Accounting have an edge over engineering?

College Majors Business Major
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<p>Basically this is ENGINEERING VS. ACCOUNTING for:</p>

<p>1) What is a more lucrative major in the long run?</p>

<p>I'm currently a chemE and will probably end up working as a process control/design engineer for some oil giant like Exxon Mobil with a 52K+ starting salary. By this time (which will be in 2 years), my very good friend at a good B-school will also have graduated but he will have a master's in accounting and his starting salary will be 51K+. He is currently interning for Price Water Coopers and will probably end up working for them.</p>

<p>So basically we'll both be working for top companies in our respective fields. Naturally, we have a friendly rivalry and it made me curious about both fields. In the long run, what are pros and cons of working in both professions? From what I hear, working in accounting for 4 years in top firms makes you much more flexible and valuable for many other kinds of companies (including banks/companies). I also hear that many engineers go back to top B-schools and then become executives. </p>

<p>Please feel free to comment on your experiences regarding this topic.</p>

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<p>Top performing accountants are paid much more than top performing engineers. However, on average accountants are paid less than engineers (for a bachelor degree). Engineers tend to have more trouble with being employed than accountants.</p>

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<p>Also, engineers tend to make more money to start than accountant. However, after a while, a good accountant will out earn a good engineer.</p>