Trying to switch majors, but idk what to do. Every bit of research I do for any major in college on any forum results in “That major is trash” or “no good jobs in that major”. I feel like most people are expecting to work for some top end firms or something and become millionaires. By no means do I want to be wealthy.
That being said, if I’m attending an average university(FIU), and I major in finance and minor in accounting, what jobs would I possibly be able to get?
Have no plans to do any grad school either. Engineering majors cannot possibly be the only majors that yield decent jobs. So please, save your “anything besides engineering is a waste” or “any degree that isn’t from a top tier school isn’t worth it” comments that I see spammed all over the internet to yourself. Not everyone can get your 4.0 GPA and attend an IL school and finish in the top 1% of the class.(Also what people say you need to do to get a job after college)
Assuming you’re a good student, you will have tons of opportunity with a finance/accounting background. In fact, they are considered among the most steady for constant employment.
Accounting: 1. Public accounting at Big4 or other national firms (see your career services department). All of those firms have offices in south FL and recruit on campus (or at least have events you can attend) From there you would either leave for industry, leave for a smaller firm or work your way up to partner (or leave for MBA). Corporate accounting - working in industry in their accounting or finance department.
Finance- All kinds of banking jobs, corporate finance tracks, asset management, etc.
These are all very good paying jobs to start with huge upsides.
Your career services department should be able to work with you to help you ID your interests and target companies that are a match.
One of the non-Wall Street banking track: “summer credit intern” , “credit analyst”, and “formal credit training” programs with major money center and regional banks in Miami. You can do research on Glass Door.
Formal Bank Credit Training is paid on-the job training and successfully completing a program that will let you working in banking for decades. College graduates are hired into the programs and are groomed to move into officer-level jobs with the bank. They usually do a combination of structured finance training and job shadowing/analyst work with current bankers.
Other career opportunities exist in bank regulation and other governmental regulatory and analytical work. Think OCC, SBA, FinCen, IRA, etc.
I want to add – you can have a very comfortable life with an accounting or finance degree and be respected in the community. I would be delighted if my children majored in either.
@tropicalYJ, and just so you know, although you say you don’t want to be wealthy (never understand that comment - more about that in a second), professional bankers make and partners in a CPA firm make hundreds of thousands of dollars per yr. I know lots of them. Play golf with lots of them and they have a very nice life indeed!
Now back to the not wanting to be wealthy. My question is “Why not”. I think what you mean is you’re not setting out desiring wealth at the exception of all other things, won’t be ruthless, unethical, etc. That’s great. But…l if you are helping others and creating value, earn as much as the market will allow. If that’s in the millions, so be it. Why would less be better? You can always live a humble life and do charitable work if you have the resources (all money is is a resource). Do well by doing good, but do really well. It will pay for your kid’s college, your home, your retirement, your life.
You may want to make an appointment and talk to someone in career services at your college. They should be able to give you a sense of what firms recruit at FIU and the opportunities you may have with the major/minor combination you are considering.
Making money is nice, don’t get me wrong. What I mean is that from what I’ve read online, people make it seem that if you’re not starting in Wall Street, your time in college was wasted. I’m almost certain many finance or accounting majors graduated with a 3.2 GPA, landed a decent job and are happy now. I guess what I’m getting at is, I want to get my degree and then work for a private company or something after college, not a massive firm. From what people have replied, I guess I can accomplish what I’m looking to do
You definitely can. Happens all day long. Absolutely meet with Career Services to learn about internship and job opportunities. They should plug you in to on campus recruiting, information sessions, etc. I’m sure there are many quality firms that recruit in South Florida. Miami is a major banking center (gateway to Latin America). Lots of other opportunities too.