[GoVPI]

I had that as an interview question.

My answer was job opportunity and then job security. Behind engineering, I think this is one of the degrees that does pay off only going to school for 4 years.

BEC 8/14/14 - Passed
Graduated from college 12/13/14
AUD 8/31/15 - 74. Retake - Passed
REG
FAR

[stag]

Got my first degree in engineering, then found out I hated that line of work. Wasted next 10 years of my life not doing engineering. Finally woke up and decided that couldn't go on any longer. Since I have 5 cousins who are accountants and they seem to do pretty good financially. I figured, why the heck not, it couldn't be any harder than going to engineering school and it offers decent pay and job security. All were true except CPA exams were harder than I thought they would be. All in all, on the right track, except for the huge pay cut I have to endure to switch career.

FAR - Aug 2013 Passed
REG - DEC 2013 Passed
BEC - FEB 2014 Passed
AUD - MAY 2014 Passed

BSEE = who needs accounting degree to pass CPA exams?

[nolifecpa]

i didn't choose accounting, accounting chose me! lol

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[taxgeek83]

@nolifecpa – That was my first thought when I read this thread title!! Haha! There's a bit of truth to it though – I was going for a science degree out of high school and, long story short, ended up taking a year off and then going back to a 2-year school just to get a degree of some sort. Business seemed like an easy enough option, and once I took my first accounting class, I was hooked.

Ironically enough, during my Associates degree capstone class I had to shadow a professional and write a paper on my experience. I chose a CPA, simply because I was curious about what the job entailed. Conclusion: I was NEVER going to be a CPA. Six years later…. 😉

[nolifecpa]

@taxgeek83

its kinda true for me too. I majored in finance and got an accounting job right outta college. went back to school to get the credits to sit for the exam, struggled with the exam for 7 yrs and finally became a cpa.

after going through all that torture how the hell can I do anything else but accounting? fml

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[Anonymous]

@mla1169: Did you end up returning to Northeastern for your accounting degree?? I'm a Husky 🙂

[mla1169]

I didn't…started at Salem State College (now Salem State University) and ended up getting both my bachelors and masters at SNHU

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Wow…my husband, who has a bachelors in CJ from Northeastern, will be starting a Masters in Forensic Accounting at SNHU online in September…small world 🙂

[mhueycpa]

High School Guidance Counselor: “So your very good in math, try taking an accounting course. You may like it”. And that was that. Was interested in Finance as well, but then took a Finance course in College and said Accounting it is. Plus, job security & stability (finding and keeping) and possibility for self employment (once licensed).

THE 300 CLUB WILL DO JUST FINE!

[Kelestrel]

I love this question. This is my story, of which I share an abridged version in interviews.

I went off to college after high school with no idea what I'd like to do, but knowing that my father wanted me to be a doctor and everyone else expected me to be a teacher. After completing a year as an education major, I went home discouraged, bored, and completely fed up with the school (Wheaton). I worked a few different jobs, took various community college classes, but still nothing stuck as a career option. Then, a year and a half after coming home, I got a job in an accounting office (pure nepotism, as my mother, best friend's mother, and childhood friend's father all worked there). To complement, I took an accounting class at the community college. After the first test, the instructor approached me and told me I scored very well and would I please like to be the tutor for the class? I grabbed hold of this newly discovered talent and haven't looked back since.

REG Aug 16, 2014
FAR Oct 04, 2014
AUD Feb 15
BEC May 15

[Anonymous]

Accounting work satisfies my little OCD thing and I don't have to deal with new people which I can do, but prefer not to. Probably wouldn't be the best thing to say to the interviewer though 🙂 I usually say that it fits my personality

Btw, whenever I would take one of those professional orientation tests, it would tell me I would be good as a crane operator or autopsist. Thank you very much but no

[Anonymous]

Telling the interviewer you chose accounting “because I wanted my bosses job” may be the honest answer, but it will not get you hired. Believe me!

[Anonymous]

So let me get this right. You are going to pay me to go to different places and nose through their financial records, ask them questions, and be skeptical of everything I see. In addition, I will get to do math all day… Suckers! I would have done it for free!

[Skynet]

Morpheus offered me to take either the Red Pill or the Blue Pill.

Taking the Red Pill will cause reality to disintegrates, and I will wake up in a dark and violent place having to run from Agent Smith and Killer Machines.

I took the Blue Pill instead and will continue on with my life of trying to get my CPA license and not having to deal with Agent Smith and Killer Machines. Can you imagine after all your hard work of getting your Accounting degree and other certification gone in an instant and having to start all over again by taking the Red Pill

Plus going into Accounting rather than being a Hacker will keep Agent Smith off my Back.

[nolifecpa]

@Skynet

I woulda took the red pill.

studying for cpa = no life (you're screwed either way!)

REG-65,71,74,73,70,74,79
BEC-60's,60's,69,71,76*,78
FAR-67,66,65,79
AUD-54,60's,65,83*,69,80
*expired

DONE

[Author]

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