<p>@copies
You are absoultly right that lower level private accountants work is as you described. It is a grunt work. However, if you look at the public accounting point of view, it is nothing but varied experience. I am not talking about the first two years of audit experiences that everyone needed for cpa certificate, I am talking about when you are at the Manager level, after 6 to 7 years of service, the job then turn into sales. You have to sale your service to clients and that require not only technical skills but also human interface at the highest level. In addition, you have to learn company politics and corporate culture real quick to swim with the corporate sharks surrounding you. If you can succeed, it is the most rewarding job rival to any professional service industry.</p>
<p>I just graduated with a major in economics from UCLA and it isn’t really leading me directly to any jobs.</p>
<p>I think I’m gona go back to school and get a masters in accounting at Golden Gate University’s 1 year program and then try to get recruited to the Big 4.</p>
<p>I’m pairing my economics degree with a math major and business and computer sciences minors. I don’t think it is wise to get a single major economics degree in today’s climate unless it’s from an ivy-league school. Although I love the economics major and will defend it’s usefulness and potential, it is not a major that does well standing on its own unless you already have a detailed plan mapped out showing exactly what you will do with it. </p>
<p>I also work for a large retailer that is experiencing rapid growth and that I know for sure is looking for graduates with my type of academic background. I don’t think this can be stated enough: Quit looking for the right major and start looking for the right employer/industry. Find a company that is well-respected by consumers and employers and one that doesn’t have a reputation for layoffs. Also find one that is experiencing growth because growth equals opportunity for people like you and me. Once I changed my thinking in that way I significantly increased my success in finding what I was looking for. </p>
<p>This is</p>
<p>Many young students over the last decade have confused mixing economics with business as a degree. A economics degree is twofold…it is primarily part and parcel of a Liberal education or if has more math is basically a Statistician Technician. It is such a common mistake that departments around the US have been adjusting their programs based upon student needs NOT market forces.</p>
<p>All the undergrad Econ majors I know from UCB, Stanford, and UCLA did not find work in their field with their choice of major so ended up going back to school for a more practical career path.</p>
<p>@acaden -The FBI hires CPAs into the special agent position. Being a special agent for the FBI doesn’t sound like a monotonous, boring, pencil pushing job. Maybe being an accountant sucks, but having an accounting background and leveraging that into something interesting and/or high paying doesn’t suck.</p>
<p>What do you like more? I am a Econ major because I loved the subject. Alot of people do accounting only for the job security reason. If you are confident about your people/leadership skills you really don’t need to do accounting.</p>
<p>^^^Hahaha the FBI is basically just a huge collection of monotonous, boring, pencil pushers. Plus no accounting job no matter what level is exciting mate. It may be fairly stable predictable work but is in no way shape or form interesting. My stepdad and two of my sisters are CPA’s so I saw for years what they actually do. If one is choosing a career merely on stability and being predictable then accounting may be for them. I find accounting to be easy and not very challenging so would be bored and miserable just like many accountants are!</p>
<p>@smith415… funny u said the thing about the FBI. thats my “wild card” career hope. im majoring in accounting and getting my cpa, working for a little, then im going to apply for the FBI. first time ive heard it mentioned on these boards from some one other than me, thought it was interesting</p>
<p>@domrom1 - is the FBI a huge collection of monotonous, boring pencil pushers like kmazza says?</p>
<p>Yes, unfortunately it is. The benefits are amazing and the salary can grow to become decent but the government is so full of bureaucratic nonsense that most people don’t want to go work for them. Trust me, I interned under a guy who retired from the government and went into consulting.</p>
<p>Honestly I can’t give a fair assessment because I only know one person who works for the FBI and never really had any conversation about his work with him at any sort of length, however i can only assume its slightly more exciting than your average career. obviously its not like the movies where there are daily shootouts and hot pursuits, but there is investigations and such which seems slightly exciting. probably better than helping mr and mrs johnson prep their taxes. plus as plscatamacchia said, the benefits are great, and the GS salary schedule ain’t too shabby either. The agent I know is still young and is retiring in a few years, plus the company car, vacation days, etc.</p>
<p>hmmm well what about a double major in economics and accounting? that’ll solve all conflicts. Won’t it??</p>