soberaccountant

Hi everyone,

Things have been going okay for me. I'll be 90 days sober come May 13, and am looking forward to that.

I still feel a bit upset at myself with my whole DUI mess I got myself into. I was never the kind of person to drink and drive, or even drink the way I did the night I got my DUI...but I can't change anything about that now. All I can really do at this point is think ahead as to how I can make my life better from this point on out.

My court case is still ongoing, I go back for my continued arraignment on May 19th. I have a good public defender and the sober living owner that is a family friend of mine has been a big help as well. The PD says she can get the refusal sticken with the right DA, so hopefully we can get this all settled out on the next court date so I can move on with my life. The judge is even allowing me to do my 90 day alcohol school program before being convicted so I can get my license back sooner, which is a big blessing. I have had a lot of favor thus far, I am hoping it all continues to go well. The PD is still looking at my whole case, if any errors were made this whole nightmare can go away for me--but I am not counting on that. I am just grateful it hasn't been as bad I expected.

My only worry and fear these days is finding a job. My job ended yesterday where I was at before, and I am really going to miss that place. I am going to be getting unemployment and I have some of my own resources to hold me over for some time, but I just want to be working again.

I am an accountant by trade, I have my bachelors in accounting and will be going for my CPA once I finish my masters degree program. I was just wondering if there are any other accountants or professionals out there in California who can answer me this:

Was it difficult finding another job with the misdemeanor DUI on your record? How did you explain it when it came time for the background check?

I don't have a conviction yet, but I am certain the arrest and pending court case will come up. I am hoping it will not be difficult for me to find a job again, but I am just worried a bit about it. Hopefully someone out there has been through what I have been and can be of some guidance.

Best Regards,

soberaccountant

KissMyTiara

I answered my personal experience with this a couple of months ago. I am not in CA but in FL. I got my DUI after my BBA in Accounting but before I sat for my CPA. The Board of Accountancy asked numerous questions and I answered honestly. They did NOT deny my CPA and I have been one since. I have also changed jobs as Controller several times and it has never been a problem. Don't stress. I have been through it. Just keep clean.

soberaccountant

Hi KissMyTiara, its possible you have and I appreciate that. Just cant seem to go back and find that post I had put a couple of months ago. Certainly trying not to let it stress me out, but I must admit it is easier said than done.

This is all a new rather frustrating experience for me, but I know i'll get through it.

Thanks again

KissMyTiara

Not to make light of it but it is a misdemeanor. Many professionals have them. On any job application I have never been asked. Only if I have a felony.

soberaccountant

Yeah I get what you mean. It is certainly not on of my proudest achievements of soon having a misdemeanor on my record, but I have come to learn that a lot of people get them. I think I read a statistic somewhere that over a million people are arrested each year for DUI in the US. When I was at court earlier this month the judge asked me what I did for a living, when I told him I was an accountant he looked down and chuckled a bit. "These are all too common in your industry" were his words.

KissMyTiara

You will be OK. Stay sober and out of trouble. It has never hindered me becoming a CPA or finding jobs.

Dee74

Hi soberaccountant - you can always find your past threads and posts in the drop down menu under your name beside any of your posts

D

Anna

Soberaccountant, I understand your concern and I wish you well in your job search. Try to keep a positive attitude.

Gonzoso

If this is your first DUI make sure it is also your last. I got one before I started my bachelors and another right before I finished it. It held me back a few years trying to recover. I was employed the entire time, but was only able to get a great job 5 years after the DUI.

Some job apps only ask about felonies, some any crime. It seems awful but you will get through it. Once 5 years with nothing else has gone by no one seems to care anymore.

soberaccountant

It's a first and certainly my last. I'm finding a lot of my people have had one and have still been able to find good jobs in their field as long as they were honest about it and they didn't have any other issues outside of it.

Having two I am sure is tough. I'm just doing what I have been asked to do thus far and not doing anything to make the situation worse. I have been told by my PD I can get this expunged after 1 year as long as I don't violate probation and pay my fines. I'll be the best damn probationee that my county has ever dealt with if that's the case.

MissPerfumado

And in his.

All the best. You sound like you are dealing with it well. You can get through this, and with sobriety, you have a bright career before you.

