Pay isn’t great until you are nearly qualified, the work can be stressful and long hours and deadlines

I worked for the top 4 and it is a great career but isn’t for everyone and if you original posts hints, I would think very carefully before taking it .

Wilberto

Accountancy route, definitely. Once you're qualified AND have one of the Big 4 on your CV you're absolutely laughing.

orourkeda1977

Accounting is more interesting and diverse than you think

LionelNashe

I'd be suspicious of a company who would offer a sales role @ 45k to a person fresh out of college who presumably doesn't have much sales experience. It says to me that they're prepared to take you on, try you out, and drop you at no cost to them if you can't hit their targets. Or, as others have said, the 45k is based on a target which only 10% of their sales team is capable of hitting.

Accountancy is a great career, and it's easy to switch to management or other areas down the line if you want to.

As for renting in Dublin on €26k, which is net €1800 per month, you could do what previous generations have done and get a room in a house or flat-share. Rent could be €600 - €800 a month, which isn't cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than renting a flat by yourself. (And make sure it's near an Aldi.)

BattleCorp

Sales can be a very tough job. And targets keep moving so you can't rely on OTE earnings. Those figures can be very misleading.

I've worked in sales as a sales developer. It didn't suit me. I thought I'd like it but after a few months I knew I had made an error. I stuck at it for about 9 months and then decided it was time to jump.

If I was in your shoes, I'd go down the accounting route.

Solomon Pleasant

eviltimeban wrote: »

Ah ok, if it's 45K OTE then I'm sorry to say, that is not your salary. It'll probably be a basic of about 20K in that case. They always pump up the on target earnings, and you need to be very good at your job, straight away, and work your ass off 7am - 7pm to get those targets. I've worked in sales and this is what it takes. You get burned out very quickly too.

I'd echo the other statements and say go the accounting route. You can switch sectors and roles more easily, travel abroad with it, and work locally too.

The base is 33,750 with the rest as a bonus. I was told that typically you will hit these targets and that it would be unusual for someone not to. The company is Linkedin. Thanks for your feedback though, I really think sales would be more interesting but less flexible.

Gimme A Pound

Accounting all the way imo. It might be less exciting, and will be stressful at times, but that beats the relentless pressure of sales hands down.

Accounting is also a much more secure, stable line of work that's always needed, no matter how the economy is faring. It also opens up other opportunities within business and finance. Sales is kinda limiting - if you want to change career path you'll likely have to take a pay cut. That's exactly the dilemma my friend working in sales is experiencing now.

Ush1

Think people are under estimating how good a career sales can be in a company like LinkedIn.

It wouldn't be for me but I know a high up guy in sales with Dell and he was able to relocate from Dublin to Cork. He is very well remunerated also.

Solomon Pleasant

Ush1 wrote: »

Think people are under estimating how good a career sales can be in a company like LinkedIn.

It wouldn't be for me but I know a high up guy in sales with Dell and he was able to relocate from Dublin to Cork. He is very well remunerated also.

Yeah I am tempted to take the sales job because the starting salary is so good for a grad with no experience. I feel the big 4 salary is fairly tight going for someone living in Dublin, but accounting could be more financially rewarding in the future I'm guessing?

Ush1

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

Yeah I am tempted to take the sales job because the starting salary is so good for a grad with no experience. I feel the big 4 salary is fairly tight going for someone living in Dublin, but accounting could be more financially rewarding in the future I'm guessing?

Forget the money for a second, you can likely do well from either. What do you want to do long term?

Solomon Pleasant

Ush1 wrote: »

Forget the money for a second, you can likely do well from either. What do you want to do long term?

This is the the issue, I am a bit lost about exactly which role I really want to do. I would probably find sales more interesting but accounting offers more flexibility to work in a rural area and I like the idea of having a qualification like the ACA.

I may just flip a coin at this rate to be honest haha!

what do you think is interesting about sales?
What is it this crowd are selling?

Did you ever hear the saying "those who can, can. Those who can't teach sell"

ChikiChiki

Whatever you do OP, dont be like me. Accounting & Finance degree, Big 4 experience, a CV with 11 years of Accounting and Finance experience, inbox pinging with offers, yet completely unfulfilled and now buying some time in construction chasing my next step. Give it a try and whatever you do follow your gut. You may love it, you may hate it but just go with your instincts. 6 months here or there trying to figure out if you like an industry will be very valuable. I wasted a lot of time in a job I was not that passionate about.

Follow something you are passionate about is my advice. Best of luck, you are obviously a smart kid and will figure it out. The world is you're Oyster in 2019!!

jam_mac_jam

What are you good at? What are you interested in?

Accounting is hard work and if you don't like it you will find it harder. I wouldn't say a one fits all approach I would be more suited to the accounting job then sales but I know other people would hate it.

So what do you like? What do you want to do?

jam_mac_jam

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Whatever you do OP, dont be like me. Accounting & Finance degree, Big 4 experience, a CV with 11 years of Accounting and Finance experience, inbox pinging with offers, yet completely unfulfilled and now buying some time in construction chasing my next step. Give it a try and whatever you do follow your gut. You may love it, you may hate it but just go with your instincts. I wasted a lot of time in a job I was not that passionate about.

