Chris-
-Your decision and planning depends on where you want to take your accounting career. Do you want to have the job security of being a big swinging dick at a firm? Or wake up at 10am and work a practice out of your home? It is probably too early to decide that yet, but you should think about that as you prepare to make your decisions.
-Your company is expanding, that is great news for you. Typically it takes five years (sometimes four) to reach manager in an accounting firm. Your company isn't going to expand overnight, it may happen over the next few years. Guess who'll be ready to jump up to manager when the expansion really starts rolling?
-Most of the partners at accounting firms I've talked to have been total job-switching-whores. Many of them have experience at
multiple Big Four firms. It's very rare for a person to go from staff/associate to partner in the same firm (I've only met one).
-I'm starting out just like you, so take my advice with a grain of salt. However, understand that I have spent alot of time setting up meetings with many (20+) CPAs/partners in order to figure out how they got to where they are today. I highly recommend you do the same if you haven't already. Alot of people have healthy egos and love talking about themselves; if you listen, they'll love you. And you get the information you need to help you make your decisions.
My "goal" list is as follows:
---Sex as many women as I can.
---Pass the *****in exam.
---Expose myself to as many different accounting niches as I can.
---Make manager.
(from here on it gets too far out to plan, but what the hell)
---Consider grad. school
---Target the Big Four, they love people with experience, plus I think it's important to have been associated with one of the big firms at one time or another.
I'm not sure whether you're working audit or tax, but I'd say ride it out for another year --to get your required hours-- then start seriously considering where you want to go.
I'm gonna go study in the sun now.
