[sunspot2013]

Hello everyone,

I am in my last year of PhD study in economics…currently writing my dissertation. I have gone straight through school – BS/MA in econ and will be 28 years old upon graduation. The issue is, I have discovered that a career in economic research is not for me. I am unmotivated by it and the rewards “good research” yields. I have been miserable for at least 2 years, but told myself all along that it was just the short term pain of a PhD program and not because I don’t like research. Well, I have been fooling myself. In short, a career in research is not a good match for me. I sure do wish I would have known this years ago, but that is a topic for another forum. I originally was an accounting major in undergrad and switched to economics halfway through the degree after becoming enamored with economics. I also worked my way through various accounting positions at a large auto dealer group through high school, undergrad and my master’s degree, so I am not totally unfamiliar with basic accounting and feel, based on this experience and that of the past few years of grad school, that it turns out accounting is a better match for me.

I am considering my options to get into a career in accounting. At this stage, I am so close to finishing the PhD I do feel I should finish it. I am fully funded through fellowships/assistantships and have zero debt. What the PhD could afford me are the following 2 options:

1. The Big 4 hire fresh PhD economists to work in transfer pricing. This actually seems to be a decent job to apply my economic toolkit without having to live the life of a researcher. While I would not be in an accounting position strictly speaking, I would have my foot in the door, earning a competitive salary and with perhaps the potential maybe down the line of getting enough flexibility to finish the necessary coursework and get a CPA. The objecting of getting a CPA in this scenario is to basically make myself more useful to the firm.

2. Take a teaching job at a community college to earn a minimal salary while having the time flexibility to take the necessary coursework and get a CPA. It would take me approximately 3 years to finish coursework and sit for the CPA exam. At this point I would be 31 years old.

Here is where the most uncertainty lies: after reading a lot of blog entries/forum posts on various boards, it seems that a 31 year-old freshly minted CPA with no experience may find himself unemployed. Age + no experience seems to potentially be a serious setback.

How crazy is my thinking that in option (2) I could end up with a rewarding career in public accounting? Is it a long shot? Not sure if my PhD in economics would at all be valued by a CPA firm (my desires are very flexible – regional, small firm is fine with me).

Any thoughts about my ramblings would be much appreciated. Thanks much in advance, and good luck to all of you.

Mr. Lost.