Just over half of accountants report being "highly satisfied" with their jobs, according to an ongoing survey — and perhaps just as important, the sources of dissatisfaction in the profession are becoming clearer and clearer. The preliminary results of the 3rd Annual CPA Career Satisfaction Survey, which were released at last week's Bridging the Gap Conference showed satisfaction creeping up, with 54% of respondents saying they are "highly satisfied" with their careers, versus 50% two years ago. The survey, which is conducted Brainstorm Group and HB Publishing & Marketing Co., also identified a number of factors that influence satisfaction, which get surprisingly specific. Pay, for instance, is always important, but only really moves the needle on satisfaction for those who report that their salaries are "highly" competitive, versus being merely "somewhat" competitive. Similarly, long hours aren't necessarily a driver of dissatisfaction — it matters more what kind of work people are doing during those long hours, and what kinds of clients they're doing it for.