[Qwerty_Uiop]

Hey there everyone,

Apologies in advance for another one of “those” threads, but I’d really appreciate some advice or feedback if you might be so kind!

So, my situation: while I did well in high school and had good grades (3.8+ gpa), because of some personal/family issues and severe depression, I didn’t end up going to college right away. Instead, I spent the next eight years depressed and drifting (not literally), and trying to live off of near-minimum wage.

At 25, I finally started to pull myself together and realized I needed to do something to improve my life. Due to my work/financial situation at the time, it seemed (correctly or not) that my only choice was an online program and I enrolled at DeVry–initially majoring as something else, but quickly changing to accounting after falling in love with my first course on the subject.

About six months before graduating, I was able to get a job as an Accounts Payable clerk at a private commercial real estate investment/management firm, and over the next five years, I was promoted four times and now work as a property accountant. I love my job, and make a decent living (~$55k), and my boss (a CPA and CMA) has been recently encouraging me to work towards becoming a CPA. Very few other accountants there are CPAs, and it wouldn’t be critical for my job, but I think it would be a massive personal achievement, and I’m now absolutely dedicated to reaching that goal.

I’m in Washington State, where 150 credits are required to sit for the exam, and I just enrolled in a graduate accounting certificate program (which my company will be largely paying for) which will get me within nine credits, which I can finish up relatively quickly through a community college or online.

The thing is, even though I’m not unhappy with the education I received and without it, I wouldn’t have ended up with the job I like so much, I find myself terribly embarrassed about having gone to DeVry, and I tend to avoid any discussions with coworkers about college or education just because I don’t like to bring it up.

Even if I become a CPA, will this become a huge handicap if eventually move to a different company? Would it be worth the money for a Master’s at another, more well-regarded school, even if my company is paying for this certificate? Or would it be worth it to go back and get a Bachelor’s somewhere else?

Or maybe I’m just being insecure and it doesn’t really matter?

Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling! 🙂

[Mayo]

Confused. I thoughtmyou had a Bachelor's from Devry. Then I read,

“Or would it be worth it to go back and get a Bachelor's somewhere else?”

So, are you going for a Master's or Bachelor's?

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Anonymous]

If you pass the CPA exam, no one will doubt your education. Be proud that you have a degree and study hard to pass the exam. Your education may not be conventional, but if it passes credential review to become eligible to sit for the exam it's all good! Good luck to you and congrats on having a job you like…that's 1/2 the battle right there!

I moved to Illinois for my husband's job three classes shy of my degree and I had to finish at Strayer. I simply had no other options at the time. It has not held me back one bit and I work on a Big 10 university campus! A degree gets you the job but your performance keeps it. You have grown a career… Be proud of your accomplishments!! 🙂

[Mayo]

“If you pass the CPA exam, no one will doubt your education.”

Sorry, but have to disagree. Have seen a good share of “must come from big/top school” in job applications for Staff/Senior accountants in F500.

Now if the OP gets good experience, then yes, the school will matter less. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking things like school reputation don't make a difference in terms of perception.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Anonymous]

While that may be true, the OP seems content with his current company and finding a job is not the case here. My point is that your education is not the “end all” for every situation. My dream was never Big 4 or F500 and I'm pretty darn happy without both of them. It all depends on what you want and where you are headed.

[Mayo]

No one is saying it's the “end all”, but it'd be naive to assume it's not a factor the OP should consider.

@OP, the reality is that it's difficult to say if your education would ever be a factor. If you're able to stay at your current company with support from your boss, then I don't see it really mattering.

Even if you choose to leave the company, your experience might outweigh whatever perceptions there are about Devry. However, there are some companies that do put priority on which school you attended.

But typically, the more experience you gather the less your college and grades tend to matter. So, while I don't see it providing a lot of benefit, I think it won't seriously hamper your career prospects.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[mla1169]

The school you attended matters more at the beginning of your career than after you've got a decade or two of experience under your belt. But yes, some employers really do go for name brand recognition of schools.

It won't prevent you from landing a great job, but it may narrow the number of great jobs available to you.

FAR- 77
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Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Given that you have several years (it sounds like?) of work experience, that will count for way more than the name of the college. I graduated from a college no one's heard of, and it's probably better that way (Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey – their goal is to be flexible, which means they accept almost any credits…). But, what I've always heard from hiring managers in various industries is that the degree, GPA, etc., matter only until you have something better to offer, like experience. Given that you have experience, and will soon have a CPA as well, that is what will really matter.

Unless you're going for a position with a real selective, large company, or in academia. If you want to teach accounting, then the college matters a bit more. 😉 But, if you're looking to work for more local companies (like this real estate company), then I don't think it will be a problem for you!

