[Captain Awesome]

Hi All,

I am a late comer to the accounting profession having earned my degree at age 35 via online courses. That, coupled with my original marketing degree from a traditional university ten years previous gave me enough credits to sit for the CPA exam. The problem I am facing is whether or not I can hack it in accounting or if I am just in the wrong company and/or role.

My employer is a mid sized not-for-profit and after two years I have been promoted to supervisor with two direct reports, but I still have a ton of trouble reviewing reconciliations and generally understanding accounting software. My Excel skills are okay, but most of what I learned has been on the job as I never learned pivot tables and v-lookups in school. Now that we’re beginning the yearly budget, I am having a lot of trouble understanding the complexities of that software.

Regarding the exam, I have taken FAR and BEC three times each, failing each time. So as you can imagine, I feel like lousy accountant and constantly wonder if there’s another career path I should take, but this late in the game it doesn’t sound like a good idea. Perhaps a different role like audit, tax or a different company would be beneficial? Please, let me know your thoughts. Did I make a mistake switching to an accounting career?

[ohiocpacma]

Why did you switch from marketing to accounting?

[alloverit]

It certainly doesn't sound like it.

Lucky you!

If you can't find work in marketing maybe think about AP or payroll work. The software thing is always going to be an issue. You just have to decide what makes you happy and attack it with everything you have.

Good luck!!

[Captain Awesome]

@Ohiocpacma, I graduated with a degree in marketing and minor in management, but never worked in marketing. After college, there didn’t seem to be any decent looking entry-level marketing jobs. Most looked like door-to-door sales and the like posing as marketing jobs. I ended up spending a decade working retail management and made good money, but the hours are tough and the industry is dying so I tried to find a career that played on my interests of cash management and research as well as having regular hours. What I have found is that I am a fidgety person who likes to move around so the office life is a bit tough for me, along with the other aforementioned competency concerns. Of course, now that I’m getting older and already have two degrees I’m hesitant to switch careers again.

[Author]

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