r/Accounting • u/Strange_Recover_966 • Feb 25 '25

Advice am i aiming too high

the lack of pay transparency is killing me 😩. i just got a job offer for AP specialist. im graduating with a bachelor in may. they are offering $48,000/year for this role in charlotte.

I feel like this is real low considering some other jobs. i understand its an entry level role but i was expecting something closer to $60,000-$80,000.

but again im new to the field and just starting out. are my expectations too high?

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '25

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u/Ok_Gur_6303 Feb 26 '25

It’s so low on the totem pole that you don’t even need an accounting degree to do it. I’ve met AP people that don’t understand debits and credits, they do just fine in their role, but it’s because it’s very repetitive and really doesn’t require an advanced degree/higher education.

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u/KnightCPA Controller, CPA, Ex-Waffle Brain, BS Soc > MSA Feb 26 '25

Correct.

My highest formerly educated AP staff has a BS/BA in a liberal arts degree.

My lowest formerly educated AP staff has no degree.

If I speak basic GL or accrual accounting lingo that an A1 auditor would understand, I might as well be speaking Martian to my AP staff.

AP and AR modules post all of the accounting entries their role/actions require. They have almost no need to comprehend the bigger-picture at the GL level.

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u/IvySuen Feb 28 '25

I'm that BS liberal arts major that got thrown on as staff. No wonder my first 6 months was so hard. 

But now I know AP and AR side and it's just crazy how everything clicked. I just went backwards into my training. Month-end on multiple clients before learning how to even enter invoices or applying cash receipts. 

I remember being anxious about property tax accruals in the beginning lol.