Waitresses make more money than accountants (apply, 401k, tips, degree)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They do. Even if you aren't a waitress at some 5-star restaurant, generally if you are attractive, have a smiling face, and are quick on your feet/attentive, you will make MAD money in tips being a waitress.
Now accountants? Not so much. Land a big 4 job? Cool, the salary looks nice. But with all that OVERTIME you DON'T GET PAID FOR, you ain't makin much for all your work. You don't land a big 4 job? Well, have fun with your bookkeeping A/P A/R job raking in... what, $8-12/hour?
If you can survive a big 4 and work your way up, yeah ok you will make a lot more money. BUT... you need to bust your TAIL off just to GET a big 4 job, then bust your TAIL off some more to advance and if you wanna get a CPA... whew. Combine this with lots of butt kissing, the stress of corporate America, and bam. Public service announcement: don't major in accounting. You're better off not even going to college and waiting tables.
They do. Even if you aren't a waitress at some 5-star restaurant, generally if you are attractive, have a smiling face, and are quick on your feet/attentive, you will make MAD money in tips being a waitress.
While that may be true, there's also a lot of competition for jobs at restaurants or bars where you can earn $200 - $400 or more in tips a night just like there's a lot of competition for a big 4 accouting job. Besides not everyone is born looking like a model either.
With almost any career or field, you most likely have to bust your ass and maybe also kiss some ass along the way in order to get ahead and be raking in the big bucks.
Correct, seenontv, and while patrons often go during busy times, say hey I left X dollars, and she has 4 more tables right now, they miss the last 3 hours before closing, where she makes $3.17/hr (server minimum wage is tiny fraction of std minimum wage) and has perhaps 1 table per hour to rely on for tips. They miss the 6% tippers, and yes, there are many. They miss the fact that as long as she waits tables, she will never have employer Health Insurance. The OP also fails to realize public acctg is a networking tool for corp controller/CEO jobs that pay 6 figures with bonuses, car allowances, and super benefits. Ask the waitress her path to advance?
I had a classmate in college that dropped out and decided to be a bartender. He saw the instant $$ signs and rationalized how he was making more doing that than finishing his degree and getting a job that "only pays X amount"... He seriously regretted that decision years later.
Starting on the bottom, not making a lot of money, and working your tail off is how it works. You need to gain experience and put your time in in order to bring up your income. That goes with any career, not just accounting.
People hear/read the word "accountant" and think CPA or CFA and similar executive level...
not the overworked and underpaid back office junior level and (mostly) book keeper types who cling to the term
in order to salve their bruised ego's and lost sense of self worth.
In any case... the OP should "show the math" on his assertion.
I'll have to agree with others here, OP. You don't seem to know what you're talking about. My husband was a fine dining waiter for quite a long time. His income was ok (50-60'sk/yr), but his insurance was very expensive. He had no retirement or 401k. He had zero PTO and he usually worked most holidays as well as every weekend. I don't think we've spent one NYE together since we've know each other (this year will be the first year he's not working in the restaurant for the holidays). Then there's the lifestyle. People in this business drink and party. The hours are very late night and it's just not terribly healthy. We put him through college and he's working his first job in industry right now. He had to take a significant pay cut, but now he can actually start cultivating a career.
With that said, there are some options. A person can go into mgt. My husband did that as well. Still, the hours are crap and you bust your ass. You could become a sommelier (wine steward), but the pay is worse than servers and mgrs. Although, if I were in that business that's what I would do. I suppose a person can learn to cook as well. If a person is on a career track and goes into this business making good money it can really screw up their lives. One of my dh's co-workers got a degree in chemical engineering from Pen state 8 years ago. She started working in fine dining, got used to the money, and now cannot get out. It's not as if she can just go apply to some science job with the huge gap on her resume. I met with her because she's looking to get out. What a waste on her end. Her only option at this point is grad school. Things could have been very different if she made better choices years ago.
Finally, on the flip side once again, I'm glad my dh has the experience. God forbid something happens to our careers, we always have that to fall back on.
They do. Even if you aren't a waitress at some 5-star restaurant, generally if you are attractive, have a smiling face, and are quick on your feet/attentive, you will make MAD money in tips being a waitress.
Now accountants? Not so much. Land a big 4 job? Cool, the salary looks nice. But with all that OVERTIME you DON'T GET PAID FOR, you ain't makin much for all your work. You don't land a big 4 job? Well, have fun with your bookkeeping A/P A/R job raking in... what, $8-12/hour?
If you can survive a big 4 and work your way up, yeah ok you will make a lot more money. BUT... you need to bust your TAIL off just to GET a big 4 job, then bust your TAIL off some more to advance and if you wanna get a CPA... whew. Combine this with lots of butt kissing, the stress of corporate America, and bam. Public service announcement: don't major in accounting. You're better off not even going to college and waiting tables.
The accurate statement here is "you aint' making as much per hour. That's not the same thing as making less money than waitresses.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
