Wake up, coffee, shower, office, meeting, call, meeting, call, work, work, call, store, gas, home, dinner, walk, work, bed, repeat. How did you end up in this seemingly endless cycle? In all likelihood, a little at a time. So, how does one stop the churn? The same way it started: one step at a time.

When reflecting on a career in accounting, it is easy to find a few situations that stick out as lessons learned. These situations often involve something dramatic, funny, or ironic. For those in the early stages of their careers, perhaps there is something in these observations that you can use in developing your practice.

Service providers are taught that “the customer is always right,” but it is important to our sanity, and our bottom lines, to recognize that some prospects are wrong for us. Even poisonous.

James J. Caruso, CPA, CGMA, has seen several sides of the accounting world, experiencing life in both public accounting and industry. He started his career at Deloitte and served as a partner with Fesnak LLP and RSM US LLP. He is now chief financial officer at J. Knipper and Company | KnippeRx. In this blog, Caruso discusses the differences between the two work environments, including daily routines, required education levels, and advancement opportunities.

The keys to succeeding and being promoted are hard work, technical prowess, leadership ability, and strong communication skills. This is true, of course, but there is a lot more to effectively positioning yourself to move up your company ladder.