<p>hey guys i'm looking for some advice, I wasn't sure where to post this but here it goes. Last month I graduated with a BS in accounting from a really small liberal arts school in New Hampshire (about 2,000 students) and i'm looking for some guidance. When I enrolled at the school I didn't necessarily know what I wanted to do, but I liked my accounting courses in high school so I ultimately decided to give accounting a shot. I spoke to my adviser, and she preached to me how accounting was an incredibly safe and lucrative profession that was growing despite a slumping economy, this obviously got my interest. I ended up doing well in it, so I stuck with it and ultimately graduated with a 3.2 GPA. It's nothing special, but I figured it was good enough to find a moderate entry level clerical job. I was never interested in working for one of the big 4 firms anyways, and am really only interested in working in private accounting or for a small local CPA firm. </p>
<p>Now here's my dilemma, my school was in the middle of nowhere (a town of 5,000 people) and I had incredible difficulty finding an internship and part-time employment related to accounting. The only internship I was able to muster was doing arduous clerical and financial work for a Hospital, something not all that related to accounting. We also didn't have an accounting club or anything of that nature, but I did participate in a small business advisory group in which I did accounting work for various businesses, preparing pro-forma financial statements, sales projections and things of that nature. I actually really enjoyed doing this, and could see myself doing this for a career. Anyways, I spent the majority of my senior year looking for jobs related to accounting, and came up empty. This was especially surprising since I asked practically every single accounting firm in the area right before tax season, and all I received was a couple of calls from temp agencies. My schools career center also tried to help me, but only managed to get me and interview with 2 different firms that had already hired interns a couple days earlier. </p>
<p>Now here I am, a month graduated and extremely active on the job hunt. I've applied to hundreds of entry level accounting/administrative/data entry and clerical jobs, literally anything I find, and I've registered with a few different temp agencies and I've yet to get even an interview. I'd be completely content working in an office doing data entry or arduous clerical duties for minimum wage, but even that is starting to seem like a pipe dream. Does anyone have any advice? I've considered going back to school, but going to an acclaimed grad school requires experience and good GMAT scores, neither of which I have. I've also considered going back to school and getting my BSBA from a better school, but that seems sort of redundant and like i'm moving backwards. Getting my CPA license is also a possibility, but that will takes years of studying and preparation, and I really don't have the experience, money or credentials required to sit down for it. Any advice is appreciated considerably, i'm at a crossroads.</p>
<p>Bump ? I’ve been looking at Bentley, UBaltimore and a couple other schools.</p>
<p>It sucks, you’ think a BA in accounting would mean something. Your experience is more relevant than alot of students’. Your gpa is probably hurting you and those students with the 3.5+ are getting the arduous clerical jobs. </p>
<p>But dont give up, something will come up, get your resume critiqued, attend networking events…etc</p>
<p>Not all grad degrees require experience. Im sure you could qualify for a decent MAcc program with a 3.2 gpa and a decent gmat. But there is no guarantee you’ll end up better after that, unless you really think it is just your small town letting you down.</p>
<p>last bump, any other advice? Is it possible to get an accelerated BS degree from a bigger school? I was thinking about going to Umass or Uconn and getting my BSBA and MSA from one of the schools, maybe they’ll have better placement services and more recruitment.</p>
<p>If I were you I would try to get some work experience and pass the CPA exam in the meantime. Be careful with student loans. Keep debt low. Small local firms actually value tax work at HR Block, Liberty Tax, and Jackson Hewitt. Get involved with VITA in your area. At least get a job since gaps on your resume are really bad. </p>
<p>Join Toastmasters in your area since that is a great way to network. Take a review course to pass the CPA.</p>
<p>Well, I still need my 5th year to be eligible to sit down to take the exam. I am studying, i’ve actually been reviewing my accounting I text book. Experience seems to be the most important thing, i’ve been applying like crazy to places for entry level positions… i’m not sure if getting a job at a fast food place would be the most cognizant thing to do, but it would be better than doing nothing.</p>
<p>Have you ever had a real job before?</p>
<p>The issue employers would have is that if you have never had a job before and have a 3.2 gpa. They will assume you are lazy unless you graduated from a top school that required a ton of work to get a 3.2. A 3.2 gpa at UT Austin with no work experience would get you some serious consideration. A 3.2 at a liberal arts college would get you laughed at without any prior work experience at my firm.</p>
<p>You are competing with people that have real work experience, leadership and good grades. I have a 3.751 overall gpa 4.0 in Accounting and 2 internships under my belt. I also was the VP of Beta Alpha Psi. I know some people with similar specs that still didn’t get a good offer since they lacked something else. Learn to interview since they don’t teach you that at school. </p>
<p>Don’t review for the CPA exam with an accounting I book. Get becker, roger or gleim.</p>
<p>Now go get a job, pass the cpa and build your resume. Work shows responsibility. Many college kids think that work gets done at your leisure. In the real world you can get called in at 7am and asked to stay until 8pm. Especially in public accounting. It sounds like your resume if done properly would be like 1/4th of a page. That will get it thrown out at most firms!</p>
<p>Yes my post is written poorly but I am on my lunch and I need to do some more work on fixed assets!</p>
<p>I have work experience, but nothing related to accounting. I worked 4 years as a line cook in a restaurant (a job I could resume) but I really just want to get something, anything that’s even somewhat related to accounting. Your post makes me feel cruddy, but its the truth.</p>
<p>he/she never said they had no job history. he/she actually does have some accounting related experience, which is more than alot of students have. Just doesnt have alot of it. </p>
<p>THIS is why those job statistics/“accounting is safe” remarks bug me. SO many students have trouble finding jobs. A 3.2 is not a bad GPA, there should be something out there. </p>
<p>zenman1000 - it seems like alot of jobs, that arent public accounting, prefer to hire their accountants with experience, if at all possible. That is one reason your probably struggline. Its hard for new grads to compete with people with years of experience. </p>
<p>I would’nt limit myself to only accounting/clerical type work, look for mgmt, finance and other jobs as well. Who knows? You could find something with better pay and more opportunities than if you just limited yourself to looking for an “accounting” job.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys, it’s greatly appreciated. Widening my horizons is good advice, I actually had a staffing agent tell me the same thing.</p>
<p>Firms are just interested in hiring the top 20% at AACSB institutions. You need a 3.5 gpa + accounting experience + leadership experience and you will get a job you want. I know a barista at starbucks with an MBA in general management from a decent AACSB state school. It is tough out there. I know a stanford graduate that waits tables.</p>
<p>You could look at Suffolk University in Boston. It is AACSB accredited in both business and accounting and a lot of major firms (Deloitte and State Street Corp, to name a few) hire there since the school is located in the financial district. It has a very underrated program since it tends to get overshadowed by BC, BU, MIT.</p>
<p>I’d love to go to Suffolk, being that its in the heart of Boston and all. However it seems like its way too expensive, I already have $60,000 in student loans so the cost of living in Boston is a little over my head. I’m really focused on just getting an entry level job right now, even if its a temp position. Some of my classmates from college are getting work through Robert Haff Accountemps so i’m hoping that avenue will lead to some sort of fruition.</p>