[wizards8507]

If you can get an employer or someone else to pay for it, absolutely go for the advanced degree. One caution though. If you're afraid that your DeVry education won't be “good enough” to advance your career, it frankly might not be “good enough” to get into those prestigious schools that add glitz to a resume.

Regarding pay, I've been working with recruiters lately and a big part of what you can expect to earn in a new job is based on what you earn in your current job. If you're currently earning $55K, that signals to prospective future employers that you're WORTH $55K, even if a “DeVry grad with X years of experience” would normally only bring $40K (or whatever the actual amount may be). This obviously isn't a hard and fast rule, but it absolutely plays a part in the negotiation process. Honestly, your salary is higher than what I've seen in a lot of the salary discussion threads in this forum, so I wouldn't get too antsy about plunging into something because you think you *need* it.

Pretty pretty please, do not take student loans to finance whatever it is you decide to do. I'm sure people will follow my post with arguments about why student loans are worth it due to increased earning potential, but the fact is that piling on that amount of unsecured debt could be absolutely crippling. Yes, you could increase your income with a big expensive degree, but that only works if everything goes perfectly and you land the big job as soon as you graduate. If you do go back to school, I strongly advise you to either save up and pay cash or see if you can get your employer to pay.

NY CPA

[Qwerty_Uiop]

@Mayo I do have a Bachelor's from DeVry, but I guess I was wondering if the reputation would be a big enough issue that it might be worth going back to another school and getting another Bachelor's, or moving ahead and pursuing a Master's. My employer is only willing to pay for this certificate program (and I'm more than grateful for that!) so going for an actual degree would likely require loans.

Like I've said, I'm very happy with my current employer, so I don't think I'll be looking for another position unless I either lose my job, or found something where the pay was significantly higher.

To be honest, a large part of this is just because I feel embarrassed whenever the subject of colleges come up in casual conversation, and I wish I had a better response when someone asks “So, where'd you go to school?”.

(Thanks for all the responses, by the way! I really appreciate it!)

[fuzyfro89]

(Even if I become a CPA, will this become a huge handicap if eventually move to a different company?)

Likely, yes. School is a HUGE network. In business, networking is almost more important than what you know. Of course, you may still find great opportunities, but they will come across less quickly and some simply won't be available to you since you attended a non-traditional school. Fair or not, this definitely happens. I went to a top 50 undergrad and see the “birds of a feather flock together” phenomenon more often than I would like to admit.

(Would it be worth the money for a Master's at another, more well-regarded school, even if my company is paying for this certificate? Or would it be worth it to go back and get a Bachelor's somewhere else?) To get another bachelors degree is likely pointless, unless it's related to what you're trying to do. If you go back and study sociology at a better school, what a complete waste of time and money. If you go back and study finance or econ, then maybe it's worthwhile; but only in a very limited capacity. You have to be able to “tell your story”. People will ask, so why did you attend XXX and get your further degree in finance/econ? You had better have something better than, “I wanted more name recognition”. What I'm getting at is the additional education needs to make sense. Perhaps several years down the road an MBA will be something you can pursue and it will make perfect sense. It is a general management degree, hopefully from a decent enough school, and which will open doors for you. Keep in mind, this is only relevant to the extent you want more mobility some time down the road in your career.

Last thought, the best thing about being a CPA is how broad the application of the designation is. Some people do taxes for individuals, others audit large multinational corporations, other perform transaction advisory work for M&A purposes. The point here is that not all CPAs are created equally (meaning they are not all viewed upon in an equal light). Some companies only accept Big 4 CPAs while others don't care. Since you are content in your current role, you may not need to hurry and get your next degree, but if you want mobility and advancement then at some point another better institution may help make that transition/advancement easier.

Or maybe I'm just being insecure and it doesn't really matter?

[fuzyfro89]

Sorry, posted by accident and didn't finish my thoughts. Congrats on your progress! I have had no serious personal issues in my life yet, but have only the utmost respect for those overcoming difficult situations. Lemonade from lemons!

Don't be embarrassed. Be as proud as you can and let your work speak for itself. There is always going to be someone with something better than you, but letting that make you feel insecure is silly. Having your CPA license will be a huge accomplishment, as I'm wondering if this is not typical of people who attend Devry? Not everyone is fortunate enough to have attended a great college or had great work experience, but that's just life. It sounds like you've turned your life around and you can only go up from here! Keep up the hard work and as other posts have mentioned, your degree will matter less and less as time goes on… and if you get an MBA down the road then your undergrad matters even less.

Congratulations on your CPA progress, and best of luck going forward!

[Mayo]

I'm with fuzy on this. Take ownership of the fact that you went to Devry. Like you said, it gave you an education and you're using skills today that you learned at Devry.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Author]

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