<p>In terms of the deciding factors of applying for your first position~</p>
<p>And in the long term, how much does it matter when applying for your second job?</p>
<p>In my experience, school prestige matters is not as important as the connection the school has with firms. Find out which firms are hiring at the school, and which departments they are hiring from. Some concentrations within the school may be more sought after than other programs in the school. Alumni base can play a role in the hiring process for sure, so it’s not to say that prestige means nothing, just that it shouldn’t be the only factor you take into consideration.</p>
<p>The name of the university matters much less once you are trying to advance past initial employment. Companies and hiring managers will be much more interested in your achievements from employment, and what you bring to the table with those achievements. Again, alumni base may help you get a connection into one of these jobs, but more often than not simple networking will land you more lucrative positions, and not the prestige of the school you went to.</p>
<p>What industry are you looking at entering? The answer to your question depends on what industry you’re trying to break into</p>
<p>This has been discussed ad nauseum on this site. Maybe see what’s out there already rather than start another thread?</p>
<p>I would also like to know the employment trends of people with Finance / Accounting undergrad degrees. How common is it for a person to land a job with a starting salary of over 40,000 in these fields? I tried looking for statistics but came up short.</p>