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Old 11-02-2011, 07:22 PM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,285 posts, read 2,343,828 times
Reputation: 1007

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I was actually logging on to post a topic about certs I could get for my resume. I'm struggling to raise my GPA (currently 2.73 overall with a grad date of May '13) so I wanted something else for my resume. This thread is great!
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Old 11-03-2011, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Wartrace,TN
7,880 posts, read 12,589,105 times
Reputation: 16077
I am a career changer (formerly in manufacturing) and I returned to school because I realized staying in my old career was a losing proposition.

When I started school I recognized that I had absolutely no chance of ever landing an entry level corporate/CPA track position. I am a little too old I identified a potential area with the opportunity to be self employed in accounting and pursued that.

What I did while I was in school is become involved in the QuickBooks pro advisor program. I have three years of certifications now in QuickBooks, Enterprise solutions and Point of Sale. For the two years I was in school all I did was school work and QuickBooks related training/reading. My degree is in managerial accounting which is heavy in the cost/financial management aspects of accounting. I realized that the majority of other QuickBooks pro advisors only offered QuickBooks setup, troubleshooting, bookkeeping, tax and payroll services. I knew it would be pointless to enter the market offering the same services as everyone else.

Right after I graduated I started a QuickBooks consulting business. I am offering set up, training, and troubleshooting services at the present time. I am also involved in advanced reporting, cost accounting services, financial management services, and third party software integration. My goal is to eventually concentrate in these services and market them through other pro advisors who do not have the expertise in these areas.

As with any business it has been slow starting up. I have been working with a few clients but I am not at the level yet where this business will provide enough income to live on. I have been looking for work with QuickBooks in a bookkeeping or accounting role to supplement my income. I am running into the same quandary as the other people that have posted. Unless you have been doing it for a couple of years employers aren't willing to talk to you.

The "funny" thing is that right now I am working with a client who HAS an experienced bookkeeper on staff AND had a CPA firm that holds itself out to be QuickBooks specialists. The data file has had obvious problems from day one and neither of these people fixed it. I am talking QuickBooks 101 issues that I spotted just by looking at the balance sheet. I can understand the bookkeeper not addressing the problems but there is no excuse for the cpa firm.

Anyways, employers are set in their ways and would rather hire "experience" even if it was experience doing things the wrong way.
There isn't anything I can do about employers perceptions. All I can do is push ahead with my business.
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Old 11-03-2011, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Litchfield Park, AZ
132 posts, read 264,783 times
Reputation: 142
Its brutal right now for new accounting graduates. In the last few years, large companies have cut back or outsourced many entry-level accounting jobs. Where I work, they just started using a powerful new software program that allows a single person to do the jobs of 8-10 accountants. Most of the accounting job openings I see online nowadays are for $10-12hr accounting clerk jobs or require at least 2-3 of experience. There is the CPA route, but seeing as how 90% of the people that take the exam fail it, it isn't for everyone.
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Old 11-03-2011, 04:12 PM
 
Location: NJ
17,574 posts, read 45,968,514 times
Reputation: 16266
Quote:
Originally Posted by psychomantis View Post
Its brutal right now for new accounting graduates. In the last few years, large companies have cut back or outsourced many entry-level accounting jobs. Where I work, they just started using a powerful new software program that allows a single person to do the jobs of 8-10 accountants. Most of the accounting job openings I see online nowadays are for $10-12hr accounting clerk jobs or require at least 2-3 of experience. There is the CPA route, but seeing as how 90% of the people that take the exam fail it, it isn't for everyone.
What program is this? If these were true "accounting" jobs I am very skeptical there is some software out there that can replace 10 people unless they were using some massively antiquated system before.
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Old 11-03-2011, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,285 posts, read 2,343,828 times
Reputation: 1007
Quote:
Originally Posted by psychomantis View Post
Its brutal right now for new accounting graduates. In the last few years, large companies have cut back or outsourced many entry-level accounting jobs. Where I work, they just started using a powerful new software program that allows a single person to do the jobs of 8-10 accountants. Most of the accounting job openings I see online nowadays are for $10-12hr accounting clerk jobs or require at least 2-3 of experience. There is the CPA route, but seeing as how 90% of the people that take the exam fail it, it isn't for everyone.
Scary. 10-12 isnt going to pay my 350/month loan to the Dept of Ed.
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Old 11-03-2011, 10:00 PM
 
83 posts, read 246,427 times
Reputation: 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wartrace View Post
I am a career changer (formerly in manufacturing) and I returned to school because I realized staying in my old career was a losing proposition.

