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I work in accounting and will advise that at least in NYS, you will need to go for your Masters, or your Bachelors + extra credits to even take the CPA exam. On top of this, the CPA exam is considered to be harder to pass than the Bar exam.
Going into a field just for the sake of sounds like a mistake. You're better off going for a Business Admin degree first and then taking the accounting classes if you change your mind later on.
While yes, it's a stable field now, it might not always be with everyone and their mother going into accounting now. I remember 3 years ago I couldn't find a job paying more than 40K and that was even with a degree. Not to mention you have to be prepared to have no life from December to April during tax season where 60-70 hour weeks is not unheard of.
You're better off finding what you have an aptitude for and what will make you happy, instead of going into a field you can "deal with".
I work in accounting and will advise that at least in NYS, you will need to go for your Masters, or your Bachelors + extra credits to even take the CPA exam. On top of this, the CPA exam is considered to be harder to pass than the Bar exam.
Going into a field just for the sake of sounds like a mistake. You're better off going for a Business Admin degree first and then taking the accounting classes if you change your mind later on.
While yes, it's a stable field now, it might not always be with everyone and their mother going into accounting now. I remember 3 years ago I couldn't find a job paying more than 40K and that was even with a degree. Not to mention you have to be prepared to have no life from December to April during tax season where 60-70 hour weeks is not unheard of.
You're better off finding what you have an aptitude for and what will make you happy, instead of going into a field you can "deal with".
Great advice! I'm gonna do something similar. My bachelors is in business but I am missing some accounting courses to be able to qualify for CPA. Will do CPA because it's within reach for me and it opens up quite a few doors in the civil service world which I'm currently in as a state employee.
Working 60 to 70 hour weeks January to December is not unheard of in many other disciplines, inlcuding the ones that pay less than $40K/year.
Yes, but remember accounting jobs tend to be salary based, not hourly. So you're working double the time without the benefit. And it's also a given there will be 60-70 hour weeks April - December, but it's a guarantee during tax season. That might not make people happy when they pick a chosen field they have not worked in.
Yes, but remember accounting jobs tend to be salary based, not hourly. So you're working double the time without the benefit. And it's also a given there will be 60-70 hour weeks April - December, but it's a guarantee during tax season. That might not make people happy when they pick a chosen field they have not worked in.
I don't come across many accountants who work for accounting firms for more than a decade, for the reasons that you mentioned. They tend to eventually move to other fields where compensation is higher. I work in a finance company and I have colleagues who are CPAs. Other fields accountants move into are banking (credit analysis, risk), treasury, internal audit, IT and consulting. The Big 4 and other accounting firms for them are just stepping stones into other careers.
Whether you should major in accounting or now is something only you can know. You know your strengths and weaknesses better than any of us. However, let me tell you my college experience thus far with the whole major thing: when I first got to college a few years ago, I registered as a Finance major. I knew I would be a Business major, but I didn't really have a clue of what field I would like to go in. I chose Finance because the name was familiar and it wasn't Accounting. I'm good at Math, but I absolutely could not be an accountant. I find it boring, too technical, and the whole process leaves me feeling depleted. I had some very basic ideas of what Finance was, but I didn't know the details of it. I just knew that as a Finance major, I would have a better chance at earning a middle class job (I started in 08 when the economy was at its worst).
Fast forward a couple of years in late 2011, I had a lightbulb: what the hell was I doing being a Finance major? I watched shows dealing with Finance and while I found it interesting, it was NOT something I wanted to do for my career. Thankfully, I basically took general classes and electives for the most part.The prospect of having a good paying job means nothing to me if I can't enjoy the work I'm doing. Now I know lots of people who are the complete opposite and I get it, but I just couldn't be like that. I had to find a major that was truly stimulating and would be applicable in the career path I want to go. Thus, I chose Marketing and I know it's the right choice, though some people look down on it as an easy major.
So what's the point?! If having a well paying job is very important to you, then accounting is a safe choice. However, I think it's important to find out if it's something you even like to do or good at. Just my two cents!
Great advice! I'm gonna do something similar. My bachelors is in business but I am missing some accounting courses to be able to qualify for CPA. Will do CPA because it's within reach for me and it opens up quite a few doors in the civil service world which I'm currently in as a state employee.
You need to go for a Masters in accounting or MBA just to sit for the CPA. You can do it without a graduate degree by just taking accounting courses but you're not as valuable/marketable without it.
Also seating for the CPA is not the same as actually getting the license.
To get the CPA license you need at least 1yr of AUDITING experience. This is arguably the hardest part of the process since it's not so easy to get a job in external or internal auditing.
There aren't many majors offered in my current college right now and I've been looking for a major that will lead to a good stable job. I'd rather play it safe and choose a practical major since I'm constantly worrying about finding a job that will pay the bills and provide for myself.
For these reasons, does it seem logical to pursue accounting?
I understand that it's better to do something that you're interested in and have a passion for but I'd rather have a job that is marketable.
Last edited by happynonsense; 01-07-2013 at 06:12 PM..
There aren't many majors offered in my current college right now and I've been looking for a major that will lead to a good stable job. I'd rather play it safe and choose a practical major since I'm constantly worrying about finding a job that will pay the bills and provide for my family in the future.
For these reasons, does it seem logical to pursue accounting?
I would say choose what makes you happy. It also depends on what your current situation is.
Do you already have a family to take care of?
Are you in a dead end job?
Do you already have accounting experience or are you hoping to go in from scratch?
I say these things because having a degree with no experience will not give you much luck job hunting, either. Like stated earlier, you also need 1 year of Auditing experience to even take the CPA exam.
As for colleges, you can always switch to a college that offers more fields to get a degree in. There's plenty of reputable online and brick and mortar colleges that allow transferable credits.
Basically, money can always be made regardless of the field. Being a hard working, honest employee will give you stability. But going into a field just because you think it's safe is not going to make you happy. Everyone can say they earn money, not everyone can say they are satisfied with their jobs.
I went into this field because by the time I decided to go back to school, I already had almost 20 years of experience under my belt. It doesn't make sense for me to switch at this stage of the game.
You need to go for a Masters in accounting or MBA just to sit for the CPA. You can do it without a graduate degree by just taking accounting courses but you're not as valuable/marketable without it.
Also seating for the CPA is not the same as actually getting the license.
To get the CPA license you need at least 1yr of AUDITING experience. This is arguably the hardest part of the process since it's not so easy to get a job in external or internal auditing.
In NY you no longer need audit experience, many types of experience will meet the requirement.
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