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A lot of BS Accounting degrees do essentially go for 4 1/2 years. Every Accounting major I knew in school went an extra semester = 150 hours.
To OP: None of these suggestions will help if you aren't interested and capable in them. What are you good at? If you can't stand the sight of blood, there's no use in suggesting hands-on health care. If Math gives you trouble, there's no point in suggesting Accounting or Engineering or Computer Science.
I'm horrified that your parents would throw you out for wanting to go to college (did I read that correctly?) and applaud your drive and desire to make yourself the best you can be, but what you bring to the table in terms of interest and ability is part of the equation, too.
What do YOU like to do? What can you see yourself doing for 45 years until retirement? What subjects did you like/dislike in school? While it is possible to get a degree in something you don't like, you will ultimately be happier (which is more important than money as long as your bills are paid, in the long run) if you are doing something that does not bore you to death or cause you so much stress that your mental health suffers. I say this as someone who has 3 degrees (2 of them double majors) and has been through a wide range of careers, ranging from "I like it but the pay sucks" to "I hate it but it pays well" and ultimately settled on something that's a good happy medium between the two, which interests me and pays pretty well and there is a market for it, but is not a stress-fest with lots of overtime, but it took me into my 40s to find it (health data analysis, in my case).
Have any links to a university offering a BS with 150 credits?
I personally dont know of any.
But assuming there is such programs, I take it you didnt go to college yourself, otherwise you would know that It is basically impossible to take 30 credits in one semester...
Or maybe you're confusing joint programs. BS/MS in accounting is a popular one. And It takes about 5 to 5 & 1/2 yrs to complete.
Edit: I just noticed you're posting from NC.
Just so you know CPA requirements vary from state to state. So maybe in NC a BS is good enough.
Not the case here though.
Last edited by likeminas; 06-07-2012 at 12:05 PM..
Please, answer this! It's completely useless to talk about finance/health/computers when we have no idea if you're any good at them. You'll make a lot more money doing what you're good at than doing something because it's a profession that usually makes money.
A great professor will make more money than a bad accountant.
There's a lot of middle ground between "just follow your DREAMS" and "you must have a 10-step plan to ensure a good stable income by age 23." The important thing is to have a clear, practical plan for how to avoid starving or moving into your parents' basement (which a surprising number of college students don't). Beyond that, the tradeoffs between passion and stability are a pretty individual thing.
I have a deeply useless liberal arts degree and I've done fine. However, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do, and my field doesn't require any particular degree. Plus I graduated before the recession.
and how long ago was that? I dont think these soft degrees cut it anymore. Yes, years ago you could always find a decent career with a sheepskin. Now with these soft degrees you are qualified to work asking do you want grande, venti or a trenta. Maybe one of those top 20 schools can issue a degree in being a "barista" at staryucks.
10 years ago and I work in the internet/digital industry- the same industry I started out in (albeit on the agency side). My co worker, who also went to the same school and graduated 5 years ago, has a degree in sociology. Trust me, that name school still goes very, very far, anthropology degree and all. In fact, I am actively looking for a new role and every interviewer has done the "oh, wow!" when they see the school name. If you can get into a university that has such a low acceptance rate and graduate with honors, it absolutely holds clout, even with a "soft degree". Also, I can assure you that when someone sees Harvard, or Yale, or Duke, or Stamford on a resume, it absolutely gets a second look, if not a call back for an interview.
What's particularly interesting in the interviews is when I talk about the academic path that led me to working in advertising and ultimately market research-- even I surprise myself at how translatable it is LOL! It's never asked about but makes for a great ice breaking story.
All this being said, I'm not advising that a major like anthropology be your first choice, I'm just saying not to assume that a so called soft major does not provide translatable skills. When I started working, I could write circles around many of the more senior members of the team since one of the main skill sets that social science requires is critical thinking, research, analysis, and writing (and not writing in the literary sense). Simply put, I'm very well educated and that goes far in life...
