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I am currently 29, and have been working in entry level related accounting roles for a few years now.
I worked as an A/P Clerk for a major fortune 500 company for 16 months, and before that was a full cycle bookkeeper so while not glamorous, I do have some basic financial experience.
Now, I have taken Accounting and general business coursework at a local Oregon college, as well as several CLEP, and I applied to Thomas Edison State College and am only 5 classes away from having a BSBA in Accounting.
My eventual goal is to enroll in an Masters in Taxation and become a CPA. But, with a degree from TESC, I am concerned that I will have a hard time getting a job either in industry or public. Do you think I would be best starting fresh and taking another year or so and spending more time and money on finding a different online program? (I cannot afford to go to campus- I have a family and need to be working) Or alternatively, should I continue on and get this degree and then enroll in a MTAX program from a more reputable school to increase my marketability?
My concern is just from doing a Google search on Linkedin everyone in my area has graduated from well known schools such as Oregon State University, University of Oregon, etc.. that I am concerned I will have a hard time securing a consideration even with some limited experience and an interest in writing the CPA.
I can also write the CPA during this period as well as I will have 150 hours because of previous study in IT and Arts subjects.
I am currently 29, and have been working in entry level related accounting roles for a few years now.
I worked as an A/P Clerk for a major fortune 500 company for 16 months, and before that was a full cycle bookkeeper so while not glamorous, I do have some basic financial experience.
Now, I have taken Accounting and general business coursework at a local Oregon college, as well as several CLEP, and I applied to Thomas Edison State College and am only 5 classes away from having a BSBA in Accounting.
My eventual goal is to enroll in an Masters in Taxation and become a CPA. But, with a degree from TESC, I am concerned that I will have a hard time getting a job either in industry or public. Do you think I would be best starting fresh and taking another year or so and spending more time and money on finding a different online program? (I cannot afford to go to campus- I have a family and need to be working) Or alternatively, should I continue on and get this degree and then enroll in a MTAX program from a more reputable school to increase my marketability?
My concern is just from doing a Google search on Linkedin everyone in my area has graduated from well known schools such as Oregon State University, University of Oregon, etc.. that I am concerned I will have a hard time securing a consideration even with some limited experience and an interest in writing the CPA.
I can also write the CPA during this period as well as I will have 150 hours because of previous study in IT and Arts subjects.
Any advice is appreciated- thanks.
I would worry less about where your BS degree is from and focus on the best possible Masters program. Additionally you might consider an MBA with an Accounting concentration which I believe is perceived to be more valuable/versatile to employers. Top business schools such as Indiana U, U of Florida, UConn and Auburn have online MBA programs and of course national recognition/prestige.
What I would do first is... if you are still in AP at a major corporation, talk to the controller to see if you can move into a staff accountant role before getting your masters degree. I think it will look good to move from AP to staff accountant within the same company and you should know the people to talk to within your own company
You should realize that Master's in Taxation programs are generally for working accountants who work in taxation. It is in essence a fancy CPE and a path for a CPA. The better programs are filled with mostly local accountants, who do the program part time. Because of this, there really isn't that much on campus recruiting for these programs.
You are presumed to have taken individual and corporate taxation as an undergrad. The core classes are things like Tax Research and Tax Timing, and then you take classes in whatever sub-speciality field you want (i.e. Executive Compensation, ERISA, trusts & estates, international tax, sales & use, state and local, M&A/Spin-offs/transactions, partnership/LLC, etc.) These classes are not what 95% of nuts and bolts tax accountants do, which is corporate and individual tax compliance and just cover the materials already taught at the undergrad level. That's why a Master's in tax is better for a working tax accountant that wants to break out of ordinary tax compliance and get into specialized areas of taxation, which is mostly done in big firms or major corporations.
So a Master's of tax isn't really the best path to a decent entry level tax accounting job compared to just a strong undergraduate record.
Last edited by slim04; 09-30-2013 at 08:53 AM..
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