[Anonymous]

Considering enrolling in an MBA in accounting program. I’m 45, male. The program takes a little more than a year to complete and would cost me over 60K in student debt. Interested in entering forensic accounting, don’t care too much about the MBA. No real career that I currently have.

Waste of time and money?

[Anonymous]

BlueOcean: Do you need another full degree specifically in accounting…bachelors or masters…to sit for the exam in your state? My degree is in Business Admin and I took the required accounting classes which put me over the 150 hours required to qualify to sit for the exam. It was much cheaper than a full masters degree. There are some universities that offer a grad accounting certificate specifically aimed at non-accounting degree professionals who want to sit for the CPA exam. Then you can take/pass the exam and find a job that will provide tuition assistance for your Masters degree. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

BlueOcean: Do you need another full degree specifically in accounting…bachelors or masters…to sit for the exam in your state? My degree is in Business Admin and I took the required accounting classes which put me over the 150 hours required to qualify to sit for the exam. It was much cheaper than a full masters degree. There are some universities that offer a grad accounting certificate specifically aimed at non-accounting degree professionals who want to sit for the CPA exam. Then you can take/pass the exam and find a job that will provide tuition assistance for your Masters degree. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

I hope it's not a waste of money. I am also 45, and just finished my M.Acc. last week at a large state school with a very good accounting program.

I will tell you that you are going to have to work harder to get hired, and you may have to wait until firms get in semi-panic mode after they have some attrition or they pick up more business. I interviewed hard and applied a for a variety of positions in a variety of locations, both public and private. I have had many folks tell me that if I were 25 instead of 45 I would have had a job a long time ago.

That being said, I have had a fair number of interviews in the past 4 weeks, including one with a Big 4 firm. I'm waiting to find out if I'm going to get an offer, I've had recent second interviews with a number of firms, so it looks good for me to land something (and I'm fairly confident I'll get an offer from a mid-level firm I recently interviewed with). Just be prepared that you are going to have to work harder to find a job than your younger fellow students. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I hope it's not a waste of money. I am also 45, and just finished my M.Acc. last week at a large state school with a very good accounting program.

I will tell you that you are going to have to work harder to get hired, and you may have to wait until firms get in semi-panic mode after they have some attrition or they pick up more business. I interviewed hard and applied a for a variety of positions in a variety of locations, both public and private. I have had many folks tell me that if I were 25 instead of 45 I would have had a job a long time ago.

That being said, I have had a fair number of interviews in the past 4 weeks, including one with a Big 4 firm. I'm waiting to find out if I'm going to get an offer, I've had recent second interviews with a number of firms, so it looks good for me to land something (and I'm fairly confident I'll get an offer from a mid-level firm I recently interviewed with). Just be prepared that you are going to have to work harder to find a job than your younger fellow students. Good luck!

[after30cpa]

My friend is finishing her second degree in Accounting at Western Governors University with less than $30k student loan. They have flat rate tuition and schedule is flexible. She will be borrowing my review materials when she graduates in October. Not sure if you've heard about the school but it won't hurt to check around.

[after30cpa]

My friend is finishing her second degree in Accounting at Western Governors University with less than $30k student loan. They have flat rate tuition and schedule is flexible. She will be borrowing my review materials when she graduates in October. Not sure if you've heard about the school but it won't hurt to check around.

[Author]

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