[cantpassagain1]

Hey guys,

I have a question regarding experience for a (want to be) future university professor. I am 25, went to a decent school (nowhere special) for undergrad and graduate school for my BSBA in accounting, and MSA. Graduated Cum Laude for undergrad and top 10 for grad school. After school, I went to work for a B4 in an incredibly small sub-service line of their SALT practice. Long story short it was not going to give me great experience and would pigeonhole me into an area I wouldn’t be able to do anything with. So after about 6 months, I left and went to a top 20 firm on the southeast and switched to audit. I love audit and have only been here for about a year. I only work on private companies but in a wide range of industries. I have a feeling (cross my fingers) I will get promoted in fall.

My long term goal is to become a professor at a university. My plan is to start looking into universities after a couple more years. My understanding is that experience is relevant in the admissions process.

Question – What experience do you think would be the best in terms of standing out to universities? B4, midtier, private industry? What industry would I learn the most audit theory, technical accounting, and financial reporting from?

If it helps, my goal is to teach financial accounting or auditing at a research college.

[CPA2018]

I'm not an expert but don't you need a Acct PhD to be a college professor?

[alloverit]

@CPA2018: It appears the OP is referring to experience needed to be accepted into a fully-funded doctoral program.

As for experience, it doesn't matter. But I would change my language from wanting to “teach” to “wanting to conduct research”. That's really what a Phd is all about. Teaching is a bit of a dirty word…as odd as that may sound.

Additionally, you should make sure you have a good GMAT and enough math. You won't need as much math as you would for a Phd in finance or econ, but you will need much more than college algebra and your pre-calc business course and the bus state class you took.

The work experience part will help you stand out from superior Asian students who will likely TOWER over you academically based on what you've stated. Go look at student profiles for students in Phd programs for accounting. You will see many Asians and Indians (or other non-Americans) as they're typically better prepared academically for quantitative research.

However, accounting (and marketing/entrepreneurship) are less math intensive so a solid mathematical background, GMAT score and experience (you have MORE THAN enough work experience) should do the trick.

I should also mention age, but as a 25 year old you're good there.

Good luck

[Recked]

Check out this link… For Accounting Doctoral program.
https://www.adsphd.org/

There was one guy on here who's brother was either a PhD or was working on it.

[jombe]

I thought about this path myself, but realized I didn't want to put in extra efforts in academics/experience to get where I needed.
W/ that said, I recommend looking at faculty pages on some university websites. They usually have a brief bio/qualifications/experience of professors.
Seeing what “real” professors did in their past should help you decide?

FAR - 94 (10/4/15), Local Prep Online Lectures, BISK & NINJA MCQ
AUD - 99 (1/19/16), Local Prep Online Lectures, BISK & NINJA MCQ
REG - 96 (4/19/16), Local Prep Online Lectures, BISK & NINJA MCQ
BEC - 91 (7/19/16), Local Prep Online Lectures, BISK & NINJA MCQ

581 days of listening to lectures, reading texts & 10,000+ MCQs...

[Asja]

Any experience as long as you show that you made some great changes/contributions…A lot of my professors have been consultants and have written publications.

[Asja]

Need to vent about SUrgent's FAR lectures…the blond lady..puts me to sleep and aggravates my ADD

[Asja]

oops previous post was meant for the far study group sorry

[Author]

Replies