<p>I tend to agree with plscatamacchia, while the Big 4 certainly focuses it’s recruiting on larger and more well known programs, as long as your school is accredited and you are in the process of obtaining a CPA, the field evens out. Also, check and see if there are events that you can attend where the Big 4 does recruit. I know for instance where I live there is a student auditing and accounting conference held each year that is independent of any school and draws all of the Big 4 along with numerous other firms.</p>
<p>^woah, did taxguy change his or her username?</p>
<p>Thetaxdad i have a question.</p>
<p>im contemplating majoring between accounting or corporate financial management at my university.</p>
<p>Do u have any insights as to which will have a stronger demand within 2-3yrs? and are the majors are some what similar or very different?</p>
<p>zub88 - I am personally biased towards accounting. I think that in today’s economy it opens a lot more doors up for you. With the abundance of new financial laws, accountants are needed more than ever. Also, if you look at upper financial management for larger corporations, many of the controllers and CFOs come from an accounting background. This being said, it is certainly not the only way to go. You can always get your finance degree and go back and do the MAcc if you decide that accounting is what you enjoy. However, I would take classes in both diciplines and see if one intrigues you more than the other.</p>
<p>Also - no I am not taxguy on this forum.</p>
<p>if i get an undergrad degree in corporate financial management, then get a MAcc. Can i later on become a CPA or does the undergrad degree have to be in accounting as well?</p>
<p>No - your undergrad degree does not have to be in accounting. Check with your state’s board of accountancy for the requirements in your state to sit for the CPA exam.</p>
<p>Nice, looks like we got another accounting expert on our forum! Just out of curiosity, thetaxdad, what areas of accounting have you worked in? That way, the next time I have a question about a specific industry, I can direct my question towards you?</p>
<p>Also, when does one typically start looking for accounting internships? For this year (my freshman summer), I just got a job at some random software company doing some random office work and revising their documents, which I know is nothing spectacular or related to accounting (aside from maybe enhancing my excel and word skills), but I figured I might as well take it just to get some corporate experience, and since something is better than nothing, but should I have already gotten an internship with an accounting firm, or can I do that later still?</p>
<p>Cream. I can tell you that all accounting firms I have talked to prefer junior or senior status. To be affective at a firm as an intern, you should have at least one semester of Intermediate Accounting under your belt. Which usually isn’t taken until your junior year.</p>
<p>cream - I agree with plscatamacchia. Most firms will not even look at you unless you are a junior or senior. Also, as stated in the previous post, most firms also want you to have at least intermediate I done. I worked my first internship during the second semester of my junior year and had finacial accounting, managerial accounting, cost, intermediate I and tax done. I went to school on nights and weekends during the internship (not fun) and finished auditing, intermediate II and Business Law while working. I think second semester junior year or summer after junior year are pretty typical times to work internships. However, make sure you start looking a while before that. I know that if you want to work at any of the Big 4 they start their recruiting about 4-6 months in advance (at least where I am from). </p>
<p>Here are a couple of ideas that I have heard to give you a leg up on getting an internship if you are thinking public accounting:</p>
<p>If you think that you might want to go into public accounting, and perhaps tax, one good idea that some of my friends did before they were eligible for an internship was to work at a place like H&R block. Though it was not a glamorous job, they prepared a lot of tax returns and benefitted from taking the inexpensive H&R block tax course. You can work at a place like this part time during your sophomore year. Another thing to consider doing is taking your tax course the first semester of your junior year if possible. I did this, and felt that I had a leg up on others who had not completed this course and were looking to work a busy season with a CPA firm. I don’t believe it is possible to take until your senior year, but getting your audit class done as soon as possible may be a good idea too if that is the route you want to go.</p>
<p>As to the first part of your question: I have worked in both public and industry. My first experience was in public accounting as an intern for a mid-sized CPA firm with around 100 employees. As stated previously, I opted to pursue a mid-sized firm instead of Big 4 for work/life balance (not that there is anything wrong with Big 4 - its great experience!). It was a long busy season as I was in school and had a brand new baby at home, but well worth the experience and I got a full time offer out of it. I have been working in industry as an internal auditor/staff accountant since then, however, I have accepted the job at the CPA firm and will start this fall. Certainly feel free to ask any questions you have, I know these forums helped me out.</p>
<p>how competitive is a 3.77 overall gpa? i’ve recieved a B in intermediate accounting, A in intermediate accounting 2, and A in cost accounting 1</p>
<p>WowLOL, if you have over a 3.5 overall GPA and the same in accounting, you will be quite competitive for any accounting position.</p>
<p>Also, It is nice to see other accountants posting on this forum. Welcome Thetaxdad.</p>
<p>Thanks for the welcome taxguy - I know these forums answered a lot of burning questions in my mind as a young student.</p>
<p>Thanks, taxguy and all. What you provided is very useful for me, a foreign young man who is going to study in the undergraduate colleges in the U.S next year. </p>
<p>But…Er…I still have some questions to ask. </p>
<p>You mean, if a college is accredited, it doesn’t matther how it’s ranked, and whether to go to Stern or Baruch College would make no difference?</p>
<p>As a Chinese, in high school, I’ve got some nation-level acadamic achievements, a period working experience in a network company, Alibaba, and a high SAT grades, so I think it’s likely to be accepted by some well-known business college, such as Stern.
But now that there’s no difference between Stern and other accredited college in the field of accounting, I wonder if I should choose the other majors, such as finance?</p>
<p>everything you wanted to know about accounting: it is not recession proof. even with a 3.5 gpa with big 4 internships, you may not be able to find a job. the truth hurts</p>
<p>Joey, while you are correct that being aascb accredited will even out most oppurtuinties, the benefit of attending a top school would be a wider range of recruiting events.</p>
<p>
Thanks.
And…Are the similar rules fit with that of finance?..</p>
<p>No, not at all. Finance is much more dependent on quality of the instituion/program.</p>
<p>
So, if one can enter a college with high quality of program, it’s better for him or her to choose finance as major?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>well that partly depends on what exactly you want to do in finance. A lot of people say that getting a job in corporate finance or commercial banking is relatively easy even if you don’t go to an elite school, but for things like investment banking or management consulting, you’ll definitely want to go to a top school (unless you’re fine with working at small boutiques)</p>
<p>Is it difficult to not work as an accountant with a CPA/accounting specialization (while obviously still working in business)?</p>