Follow something you are passionate about is my advice. Best of luck, you are obviously a smart kid.

That's excellent advise. I would listen to it.

Specialun

Im in Enterprise sales roles for over a decade. Im a big believer in that its in ya or not. The money is great but its far from easy. is that salary 60-50, 50-50. Thats what most tech firms are

Specialun

Baby01032012 wrote: »

From a head point of view

the accountancy has the biggest potential...starting 26k but that will gradually increase and double in 3.5 years once you qualify (im a chartered accountant btw) and as you said wider scope for jobs if and when you move out of Dublin

Sales role very different skill set...depends what your selling...all about contacts and large portion would be commission based i guess...not a lot of potential salary wise and as you said ties you to the bigger cities.

At the end of the day...its what ever floats your boat and you have an interest in...might be worth seeing a career expert and doing some psycometric testing to see where your abilities lie..you might be surprised by the results...now is the time to do it..you have your whole career ahead of you..make the right move..theres no mad rush to commit for any industry right now other then needing some €€€ to live on.

Good luck!

No chance that accountancy has better potential than sales. If you're good in sales and you're in Dublin you could easily be on 75k plus within 3 Years. Before all perks

BattleCorp

Specialun wrote: »

No chance that accountancy has better potential than sales. If you're good in sales and you're in Dublin you could easily be on 75k plus within 3 Years. Before all perks

And you could be fcuked if there is a recession or some other competitor blows you out of the water.

€75k is achievable in accountancy too. And more.

Specialun

BattleCorp wrote: »

And you could be fcuked if there is a recession or some other competitor blows you out of the water.

€75k is achievable in accountancy too. And more.

If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. You cant live by wondering If. I don't even know what you mean by the second statement. If you're in sales for a MN its not as black or white as you might lose a deal. That's small time thinking.

BattleCorp

Specialun wrote: »

If my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. You cant live by wondering If. I don't even know what you mean by the second statement. Sales people move around. The traits of most sales people dictate this

You said that there is no chance that accountancy has better potential than sales. I'm saying that is not necessarily the case. There is the potential to make lots of money in accountancy too.

You say that a good sales person can earn €75k after three years. That's not guaranteed. You'd want to be very good at sales and also work at a company that rewards its successful employees very well.

To be fair, my statement that someone in accountancy can earn similar sums (€75k) is also not guaranteed. You'd need to be good at your job and work for a well paying company.

Specialun

BattleCorp wrote: »

You said that there is no chance that accountancy has better potential than sales. I'm saying that is not necessarily the case. There is the potential to make lots of money in accountancy too.

You say that a good sales person can earn €75k after three years. That's not guaranteed. You'd want to be very good at sales and also work at a company that rewards its successful employees very well.

To be fair, my statement that someone in accountancy can earn similar sums (€75k) is also not guaranteed. You'd need to be good at your job and work for a well paying company.

I never said that there is no potential in accountancy. There is. However getting to 75k is 100% easier in sales. MN companies will offer 75K OTE easily, plus you dont need to be all that **** hot. You can pick a company that has a good offering and you could get lucky and have a good territory. Yes its a tough station and its far from smooth sailing. But to get to 75k faster is 100% more possible in sales.

PhoenixParker

I gotta agree with Specialun here.
I know a lot of people in sales around Dublin and if youve any modicum of talent/personality for it the money is there for the taking at the moment. The big mn all have big sales teams here and they're competing for talent.

The big salaries might disappear but a decent sales guy should always be able to create a role for himself, even in a recession, albeit on lower money. The skillset is relatively recession proof.

If OP has any inclination for sales he should ot for that one. Accounting exams can always be done down the line if he wants to switch.

Sales if you're not suited to it, us the most miserable job in the world though. If he's no inclination, then accountancy is the way to go.

Baby01032012

Completely disagree with above 2 posters.

If there is a recession sales will dive, sales jobs will be first to go, sales will fall and commissions dive which is what makes sales roles so variable, the commission element.

qualified accountants will always be in demand even in recession - and the skills are far more transferrable than sales. You will find accountants in every business in the world.

Its also not just a case of one or the other...theres far more variables and other career paths the OP might want to explore.

Beasty

Starting pay may be low, but I've seen a CAGR of (well) over 15% throughout my professional career

I'm an accountant;)

Sales jobs can be lucrative, but equally it's a tough world out there, and if someone better comes along, the sales commission may start to reduce. Accountancy is a career, and I would suggest sales is more of a job. If you are at the top end of the sales latter, the rewards can be stunning, but it's a much riskier option.

Specialun

Baby01032012 wrote: »

Completely disagree with above 2 posters.

If there is a recession sales will dive, sales jobs will be first to go, sales will fall and commissions dive which is what makes sales roles so variable, the commission element.

qualified accountants will always be in demand even in recession - and the skills are far more transferrable than sales. You will find accountants in every business in the world.

Its also not just a case of one or the other...theres far more variables and other career paths the OP might want to explore.

