Accounting Vs. Everything else. Interesting/Stimulating areas of accounting?

College Majors Business Major
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<p>I'm a Freshman attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently undeclared in the College of Business, but strongly considering Accounting. If I did major in Accounting I think I'd probably stay 1 extra year and get MAS so that I can sit for CPA. Then hopefully I'll work 2 years for Big 4 and then GTFO into Corporate/Private. I've been open to any other business degree too though like Marketing, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems. </p>

<p>Here's my schools business school stats:
<a href="http://business.illinois.edu/bcs/recruiters/statistics/"&gt;http://business.illinois.edu/bcs/recruiters/statistics/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Really good business program overall I'd say. #2 Accounting in the nation. One of the top undergrad business college. I read somewhere that Big 4 recruits here more than ANY other school. The Employment Stats are really solid for all majors it seems. 93% are hired straight out of college and all the majors' entry level jobs on average make 50-60K.</p>

<p>Kind on the fence on whether I should major in Accounting or something else like Finance, Business Adm., etc. I've heard Accounting can be reaaaally boring and by 30 ill have a midlife crisis. I was just wondering if there are any types of accounting that won't lead to this? I'd prefer a job that's stimulating and not insane hours. I've heard Tax and Forensic accounting are somewhat interesting? Is this true? Any other areas of accounting? I'm taking my first Accounting class, and it already seems boring doing journal entries and balance sheets. Should I pursue another more interesting major since overall the business school is pretty solid? I don't want to end up hating my life I major in accounting lol. I want a stimulating career where I make at least 70-80k like 5-8 years after graduation and preferably where I don't have to work like 65+ hours every week like I hear you do in Public Accounting during busy months. Also, I'd prefer not to travel far and to work somewhere near Chicago.</p>

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<p>bump</p>

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<p>I’m an accounting graduate, and I hope you heed my advice. I just graduated with excellent grades, summer work experience in retail, and various volunteer activities; and the job search outside of Big 4 (at least where I graduated) is highly dismal. Let me be clear that I am not in a highly ranked business school, but in a feeder school for all public accounting firms. </p>

<p>You’ll either need a foot in the door somewhere, connections, or an employee willing to give you a hand up (those are very few). With me, public accounting in general just doesn’t work because it’s either audit or tax, and then if you stick around long enough you’ll get into some consulting or merger work. I personally couldn’t stand audit at all as well as the long work hours (Keep in mind the hourly rate for the salary you are getting). Tax can really challenge your thinking, but the hours are even worse in busy season and then there’s the issue of specializing in that discipline and staying in it. Trust me, I have heard people stay in tax for a career - you’d have to do a complete career switch to get out of it. </p>

<p>Now, you can use public accounting as a stepping stone if you can endure a few years in it. It can provide networking opportunities to obtain higher positions in the companies you’ve audited, like senior accountant or controller. This might mean you’ll end up working in excess of 40 hours a week once again. You’ll have to ask yourself if the higher salary is more valuable to you than your free time. </p>

<p>You could try to make that kind of salary in various levels of government: feds, state, county, and local. Those positions will be close to 40 hours, but you can stumble on a plethora of private positions that work exactly that. </p>

<p>To me, accounting has been a major disappointment. I thought it was a golden ticket, but with the job search it really isn’t if you’re trying to circumvent the public route. We had an IRS agent speak about job opportunities, but those jobs have been almost non-existent in the last 2 years that I’ve checked. The experience requirement by employees barricades you from even the most basic accounting position, and you start to discover that this is the reality. </p>

<p>Luckily for me, I’ve discovered my passion in life, but for the time being, I will need to get another job to save up for my ideal career. You should sit down and take a deep look inside yourself before setting out on a career so that you really can see a balance of job security, income, interest, and passion (I discovered that balance too late). </p>

<p>Take your time. Look at the labor trends in the market. Accounting in itself is producing loads of grads as an AICPA study pointed out. It’s becoming more saturated by the year. Also, do a job hunt right now, and look at what accountants do, talk to them in person, or try to take an internship separate from accounting. Just get a feel for how you want to have your life play out for the next 30-40 years. You steer the ship here. </p>

<p>Good luck to you!</p>

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<p>Wow, deep stuff Adventure1523 lol. Any chance you have any friends who graduated in Finance? If so, how are they doing when it comes to finding a decent job?</p>

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<p>BusinessUIUC, as you well know, UIUC is one of the top accounting programs in the country. At least last time I looked, more Big 4 partners are UIUC grads than any other school. If you earn an accounting degree from UIUC you have instant credibility with many big time recuiters. While many schools are feeders for the Big 4, those students who attend schools highly ranked in the PAR rankings etc. have a leg up on regular feeder schools. </p>

<p>My DS is graduating next month from a top 20 PAR program and will be attending a top 5 PAR masters program in the fall. One of the Big 4 is bringing him directly into the advisory/consulting side of the business, since this is what he was interested in. Being a top student at a very good program can give you options other recruits might not have. While some people consider advisory/consulting to be “more sexy” than audit or tax, be aware that entry level positions are entry level positions in any division at any firm or company - you will have to do grunt work! </p>

<p>The key to success in the recuiting game is to 1) get good grades; 2) prepare properly for any interviews; 3) have a personality!! 4) remember that any social events with firms/companies are “informal” interviews, act appropriately, even if you already have an offer; 5) work hard and don’t complain - you have to earn your stripes! The Big 4 experience is not for everybody - many people leave as soon as they have a year or two under their belt. But for those who stay, at least to manager level, the career options can multiply.</p>

<p>As for finance, guess what, most finance majors I know wind up at entry level positions at banks or other companies spreading statements, managing cash positions, writing credit memos or reviewing loan applications - grunt work. I guess pick your poison.</p>

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<p>To each his own. some love accounting, others would rather get paid 8 dollars an hour at Mcdonalds.</p>