<p>After a 20 year career, I find that I am burned out--I need a change that will give me more opportunity and a decent paycheck! Interestingly, I am motivated now, more than ever to make a change, because I have a son in an out of state public school and a daughter three years behind him. Not only do a need a better paycheck to keep up with the tuition bills, but this time frame feels like my window of opportunity. </p>
<p>My original degree was in science, but I have been teaching remedial math part time at a community college for 20 years. </p>
<p>I'd like to pursue a career in accounting. Do I need a 2nd B.S. degree? Or a certification of some sort? UW Seattle is the nearest university, but is it possible to get an accounting degree online anywhere? </p>
<p>You certainly can obtain an online degree…see if any schools that you prefer offer them online. I’m not really sure about how legit most of those online degrees are though (I think it’s just me being insecure). I also don’t know how honorable online degrees are vs. the regular in-person degrees.</p>
<p>If you want to be an accountant, I believe that you could try to get into a Master’s program and study certain courses that would pertain to the CPA exam, which requires a certain number of school credits or something like that. The number of credits pertains to the individual state. For NY, we’re required to have 150 credits. It might be different for you.</p>
<p>However, if I’m completely off and wrong, then your science degree will mean nothing and you’ll have to get a second Bachelor’s followed by a Master’s if you wish to become a CPA. As I’ve read in different threads, accounting is much more than just numbers, so even though the fact that you have a science degree and teach math, it won’t help you as much as you think (though it is overall good to have a strong math background).</p>
<p>I’m just starting to get into this field after switching from intended majors (about 4 different ideas before accounting) within the same semester. I’ve decided to stick to accounting and I’ll learn more as I take the classes. Hopefully taxguy (that’s his username if you haven’t lurked around on this forum much) or some of the other members will help you.</p>
<p>I will be sitting for the CPA exam shortly after school ends, so I am in the thick of planning for this right now and should be able to answer most of your questions.</p>
<p>The first thing you need to do is to go to: [NASBA[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Then click on the state that you would want to work in. I pulled up Washington since you mentioned being close to UW:</p>
<p>ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATION
All first-time applicants must;
At least 150 semester hour credits of college education, and
A baccalaureate or graduate degree from an accredited US college or university, and
A concentration in accounting which means:
24 semester hour credits (36 quarter) in accounting subjects, of which at least 15 semester hours
are at the upper division or graduate level which may include one of each the following courses;
Introductory/Elementary Accounting
Intermediate Accounting
Advanced Accounting
Cost/Managerial Accounting
Audit
U.S. Federal Taxation/ Accounting law (this does not include business law);
Accounting Information Systems (however courses targeted to a specific acct software is
not acceptable) and
24 semester hour credits (36 quarter) in business subjects at the undergraduate or graduate level
in business and general education courses including:
Macro- and Micro-economics,
Budgeting,
Investments,
Business law,
Statistic(no more than 6 undergraduate semester hours),
Money & Banking,
Finance course,
Management and administration,
Accounting courses in excess of the required 24 semester hours</p>
<p>To be quite frank, Washington has pretty high expectations regarding classwork for you to sit. It isn’t the accounting classes that will be tough to complete (since you need to take them to be able to learn the profession), but the extra 24 credits of business classes on top of the accounting class requirements can really bog you down since you are a science graduate.</p>
<p>My next question is this: What type of salary are you expecting to make out of the switch to accounting? I am going to assume you will start out at the Associate level which means about $50,000 annually. Two years after that are you become a Senior Associate and move up to about $65k, three more years and you hit about $100k at manager. This is how it works in the Big 4, at least.</p>
<p>That should get you started…the test also costs about $1000-1200 to sit for and review materials will probably cost between another $1500-3000 depending on which type you choose and through which company (becker, bisk, etc).</p>
<p>The drawback of doing online is that Big 4 firms and other accounting firms recruit HEAVILY from Masters in Accounting programs on campus. So, you will lost a distinct advantage by doing online because you will not be able to attend all of the recruitment dinners/meet and greets/etc that the firms have set up with colleges MaCC programs.</p>
<p>These are all things to consider…I am just trying to give you some information to toss around at this point.</p>
<p>I am in the same boat. I have an MSc in Chemistry and find the opportunities for science suck beyond belief (being a garbage collector would be an improvement). I am 30 also looking to get into accounting as well. There is a public university (Northeastern IL) near me that has an MSc in accounting that is accredited and everything though it is not a big name school. Do you think I have a chance at being hired from a lower tier Univ? </p>
<p>I know you need experience to be licensed as a CPA. Will I just end up in those crappy $12 an hour clerk positions?</p>
<p>ijamjl–I would only consider online classes from a “real” school</p>
<p>goose–Thanks for the link. I was aware of the 24 accounting class credits, but didn’t know about the 2nd set of requirements. Those definitely aren’t a deal breaker though–most of those classes look pretty interesting. </p>
