<p>Hello All, </p>
<p>I've got a fairly specific question and I'm in a unique position. I received my Bachelors of Science from Seton Hall University in Business Finance. I graduated with honors and with a fairly high overall GPA and even higher concentration GPA. I'm about to finish up Law school at Rutgers with a decent GPA. The job outlook for Finance and Law is terrible. I took Tax courses and was interested in Accounting. </p>
<p>So my question is, since I already have so many business courses logged, is it worth going to community college and taking all the necessary accounting classes and getting an accounting degree? Will a Big 4 hire from a community college? Is the community college degree worth anything or will they look at the entire body of work? I'd like to get into accounting because (a) it's recession proof and a have a friend at KPMG who's telling me they are still hiring and will continue to do so and (b) I'm interested in either accounting, auditing, or tax services.</p>
<p>Any help would be great guys and gals.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm not sure if you can get all the necessary accounting classes at a 2 year college. Big 4 probably won't hire you if you don't qualify to take the CPA exam. In most states you need 150 credit hours which you probably have but you also need 8 core accounting classes in order to take it. From what I know, most community colleges don't offer all 8 so you'll have to go to a 4 year institution to get that. I could be wrong tho...but as long as you qualify to sit for the CPA exam you probably can get hired at big 4. Only drawback is that your starting salary as an accountant will probably be the same as any associate starting with the firm ie 50-60k which is much less than what you would get starting at a law firm. But if you're ok with that give it a shot.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hello All,</p>
<p>I've got a fairly specific question and I'm in a unique position. I received my Bachelors of Science from Seton Hall University in Business Finance. I graduated with honors and with a fairly high overall GPA and even higher concentration GPA. I'm about to finish up Law school at Rutgers with a decent GPA. The job outlook for Finance and Law is terrible. I took Tax courses and was interested in Accounting.</p>
<p>So my question is, since I already have so many business courses logged, is it worth going to community college and taking all the necessary accounting classes and getting an accounting degree? Will a Big 4 hire from a community college? Is the community college degree worth anything or will they look at the entire body of work? I'd like to get into accounting because (a) it's recession proof and a have a friend at KPMG who's telling me they are still hiring and will continue to do so and (b) I'm interested in either accounting, auditing, or tax services.</p>
<p>Any help would be great guys and gals.</p>
<p>Thanks!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>There are jobs within Big4 firms that require only a certain level of aptitude. Since you have shown your "smarts" by completing a law degree, I highly suggest that you contact an HR recruiter to see what type of jobs are available within your area and expertise.</p>
<p>In the past, I have met someone who worked in SPA at PWC(econ undergrad with law degree). SPA is essentially 'technical audits' IE testing controls within oracle and peoplesoft to ensure that accounting figures are coming out correctly. Its a decent paying position with very little turnover. Just a suggestion.</p>
<p>Corporate recruiting for firms outside of 'banking' are not facing as drastic of a decline in recruiting as investment banks. There's finance positions available at oil and technology firms. Something else to look at also.</p>
<p>Big4 is definitely a good place to consider with the Madoff ponzi scheme and the decline in investment banks as more stringent regulatory accounting will be in effect in the coming years.</p>
<p>To answer your question: Big 4 will not recruit from a community college. You will need atleast 24 semester or 36 quarter units in accounting to qualify to sit for the CPA exam in most states. I would just focus on completing those requirements before applying for an internship or full-time position.</p>