Recession might well impact small sales teams. Not MN as much. plus sales people have many transferable skills. Sales people will always be needed by MN. You could also apply this recession logic to any small town accountancy or small accountancy in cities.

Berserker

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

Hi guys,

I appreciate this is After Hours but I want opinions from all of ye so fire away.

I've 2 graduate job offers for when I finish college. One is from a tech company in Dublin paying 45k (Sales role) and the other is from a big 4 accounting firm (auditing role) paying 26k a year.

What do ye reckon? Any useful advice on which one I should take?

The sales job is probably €45K On Target Earnings (OTE). Did you read the contract fully? We took on four sales grads in the last company I worked for, a tech company, with a similar OTE and none of them made that. They T&Cs in the contract were a joke, with ridiculous targets. You do not want to be let go of your first job for not performing as expected!!

Specialun wrote: »

No chance that accountancy has better potential than sales. If you're good in sales and you're in Dublin you could easily be on 75k plus within 3 Years. Before all perks

Far better career options long term and stability in accountancy. Our sales department was gutted during the last bust but the likes of the accountants were kept on. Sales were the first to go and the grads were let go in the very first cut.

Tails142

Take a career in accounting, don't be lured by the promise of a high salary in sales. You will be on that money as an accountant in no time. (5 years surely)

When your young you don't have commitments, it's the only time in your life you'll be able to take that pay rate (26k) and get blooded in as an accountant.

As someone else said, accountancy is a career/profession. Sales is a job. I'm not an accountant by the way.

Also, in a recession or just because the wind blows a different direction, the likes of LinkedIn could be gone in a flash. Think back to Dell, Gateway Computers etc. The Big 4 will always be around and they get a lot of business in recessions slicing up companies in receivership etc

TheShow

Take the sales role and finish your accounting qualification in the evenings. That way you get some experience out in the world and still have the accounting to fall back on.

Atoms for Peace

Take the 45K job, do a few years and save some cash to do a masters in an area you want to get into.

jamesbondings

If the op has any sales experience 45k is easily achievable as a base. I personally know somebody with a single years sales experience and got a job last week for 50k base.
The money is there. And huge commissions depending on business and product within the business.

LionelNashe

LionelNashe wrote: »

I'd be suspicious of a company who would offer a sales role @ 45k to a person fresh out of college who presumably doesn't have much sales experience. It says to me that they're prepared to take you on, try you out, and drop you at no cost to them if you can't hit their targets. Or, as others have said, the 45k is based on a target which only 10% of their sales team is capable of hitting.

....

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

The base is 33,750 with the rest as a bonus. I was told that typically you will hit these targets and that it would be unusual for someone not to. The company is Linkedin. Thanks for your feedback though, I really think sales would be more interesting but less flexible.

OK, LinkedIn is a legit company. I'm less distrustful. And if the role is account management, rather than cold-calling, say, then, in my opinion, it's not the hardest type of sales job. I'd advise doing a search of people on LinkedIn who are working or have worked in the position that you've been offered. See how long they stayed in the role, and see if any of them are known to you directly or indirectly. Then you could possibly ask one or two of them what the job, & the sales targets, and the working environment is like.

My general advice would be to not consider the money too much at this point. The most important thing is to figure out what you're good at, which will probably also be something you like, and then do that. You might find yourself working hard just to be a mediocre salesperson, whereas the same amount of effort could make you a top marketer, or accountant, or whatever it is that people with business degrees do. If you're interested in neither sales nor accounting then you don't have to take either of these roles; you could keep looking for something else.

The Rape of Lucretia

Sales definitely. Accounting is dull as dishwater. The money can be good, it does suit certain unimaginative types, and can impress the easily impressed who dont know any better. But life is too short - try something with the potential to be fundamentally more interesting and rewarding of your time.

Ush1

What's this stuff about job and career?

Do you reckon the commercial director of LinkedIn considers what he does his career? His bleedin' wage packet will say career that's for sure.

Ush1

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

This is the the issue, I am a bit lost about exactly which role I really want to do. I would probably find sales more interesting but accounting offers more flexibility to work in a rural area and I like the idea of having a qualification like the ACA.

I may just flip a coin at this rate to be honest haha!

Go for the job you find more interesting.

namloc1980

Solomon Pleasant wrote: »

This is the the issue, I am a bit lost about exactly which role I really want to do. I would probably find sales more interesting but accounting offers more flexibility to work in a rural area and I like the idea of having a qualification like the ACA.

I may just flip a coin at this rate to be honest haha!

I'd think the opposite. Accounting offers huge opportunities across a large range of business functions from accountancy practice through to finance functions in large multinationals and everything in between.

namloc1980

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Sales definitely. Accounting is dull as dishwater. The money can be good, it does suit certain unimaginative types, and can impress the easily impressed who dont know any better. But life is too short - try something with the potential to be fundamentally more interesting and rewarding of your time.

That's the old view of accounting.... mind numbing reconciliation of ledgers, boring audit work etc. Modern accountancy is much more interesting.

Ipso

Accounting may also provide a better opportunity for remote working, although travelling sales may also be an option.

368100

Do your stint in big 4 for a couple of years, will open up a lot of opportunities for you