<p>sschoe2–I feel your pain! I think most people would be surprised to know that in the sciences (outside of engineering) it is very difficult to earn a living wage without a PhD degree. </p>
<p>More concerns/questions: </p>
<p>Would I have to take the CPA test in Washington state? </p>
<p>And the big one: how much is age discrimination going to be a factor in my getting a decent first job? Assuming I can get this done in 2 years, I’ll be in my <em>ahem</em> mid 40’s when I finish. </p>
<p>And, a related question: What accounting specialities are most in demand at the entry level? </p>
<p>Thanks for your help! This feels weird…I’ve spent so much time the past couple of years helping my son plan his future, it’s strange that my own is in limbo!</p>
<p>The CPA designation is licensed by each individual state, where each has its own set of regulations. Some states require that you be a resident of that state to sit for the exam, others do not. I cannot give an answer that will cover everything–go look at the NASBA site for any state you would like to be licensed in and then plan accordingly from there.</p>
<p>Technically, age discrimination is illegal based on the ADEA (The Age Discrimination in Employment Act) of 1967. It prohibits age discrimination against employees or job applicants who are at least 40 years old. The EEOC (Equal Employee Opportunity Commission) is a federal agency that governs these potential issues.</p>
<p>The most demand–I would have to say Tax. The LARGE majority of students coming out of undergraduate accounting/MACC programs want to go into Audit. If you got a Masters in Tax and then pursued a Tax job, I think you would be in higher demand solely due to the lower supply on Tax applicants.</p>
<p>I share a similar question: Why accounting specifically? You are basically being required to complete an entire new degree and enter into a brand new market place that is unfamiliar to you. Other than job security, why accounting when you could leverage your science background with fields such as engineering (as the previous poster stated)?</p>
<p>Have you thought about getting an advanced degree in science so that you could go do research?</p>
<p>:) I have thought about getting an advanced degree in science many times over the years. Here is the reality: </p>
<p>With only a master’s degree, chances are that I would make less than I am making now and MANY technician level (ms degrees) science jobs are temporary on top of that. </p>
<p>In my circle of friends, many have PhD’s in life or environmental sciences. After they got their PhD, they had to do a postdoc (another 2 years with no money). So, that would be 2 years for a Master’s (IF there are no setbacks in my research project). Three years (conservatively) for a PhD and then most (not all) research positions are university based and I’d need a postdoc to be competitive there. After 7 years, if I got an associate professor position, I <em>might</em> make $65K to start.</p>
<p>At that point, in all likelihood, I’d continually be at the mercy of grant funding from NSF–read: significant government cutbacks. </p>
<p>Too much time and too much uncertainty for my taste. </p>
<p>And, there would be no chance for me to take advantage of online courses or community college (local) courses if I went that track (science). All my classes/labs would have to be on site, and there would be a significant number of evenings and late nights required in a lab. I am an hour and a half away from a university and I have a family and a part time job I need to keep for as long as possible. I think I can minimize the time I would be making that round trip drive by doing a combination of online and classroom courses in accounting. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, I am only speaking about a life science track here. I am not interested in, or qualified to even consider a career in a chemistry or physical science field. </p>
<p>Here is what I like:
Numbers
Solving problems
Finding and Analyzing information and data
Explaining stuff to people</p>
<p>Not sure why this didn’t hit me sooner because it seems blantantly obvious: Why not go get your MBA?</p>
<p>You probably wouldn’t need to take many classes as prereqs, you can keep your current job and do an executive-MBA program that is either only at night or on weekends, and you can jump into the business world feet first through the schools networking connections.</p>
<p>It would be no different if I went back for engineering. I’d have to start completely over. Engineering is completely different than science. It is also very difficult, even more than science, with very advanced level math.</p>
<p>I also heard MBA’s are a dime a dozen. However, I’ve seen a lot of accounting jobs that are advertised at $12 per hour and that has me concerned I’ll end up in the same position I am in now.</p>
<p>However a Macc is only 2 years.</p>
<p>Definitely don’t bother with a grad degree in science. I have a chem MSc.With a MSc you will be no better off and a Ph. D. you will likely be a post doc or unemployed.</p>
<p>Sorry if all of these other suggestions are pushing you away from Accounting, but I suggest that you obtain a teaching license in your state to teach science (whichever your field was) in the secondary level. It certainly is in demand. You’ve had experience teaching math, and you said you enjoy explaining things, so maybe teaching science wouldn’t be too bad. I believe a Master’s in Education is 1-2 years.</p>
<p>Is a master’s in education even necessary? Can’t a person just sit for the Praxis exam to be eligible to teach? I am not that knowledgeable in this realm, but I had some former classmates do Teach for American directly out of undergraduate and they just needed to pass the Praxis exam to be ceritified to teach.</p>
<p>Regarding the MBA v. CPA discussion–you will receive multiple responses, but this would be my general understanding:
Elite Top 15 school MBA is dynamic and can open doors that almost nothing else can. Benefits of quality of educational programs, networking, disposable resources, and companies that specifically recruit these schools is incomparable.