When I started school I recognized that I had absolutely no chance of ever landing an entry level corporate/CPA track position. I am a little too old I identified a potential area with the opportunity to be self employed in accounting and pursued that.

What I did while I was in school is become involved in the QuickBooks pro advisor program. I have three years of certifications now in QuickBooks, Enterprise solutions and Point of Sale. For the two years I was in school all I did was school work and QuickBooks related training/reading. My degree is in managerial accounting which is heavy in the cost/financial management aspects of accounting. I realized that the majority of other QuickBooks pro advisors only offered QuickBooks setup, troubleshooting, bookkeeping, tax and payroll services. I knew it would be pointless to enter the market offering the same services as everyone else.

Right after I graduated I started a QuickBooks consulting business. I am offering set up, training, and troubleshooting services at the present time. I am also involved in advanced reporting, cost accounting services, financial management services, and third party software integration. My goal is to eventually concentrate in these services and market them through other pro advisors who do not have the expertise in these areas.

As with any business it has been slow starting up. I have been working with a few clients but I am not at the level yet where this business will provide enough income to live on. I have been looking for work with QuickBooks in a bookkeeping or accounting role to supplement my income. I am running into the same quandary as the other people that have posted. Unless you have been doing it for a couple of years employers aren't willing to talk to you.

The "funny" thing is that right now I am working with a client who HAS an experienced bookkeeper on staff AND had a CPA firm that holds itself out to be QuickBooks specialists. The data file has had obvious problems from day one and neither of these people fixed it. I am talking QuickBooks 101 issues that I spotted just by looking at the balance sheet. I can understand the bookkeeper not addressing the problems but there is no excuse for the cpa firm.

Anyways, employers are set in their ways and would rather hire "experience" even if it was experience doing things the wrong way.
There isn't anything I can do about employers perceptions. All I can do is push ahead with my business.
That's true, just because someone has experience does not mean they will do a better job.. I did an internship over the summer and the CPA that worked there was very disorganized and made some mistakes that would have an entry-level person fired -.- like paying a 2k bill twice and not even noticing until we received credit for the double payment.

Oh and Wartrace have you advertized your consulting business on craigslist? I always see ads that want someone to train their staff on QB.
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Old 11-03-2011, 10:04 PM
 
83 posts, read 246,427 times
Reputation: 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by ETSUAccountingGuy View Post
I was actually logging on to post a topic about certs I could get for my resume. I'm struggling to raise my GPA (currently 2.73 overall with a grad date of May '13) so I wanted something else for my resume. This thread is great!
Are you planning to take the CPA exam? Because you could just take extra classes to boost your GPA up. And employers will think you're doing it to fulfill the 150 credit requirement.
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Old 11-04-2011, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Nashville, TN
1,285 posts, read 2,343,828 times
Reputation: 1007
If I get 4.0 every semester until I graduate I'd have a 3.3. Given that's unlikely, I'm shooting for 3.1. Upon graduation I'll have more than 150 hours.

If I get a job at a firm when I grad I would go for the CPA.
If I get a job in industry I probably wont.
If I can only find a low level clerk, bookkeeper, or AR & AP Clerk I dont know if I would/should or not.
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Old 11-04-2011, 02:55 PM
 
83 posts, read 246,427 times
Reputation: 48
@ETSU are you looking for a job or internship right now? I think that's something that would help you stand out since you don't have the grades. That's why I'm looking for a job where I'll get experience, it doesn't matter how much they pay. Right now my GPA is 3.77 but it will probably go down since the classes are getting harder.

And I don't know if you have an accounting chapter at your school, but we do and everyone keeps telling us to join since that will give us an opportunity to network. I plan on doing it next semester even though they charge $120 for an initiation fee and $50 for the remaining semesters -.- but it will look good on your resume...
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Old 11-04-2011, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Tampa, Fl (SoHo/Hyde Park)
1,336 posts, read 4,945,703 times
Reputation: 1039
dont worry about your grades, they are meaningless unless u r applying for an entry level job at a big 4 cpa firm or other very prestigous national firm. corporate accounting jobs and regional and local cpa firms do not care about your grades. If u get your bachelors at a normal age (22 or 23)and got real accounting experience at some type of job/internship while in school then you should be able to find a job eventually. dont stress over your grades, just dont get worse than a C (at my school more than 2 C's u were dropped from the major) and get real experience before you graduate
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