I've been watching this thread because it hits close to home. Your background is actually more valuable than you think, but the challenge is reframing it. Audit work is like checking the rearview mirror: you see where the car has been, confirming it stayed on the road. What you want is the windscreen view - forecasting where the road bends and how fast to take the curve.
Your economics degree gives you the macro lens, and the accounting plus audit gives you a grasp of structure and risk. The Django API experience shows you can build systems, not just run reports. That's a stronger signal than you realise.
I transitioned from a similar compliance-heavy background into e-commerce analytics by focusing on the intersection of data quality and decision-making. For Amazon sellers, audit skills translate directly into understanding inventory accuracy, chargeback validation, and P&L integrity. The same logic applies in any business.
FP&A is a solid middle ground because you still apply accounting logic, but you get to build models and tell stories with numbers. Revenue operations and business analyst roles also bridge the gap - they need someone who can both validate the data and ask strategic questions about it.
When you apply, lead with the analytical projects. Frame the tax audit work as experience in detecting anomalies and verifying data integrity. That's exactly what a data quality or analytics engineer does, just with different tools.
Macroeconomic trends are shifting toward people who can move between the black-and-white of compliance and the grey of forecasting. Your mix is a rare one - don't bury it under the ticking and tying.