Gonzoso

It sucked hard. 12k in fines etc. 18 month license suspension. 12 months on an ignition interlock. Counseling, alcohol highway safety, 90 days house arrest with anklet, 1 year probation.

I saw those penalties when I was in class for my first one and though "what kind of loser would get that, that'll never be me" as I was taking classes beginning my science degree.

The first one was a mild 6 months probation $1k fine, 2 months license suspension. A slap on the wrist. It didn't have the desired affect I guess.

Don't get two, it's easier than you think. I think if a person gets one and doesn't radically change their life, they're very likely to get a second.

soberaccountant

I hear you completely. After this last ordeal I'll never put myself in a situation to drink and drive ever again. They make your punishments easy wherever you are. For my county in CA:

-3k in fines
-1 month license suspension, 5 months restricted(to work and alcohol class)
-90 day alcohol class(2x a week for six weeks, 1x remainder)
-3 years semi-formal probation, I have to send in a letter each month but fortunately no PO meets as long as I have no police contact.

Fortunately after a year I can get an early release of probation and expungement on my record. I just want the arraignment to be over and done with so I can begin that countdown.

thomas11

Hi soberaccountant, I may have missed something but my question is--do you believe you have an alcohol problem that you need to address, or are you primarily concerned about the DUI and employment?

53500

I'm a tax manager at a CPA firm in L.A. The DUI would not stop us from hiring a qualified applicant.

soberaccountant

I've been posting here for a couple of months now. To answer your question, I don't really know. I guess its safe to assume that someone getting a DUI likely had a problem. I am certainly concerned about this DUI monkey on my back and finding a job, hence why I have asked if anyone else has experienced this. It has been encouraging thus far to know that it likely won't.

Personally I don't know if I can identify as anything other than powerless over my emotions, which lead me to make rather stupid decisions...going out and drinking when depressed and getting drunk and driving. I have made a conscientious choice not to drink, simply because as long as I am dealing with symptoms such as anxiety and depression, it is not wise for me to consume alcohol. Will I ever drink alcohol again? I don't know, but at least today I won't...and that's all that should really matter at this point.

Thanks for your question.

Gottalife

A DUI does not an alcoholic make. I have known lots of non-alcoholic people get well trolleyed and even black out. And get a DUI sometimes, yet they are not alcoholic. Their lives returned to normal.

On the otherhand I am an alcoholic and I have never had a DUI. I was a habitual drink driver. I knew how to drink and drive, and with my tolerance for alcohol, I appeared sober when highly intoxicated. I was stopped by police many times, yet they never suspected.

Back home, it's the people that don't usually drink and drive that get caught all the time. They are not used to it. They have a few too many and make a bad decision, but many are not habitual drink drivers or even drinkers. They simply made a mistake, and most DUIs do not reoffend. Only the alcoholics reoffend as a rule. Getting caught 5 times is a pretty good indicator of alcoholism, while getting caught once can just show bad judgement.

soberaccountant

Here in the US it seems they go after anyone indiscriminately here. I was never one to get drunk and drive the way I did that night, like you said I made a poor decision--a mistake that everyday I dream that I could take back. I am in tears writing this now because all I have ever wanted was a better life for myself. A life where I could build myself up and be a man that can help take care of my family who has so graciously helped me through the years. Now I feel as a burden, a criminal, and I often wonder how and when I can redeem myself from all of this.

I don't want this story to be my end, I want my story to be a comeback. Right now I just don't know how to get there, and that's what makes me terribly sad--depressed even.

Thanks for sharing with me.

Dave42001

I have a good public defender


This is the only red flag I see!! Get a good attorney and fight the charge.. Public defenders work for the DA.. Get a loan if you have to but don't go in without a DUI attorney... Just my 2 cents!!

buk1000

In my state you'd be way better off without paying for an attorney. On a first offense you would automatically get a diversion with or without representation. It's a misdemeanor, barely worse than a parking ticket. And it in no way ruins your life or career. You just can't get another one.

I don't know if that's how it is in California or not.

But I thought you mentioned in your first thread about this topic that you were in a blackout when you got the DUI. I think I would be a lot more focused on that.