<p>domrom1: It depends on too much. I would say average 45-55 hours all round, which isn’t bad at all.</p>
<p>Mostar: “Work isn’t my life” is just a cop out for lazy people. You can pursue and do other things while working 55-60 hours a week if you aren’t lazy.</p>
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<p>I’d sign up for 45-55 hours average in a second. I usually work 50-60 out in the sun, 45-55 in an air conditioned office sitting down would be a pleasant upgrade.</p>
<p>Dawgie, are you in transaction advisory?</p>
<p>“Work isn’t life to me” usually means:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Poor time management. If you work 55 hours and sleep 56 hours in one week, you still have 57 hours to do whatever else you need to do.</p></li>
<li><p>You’re in the wrong field. I don’t mean that accounting is any harder or easier than anything else. I just mean that if you’re doing what you really want to do, it won’t bother you, and you won’t feel worn out to the point you can’t even exercise once a day (as you imply will happen).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I don’t mean this to be a hardass. Just wondering how much you like accounting. Working more than 40 hours per week is normal for tons of people in all industries; it’s not 55 hours of work that will bother you, it’s 55 hours of (whatever the work is) that will if you aren’t into what you’re doing. When you do rewarding work that you enjoy, long weeks feel fine.</p>
<p>Also, don’t get caught up in “big four” crap. Work for a place that’s the right fit for you, doing the right work for you, and don’t feel bad about it. It doesn’t make you lazy that you don’t want to be burnt out by your job, but burn out isn’t about quantitative aspects of work. It’s a qualitative thing. If you can’t see yourself doing that much accounting work in a week, find something where you can.</p>