Any Accountants out there?

[twobullz]

I graduated back in 96 with a bs in Economics, but have never found a job to put my degree to use. I am thinking about going back and getting a second major in Accounting. As close as I can figure, I only need about 11 classes. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has this degree and how they enjoy there job. I work in the banking industry right now, but am afraid the bank is going to go to being open on saturdays. I use to manage retails stores, but now have a 1 and 5 year old at home and prefer spending my weekends with them. So anyone work in accounting out there? how do you enjoy it? any advice for someone thinking about going back and going into this field?

Thanks guys and gals.

[Fish Killer]

You are right, getting an accounting degree is real easy if you already have an economics degree. I received bachelor degrees in both accounting and ecomomics in 4 years.

To be a CPA, you need more than just the degree. You need 225 college credits to sit for the exam in Oregon. Which is the equivalent of 5 years of college. Then, you need to pass all four parts of the CPA exam, which isn't easy. If you take 11 more classes, you should have enough credits.

I recommend public accounting, my wife and I are both in it. It is very rewarding with lots of room for growth. The downside is working a lot of hours between February 1st and April 15th.

Let me know if I can answer anymore questions.

[OutdoorBum]

Originally Posted by Fish Killer

You are right, getting an accounting degree is real easy if you already have an economics degree. I received bachelor degrees in both accounting and ecomomics in 4 years.

To be a CPA, you need more than just the degree. You need 225 college credits to sit for the exam in Oregon. Which is the equivalent of 5 years of college. Then, you need to pass all four parts of the CPA exam, which isn't easy. If you take 11 more classes, you should have enough credits.

I recommend public accounting, my wife and I are both in it. It is very rewarding with lots of room for growth. The downside is working a lot of hours between February 1st and April 15th.

Let me know if I can answer anymore questions.

\

Don't forget the extension deadline

[Hagar]

My wife and I are also in public accounting.

With an accounting degree, there seem to always be jobs available and a shortage of good people. It gives you a lot of mobility into management, even if hard core accounting is not your thing. Typically a very good living wage profession.

Public accounting (aka, CPA firms) can be demanding of your time during specific times of the year. More firms are becoming family friendly, however and offer flexibility as to when you work overtime during our silly season. It is never dull after you reach a certain experience level. As long as a politician is still breathing, there will be continual tax law changes.

Private accounting frequently may not have the same hourly demands but the work can be more mundane.

If you have some experience with accounting or are a complete glutton for punishment, the UW offers a summer program in Seattle they affectionately call "the accounting semester from hell". 6 master degree level accounting classes taught sequentially, 18 hours of credit in 10 weeks. That is a final exam about every 9-10 days. A mid-term every 4-5 days. If you can find a local accounting job, many of the local colleges will give you credit for "work study". We found the program at WSU-Vancouver to be the easiest to work with.

I personally enjoy what I do. It can be stressful and it is challenging. I would think with your background, it would certainly not hurt you to couple your management and banking experience with an accounting degree, even if you do not chose the full CPA path.

[Silver Hilton]

Originally Posted by twobullz

I graduated back in 96 with a bs in Economics, but have never found a job to put my degree to use. I am thinking about going back and getting a second major in Accounting. As close as I can figure, I only need about 11 classes. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has this degree and how they enjoy there job. I work in the banking industry right now, but am afraid the bank is going to go to being open on saturdays. I use to manage retails stores, but now have a 1 and 5 year old at home and prefer spending my weekends with them. So anyone work in accounting out there? how do you enjoy it? any advice for someone thinking about going back and going into this field?

Thanks guys and gals.

I have an econ degree, and got an Accounting degree from PSU after that. It was a great choice. I actually used it to get into the consulting side of one of the (then) Big Eight, and have never looked back. Computers have been very, very, good to me.

