[john kane]

thanks for all the replies, they certainly do help me try and figure this out.

the underlying problem is that i hate getting up in the morning, i hate accountancy and i hate knowing that i could be doing something i enjoy far more and would make me a lot more. however, i like the idea of being in a well paid, well respected job, with a ton of financial security. however, to get there, i have to go through a lot of boredom. i've been spoilt the last 5 years, ive had it so easy, and this is a massive wake up call. a big part of me wants not to wake up and carry on what im doing. and the other problem is that regardless of how well paid the job ends out being, i likely still will hate waking up, hate going to work, hate the long hours, hate hate hate. like a lot of us, i've had it so easy the last 4-5 years that this really sucks.

if im going to stick with the job i need to decide now. i have an exam in 8 days time which im already behind for (hopefully catch up all of today) and ideally id pass all my exams first time. if im going to stick with it, i've got to be committed to it and be willing to spend a lot of time studying, so in my mind now i need to decide it is what i should do, as otherwise i'll end out failing the exams.

also grindplz, the pay structure for a chartered accountant at big 4 is roughly 55k - 65k - 70k - from now on it depends whether you go into banking or industry, but roughly then 100k - 120k - 140k, though it really does depend how much your willing to sell your soul, 150k afer 5 years isnt that unrealistic (my bro is being asked to apply for job at that pay level 5 years after starting becuase they think he has the neccessary skills). they pay you well becuase youve had to spend 3 years of boredom studying towards an accountancy qualification.

as for online, i think 400k would be a realistic annual target. the obv concern is how long this would last for. but 500k i think is doable if i put in long hours. also i would try really hard to get into a weekly pattern, devoting time to eating well, exercise, going out etc (but i know this is so much harder than reality as i tried doing this for the last 4 years and it never worked).

thanks again for the replies.