[waterzooi]

Hey All,

Hear me out. I’m 22. I got an associates in math and science, 3.8GPA. I tried out film school for 2 years I thought I’d like it but it wasn’t for me and I’m about to graduate. I want to continuing schooling in (public) accounting, it really is the right career path for me. My degree would be from Brooklyn College. The thing is that I have to pay back my last 2 years of school which would take me working for a year in my field that is unrelated to accounting while taking classes part time for the time being. The degree is 69 credits. That will take more than a few years to do part time, and I will have to start interning at smaller firms for either free or really low pay. I really should have been doing this the last 2 years but its too late.

All this said, is it worth it? As crazy as this sounds, I just feel old to start. So even if I graduate in 5 years part time at 27 taking part time classes with a second bachelors, I will have the degree with a little experience in the field. I wont be the president of the accounting team or anything because I just wont have the time. There is a PwC recruiter at my school and I do have friends that are starting there now; not sure if that matters. It’s crazy how 2 years can have so much effect.

Thoughts?

[nicole2035]

Why would you have to go to school for 5 more years? i know for my university, if you graduate and you have go back for another degree that's bachelor, you don't have to retake basic classes that are required for everyone (general education). At least that's what it was like for my coworker who was finance, graduated but then went back for an accounting degree. There has to be better options for you. Find a school that has a certificate of accounting, it's just enough to get you qualified for the CPA, should take ~year and half to finish bc they usually do the bare minimum of accounting courses needed

[nicole2035]

Why would you have to go to school for 5 more years? i know for my university, if you graduate and you have go back for another degree that's bachelor, you don't have to retake basic classes that are required for everyone (general education). At least that's what it was like for my coworker who was finance, graduated but then went back for an accounting degree. There has to be better options for you. Find a school that has a certificate of accounting, it's just enough to get you qualified for the CPA, should take ~year and half to finish bc they usually do the bare minimum of accounting courses needed

[waterzooi]

Nicole2035 – if I were to do a second bachelors, 90 credits from my first degree would go through, so I would only need the required courses for the accounting degree. After planning it out semester by semester part time, the 69 credits of courses came out to around 5 years because a lot of them have to be taken in sequential order. If I were to take the basics for the CPA and pass it and have a film/marketing bachelors with no accounting work experience would that do me any good? You can call me crazy but let me know if it is totally unrealistic to try to get into a big 4 with those circumstances. Or any accounting job. I'm new to this so i just don't know. I could try to intern and work prior to applying to one of those firms.

[waterzooi]

Nicole2035 – if I were to do a second bachelors, 90 credits from my first degree would go through, so I would only need the required courses for the accounting degree. After planning it out semester by semester part time, the 69 credits of courses came out to around 5 years because a lot of them have to be taken in sequential order. If I were to take the basics for the CPA and pass it and have a film/marketing bachelors with no accounting work experience would that do me any good? You can call me crazy but let me know if it is totally unrealistic to try to get into a big 4 with those circumstances. Or any accounting job. I'm new to this so i just don't know. I could try to intern and work prior to applying to one of those firms.

[fuzyfro89]

You keep mentioning your film major and worrying about it holding you back. It won't. Not doing well in your accounting classes, not networking, not getting increasingly relevant experience (or at least demonstrating your interest in pursuing a career in accounting), will hurt your chances.

No one cares about your past, so stop worrying about that. I would start talking to accounting professors, people you may know in the accounting school now, and anyone and everyone who even knows an accountant, to learn more about the field and whether it may be something you'd be interested in.

For some reason you want to get into the Big 4 (not a bad thing, they are the top brass of the accounting world), but you have to walk before you run. I would focus more on getting good grades in your business pre-requisite classes and starting your accounting major coursework than worrying about what may (or may not) happen in 5 years. Remember, take things 1-2 steps at a time, not 10.

[fuzyfro89]

You keep mentioning your film major and worrying about it holding you back. It won't. Not doing well in your accounting classes, not networking, not getting increasingly relevant experience (or at least demonstrating your interest in pursuing a career in accounting), will hurt your chances.

No one cares about your past, so stop worrying about that. I would start talking to accounting professors, people you may know in the accounting school now, and anyone and everyone who even knows an accountant, to learn more about the field and whether it may be something you'd be interested in.

For some reason you want to get into the Big 4 (not a bad thing, they are the top brass of the accounting world), but you have to walk before you run. I would focus more on getting good grades in your business pre-requisite classes and starting your accounting major coursework than worrying about what may (or may not) happen in 5 years. Remember, take things 1-2 steps at a time, not 10.

[Mayo]

“Not doing well in your accounting classes, not networking, not getting increasingly relevant experience (or at least demonstrating your interest in pursuing a career in accounting), will hurt your chances”

Fuzy be dropping some truth bombs up in this thread.

@OP, listen to fuzy.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Mayo]

“Not doing well in your accounting classes, not networking, not getting increasingly relevant experience (or at least demonstrating your interest in pursuing a career in accounting), will hurt your chances”

Fuzy be dropping some truth bombs up in this thread.

@OP, listen to fuzy.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[waterzooi]

@fuzy thanks for the insight, you are right. Sometimes I tend to look pretty far ahead, but usually it is just so I don't expect too much and then be upset when I don't get what I thought was there. I just like to know the reality of the situation. I just hadn't read anything on a CPA interning in a big four firm, as opposed to an undergrad accounting bachelors. I just want to go about the situation and the best way possible so I have the best opportunities when I complete it. Everyone kinda says different things so it's hard for me to judge what to do. Especially when I'm trying to register for classes and the just CPA required classes are different/less than the accounting major. That's why I brought up maybe talking to see what a recruiter recommends, but idk that might be too much.

[waterzooi]

@fuzy thanks for the insight, you are right. Sometimes I tend to look pretty far ahead, but usually it is just so I don't expect too much and then be upset when I don't get what I thought was there. I just like to know the reality of the situation. I just hadn't read anything on a CPA interning in a big four firm, as opposed to an undergrad accounting bachelors. I just want to go about the situation and the best way possible so I have the best opportunities when I complete it. Everyone kinda says different things so it's hard for me to judge what to do. Especially when I'm trying to register for classes and the just CPA required classes are different/less than the accounting major. That's why I brought up maybe talking to see what a recruiter recommends, but idk that might be too much.

[Anonymous]

Remember that if you do end up working for Big 4, it is generally frowned upon to be posting on another71.com all day.

[Anonymous]

Remember that if you do end up working for Big 4, it is generally frowned upon to be posting on another71.com all day.

[jeff]

Yes – please don't get A71 blocked at work 🙂

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[jeff]

Yes – please don't get A71 blocked at work 🙂

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Author]

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