CPA > (regular, middle-to-low tier) MBA. The CPA certification is one of the most valuable in the world. Outside of the CFA, it is probably the most highly regarded certification in business (if anyone feels differently, then please correct me, but this is my current opinion). Both the CFA and CPA are valuable in their own respective fields, but just as an elite MBA, they are huge signaling effects concerning the person’s mental ability and overall understanding of a subject. CPA definitely tops an average MBA program, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I would typically say that an MBA at a lower ranked school would be a “dime a dozen” but I don’t think that would apply to you as much. Mainly, everything you will be learning is brand new and exciting versus someone that is coming into an MBA program with an undergraduate degree in business and is relearning some of the same material (no real benefit there). </p>
<p>I think the big thing with an MBA for you would be to leverage your undergraduate degree to intergrate your experience teaching, with your undergrad, with the skills you aquire in a MBA program.</p>
<p>If you do decide to do an MBA, then I would focus in either finance or supply chain management/logistics (this could build off your math teaching, maybe?) </p>
<p>Did you mention what area of science you majored in? </p>
<p>Heres a quick thought: What about environmental consulting? It would bring in pieces of a science background while utlizing an MBA.</p>
<p>Wow this post was a lot of random thoughts put down as they came to me, but hopefully they give you more possibilities to consider!</p>
<p>ijamjl…huh? These suggestions aren’t at all pushing me away from accounting. Did I give that impression somehow? </p>
<p>And, I can not even tell how how much I am NOT interested in teaching high school science. That would be a step backward for me, personally, professionally and financially. Have you even looked at a payscale for that career? I’d make the same starting out working full time that I am making working part time now and with step increases that don’t keep up with inflation OR the cost of the required continuing ed. courses. Currently, my students want to be in my classes. They are choosing to continue their education. I have no parents to deal with, no behavior issues, no standardized tests, and very little office politics. </p>
<p>Having said that, I am burned out. I need a new challenge and more diverse opportunities. (One of my current professional development obstacles is there is only one potential employer (a community college) in driving distance from my home. Recently hired Tenure track instructors are losing their jobs and there is no indication that they are going to get them back in the near future)</p>
<p>Hoping for more advice regarding accounting programs/pathways…</p>
<p>Regarding environmental consulting: It is an interesting and up and coming field, but it would take a LOT more time for me to be qualified for that field–I’d need to repeat a lot of my science classes, take a lot more chemistry than I am interested in. And still, I’d be very limited in my job prospects and job locations. </p>
<pre><code> “Elite Top 15 school MBA is dynamic and can open doors that almost nothing else can.”
</code></pre>
<p>That I TOTTALY get. Hmmm…I don’t know about getting into those MBA programs, but I am assuming you have to have some sort of background in business, correct? </p>
<p>And, I assume those top 15 schools are full time on-site programs. My reality is that I am not in a position to move, at all. I live in a very small town. I have two kids, one still at home, with big goals and dreams and frankly, right now, their education comes before mine. And, I have a husband, working in a dream job in a VERY specialized science field who can’t move. </p>
<pre><code> “CPA > (regular, middle-to-low tier) MBA. The CPA certification is one of the most valuable in the world.”
</code></pre>
<p>This, I assumed too. For me, I think this CPA plan might be a more direct pathway to a more stable, better paying career. </p>
<p>Thanks all for your thought provoking comments, questions and advice. PLEASE give me more of it…</p>
<p>well…that was part of my original question…</p>
<p>Do I really need an accounting degree? (which is not required for the CPA)</p>
<p>Or will a certificate do? </p>
<p>And, are there any online programs that might be more prestigious (i.e. I’m pretty sure that UC Berkeley offers an online accounting certificate) and/or better prepare me to be competitive for a good job, and save me from driving the 3 hour round trip to UW every day.</p>
<p>I meant to give you an alternative, but seeing that you don’t want to teach, disregard my post :)</p>
<p>All I can say is go for the degree. For the MBA, I believe you don’t need a background in business. Many people who graduate from undergrad with engineering degrees decide to get their MBA afterward so that they can be in a management position. It will be helpful, though, to take a couple of business classes if you decide to do your accounting degree first before an MBA.</p>
<p>@schooner: I dont know where you live, but around here (Bay Area,CA), there is a degree at a state university called the MSA (Master of Science in Accountancy).According to the website it “is a thirteen month program designed for non-accounting majors. The curriculum builds on a Liberal Arts, English, Mathematics, History, Foreign Language, Sociology, Natural Science, or Social Science foundation.”</p>
<p>The only issue, which I hope some more knowledgeable people can answer, is if this degree isn’t seen as a joke and how likely it is for one to get a job with this type of degree.</p>