BUT to stick with the OPs original question, if you're not a "hard science" person, I reiterate the suggestion of marketing. Better yet, if you can concentrate in digital marketing/media or cross media advertising that would be even better.
I don't know of anybody who just ( not prior to the new requirements) went for a BA and then took 30 hrs of accounting classes without getting another degree. It just makes no sense to do that...
My Bachelor's degree was in finance with a minor in economics. I took the minimum number of accounting classes required to get my degree. Six years later when I decided I wanted to switch up my career towards accounting, I went back & took all accounting & business law classes to add the add'l 30 hours. I took a couple graduate level classes, but ultimately dropped out of the MAcc program because I passed the CPA exam and that was good enough for me.
To the OP, I do think accounting could be a good choice because once you get a few accounting classes under your belt, you can many times get a introductory accounting job in Accounts Payable or some other type of accounting clerk job. If you have any interest in numbers, it might be a good way for you to be able to get some school in and then be able to work and go to school at the same time to finish up your Bachelor's degree.
I'm not sure but yesterday I attended the New York state sponsored job fair. It was a long line and waited in the sweltering heat in full business attire. A ton of people at that fair and many had some interesting degrees and have been unemployed for years, but I have been lucky to hold on to my job for quite sometime even though its not great pay, I still can live off of it. dropouts. I too also have a desire and passion to get a new job and also hold no college debt like majority of Americans. I saw people who have degrees apply for home health aide, UPS and Fresh Direct positions, usually these types of jobs are reserved for high school dropouts and Green Card holding immigrants.
Well in this city it really depends on what degree is good for whatever field is in demand. I mean you can have an anthropology degree and work with the cities poor people in the social service department. In NYC the best degrees are either anything related to math, science as well as the growing tech industry in software development and hardware advancement and I cant forget medical, law and criminal degrees are good but are too competitive and risky. The OP said he was going for accounting, I say go for it but to make sure you really get that money you should probably go for your masters and probably work with hedge funds.
The biggest concern for you after all this is done is how are you going to payback your tuition, hopefully you get a high paying job. I see to many out of town Transplants who live in expensive shoebox apartments struggling to payback tuition from college. Also try to avoid strain from your social and family circles like broke parents or a single parent relatives who you would have to assist on a day to day basis, or even a broke friend. I already came across a couple of people crying for being too deep in debt for atteneding college and other advance degree programs.
So far I only have two degrees and possibly may go for my masters however masters come at a price, also I may try to go IT or tech which I learned being an intern for the DOENY some years ago. Also note that many people with bachelors degree end up being in a job that's unrelated to their studies, for example I met a chick in the east village a few months ago she graduated from NYU in geology and works fulltime as a bartender. I have a 4 year Criminal Justice degree but I'm no public official or cop yet. You can have an accounting degree but does not necessarily mean you will be an accountant. so please have a fall back plan or a back up plan or something stable to ride the wave. Good luck on your degree and career.
Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 06-08-2012 at 12:26 AM..
My Bachelor's degree was in finance with a minor in economics. I took the minimum number of accounting classes required to get my degree. Six years later when I decided I wanted to switch up my career towards accounting, I went back & took all accounting & business law classes to add the add'l 30 hours. I took a couple graduate level classes, but ultimately dropped out of the MAcc program because I passed the CPA exam and that was good enough for me.
So you dropped out of the MA program short of 5 credits?
You might as well should've finished it.
From an employer's perspective, a resume looks much better when you have a BA and an advanced degree rather than just BA with several extra classes.
Accounting is a good choice as is engineering. But, as others have echoed, what is most important is that you have a passion for what you study. You should be aware of the realities and pay scales of each field but don't do something solely for money. It is not fair to yourself. You owe it to yourself to do what makes you happy as well.
Accounting
Finance at an Ivy
Engineering
Science degree (Bio/Chem, e.g.) --> Med school
Any degree --> T14 law school
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