[Mrs Bear]

Originally Posted by twobullz

I graduated back in 96 with a bs in Economics, but have never found a job to put my degree to use. I am thinking about going back and getting a second major in Accounting. As close as I can figure, I only need about 11 classes. I was just wondering if anyone else out there has this degree and how they enjoy there job. I work in the banking industry right now, but am afraid the bank is going to go to being open on saturdays. I use to manage retails stores, but now have a 1 and 5 year old at home and prefer spending my weekends with them. So anyone work in accounting out there? how do you enjoy it? any advice for someone thinking about going back and going into this field?

Thanks guys and gals.

I am not a CPA but graduated with a degree in accounting. The great benefit to being an accountant is the variety of businesses you can be in, the sizes of the businesses and you will rarely be out of a job. I have been a controller for small business for many years and it has evolved into more of just an "accounting" role. Many small businesses are asking their controllers to head human resources also. So if you like wearing a lot of hats and experiencing different businesses, try it.

One more thing, if you want that extra cash for special purchases or events, you can do contract work on the side which can be very lucritive.

Good luck to you

[StickFish]

A degree in accounting is a great stepping stone. Accounting, Finance, Consultant are just a few off the top of my head. I have a degree in accounting sat for the CPA exam a couple time before I decided I really didn't need it for my job. I used my skills in accounting for about 10 years auditing. I found auditing more interesting cause you didn't have to come up with the right number, you tested the validity of someone else's work and understanding of accounting principles, standards and law as the case may be. For the last 11 years I have been in various consultant/analyst/specialist type positions with the same agency.

[the bear]

my wife has an accounting degree and she has done VERY well with it,,,can pretty much pick and choose the kinda job she likes,,,really likes forensic accounting,,digging and finding where the money has gone in troubled companys,,,,always has good stories to tell she has been in the feild 28 years so lots of experience but thats where she has the daughter pointed in getting her degree,,,,accounting,,,business management,

[Camas Fishing]

I've been in public accounting since getting out of college. I got my bachelor's in accounting and master's in taxation. I've worked in a variety of firms, from small local shops to the big international firms. For the past 4 years now I've been managing our practice. If you're serious about getting into this profession, I can tell you one thing with certainty...there will be expectations that you'll work more than a 40 hour week at times during the year.

But, realistically, as I prepared to enter this profession, nobody on the other side of the desk ever gave it to me straight up in terms of the work environment. I came into this profession knowing I'd work a ton of hours for the first 2 or 3 years, and after that the rewards of that hard work was getting to head off to the golf course and country club every other afternoon. That's just not the way things work, at least not in any of the practices I've been involved with over the years. What's important is that, if you decide to pursue this profession, you find an environment that makes the workload tolerable for you.

There's the obvious grind of tax season from Jan 15 through April 15, assuming you'll be with a firm that does tax returns. If you end up doing audit & attest work, there will still be deadlines to be met depending on the fiscal year end and reporting requirements for the company you're representing. If you end up in a smaller firm that can't carry a large staff through the slower times of the year, then your work schedule will have peaks and valleys, depending on the nature of work the firm takes on. In a customer service based profession, regardless of the size of the firm, there's always going to be projects that your clients expect to be done sooner than you can practically accomplish in a normal work week. That's the main reason I got out of litigation support!

You may ask why I've stayed with this profession all these years with this kind of chaotic schedule. Well, there are times of the year where you don't have to work as hard, where the deadlines are more flexible and you can find the time to get away and do things away from work. As I've progressed through my career, the amount of time available for other activities, and the time of year when this free time is available, has changed and evolved. When I was a junior staff accountant, it was easy to look at my calendar and say "well, I hit my 60 hours for the week, I'm done." Now that I'm responsible for 9 employees, that attitude has had to change.

The real attraction to this profession, for me anyway, is that it is very rewarding to know that you're making a real difference in the success of your client's businesses. And, at least with public accounting, your work is as different as your clients...except for the volume of tax season, there is a wide variety of work throughout the year.

Just this CPA's humble opinion. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM.