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I have a BA in History.
I could as well have gone fishing.
It was absolutely of NO USE for my future Career, I just lost 3 years in College.
...That was to please my family, specifically my Grandpa , former military officer, of the old school. "You don't want to do West Point? then try at least College - any academic discipline, I don't care-or else...no funding anymore".
Well, since you could have majored in anything......
I don't understand what you are moaning about seeing has how grandpa was 'funding' you for those three years.
GED and a computer tech school for 9 months. Ended up runing a network for a world wide corp and being responsible for some of the network security and all email. Everyone I supervised or worked with had at least a BS in computer science or buisness. I agree with a prior post, college isn't for everyone nor should a lack of degree shut you out of jobs. I've seen smart H.S. graduates and dumb college ones as well as vise versa.
As some others have said with how abysmal our current economic climate is, sometimes even having a degree is not necessarily a guarantee of a lucrative career. I'll be graduating next year with my Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from an AACSB-accredited private four-year college. While the local job market seems to have a plethora of openings for controllers, chief financial officers, senior accountants, accounting managers, etc., as well as bookkeepers, a/r clerks, etc., there is a HUGE shortage of available positions for college internships and/or entry-level public accounting positions. As an example back in late-April after making it successfully through two prior "screenings" I was amongst fifteen finalists for just two available summer internships at a major regional public accounting firm. Needless to say when I was stacked up against others from prominent families, wealthier backgrounds, etc. after aggressive interviews I didn't stand a chance. I was (and still am) devastated because that was the ONLY public accounting internship available in my metropolitan region. Now I'm continuing to work full-time as a retail salesperson where I do make a decent base pay of $11/hr. before commissions, but I fear I will be looked upon unfavorably in the future for not moving away this summer to pursue an internship elsewhere.
Yes, we're being told left and right that accountants are in "high demand," but that's truly NOT the case. All of those open positions require 3-5 years of experience in the field, but what about those of us who just wish to enter into the profession at a young age with a low salary and gain the experience that these employers seek? We bite the dust. At times I wonder if I wasn't better off just not going to college at all, especially since I work in retail amongst others who have Bachelor's Degrees and don't earn much more than I do. I am now considering graduate school to pursue my MBA with a concentration in accounting, but at this point I'm not even sure if having an MBA and CPA will make me any more marketable in the disastrous George Bush economy. To say I have become depressed and discouraged is an understatement. It's amazing how many well-educated people in Scranton are earning less than their counterparts who never went to college .
I thought the original poll results for this thread were a little interesting. The degree that represents the least amount of people in the country(advanced) represents the most on this forum...interesting. I agree with some previous posts, college is something that isn't for everyone, and I believe that many kids are enrolled for the "experience", rather than to further their careers. I had to re-enroll to complete my Masters before I found the employment I was looking for. If I had more time and endless money I wouldn't mind going back for the phd, but student loans come first I suppose. I'm not sure how the trends are in other areas of the country, but it seems in the Midwest where I live degrees are devalued a bit, due to the high unemployment of older workers displaced from auto driven industry, and definitely a bitterness towards younger professionals exists.
I thought the original poll results for this thread were a little interesting. The degree that represents the least amount of people in the country(advanced) represents the most on this forum...interesting.
Yes -- and it's a bit stunning.
Does this mean the more book larnin' we have, the more time we can find to yammer on the internet??
OR -- how many people lied when they answered this poll?
AND -- if 80% of us have college degrees++, why can't people SPELL better???
As some others have said with how abysmal our current economic climate is, sometimes even having a degree is not necessarily a guarantee of a lucrative career. I'll be graduating next year with my Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from an AACSB-accredited private four-year college. While the local job market seems to have a plethora of openings for controllers, chief financial officers, senior accountants, accounting managers, etc., as well as bookkeepers, a/r clerks, etc., there is a HUGE shortage of available positions for college internships and/or entry-level public accounting positions. As an example back in late-April after making it successfully through two prior "screenings" I was amongst fifteen finalists for just two available summer internships at a major regional public accounting firm. Needless to say when I was stacked up against others from prominent families, wealthier backgrounds, etc. after aggressive interviews I didn't stand a chance. I was (and still am) devastated because that was the ONLY public accounting internship available in my metropolitan region. Now I'm continuing to work full-time as a retail salesperson where I do make a decent base pay of $11/hr. before commissions, but I fear I will be looked upon unfavorably in the future for not moving away this summer to pursue an internship elsewhere.
Yes, we're being told left and right that accountants are in "high demand," but that's truly NOT the case. All of those open positions require 3-5 years of experience in the field, but what about those of us who just wish to enter into the profession at a young age with a low salary and gain the experience that these employers seek? We bite the dust. At times I wonder if I wasn't better off just not going to college at all, especially since I work in retail amongst others who have Bachelor's Degrees and don't earn much more than I do. I am now considering graduate school to pursue my MBA with a concentration in accounting, but at this point I'm not even sure if having an MBA and CPA will make me any more marketable in the disastrous George Bush economy. To say I have become depressed and discouraged is an understatement. It's amazing how many well-educated people in Scranton are earning less than their counterparts who never went to college .
I ran into this kind of thing years ago in the computer field. I started contracting and used head hunters for a couple of years to build experience to show on the 'ol resume and it actually paid better because it was a "temp" job. Just a suggestion...
I agree with the above poster, go thru a temp agency. That's how I got all my experience as a college student. Start off doing A/P or A/R. Get out of retail now. You would be surprised how well some temp agencies pay. Especially if you get a "temp to perm" job. Come to Dallas, there are PLENTY of entry level accounting jobs here!
BTW I am an accountant too (CFO)
Last edited by CTR36; 06-13-2008 at 08:36 AM..
Reason: Added more comments
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Interesting
