If you could go back in time, would you have still been an Accountant?

<p>Hi Everyone,</p>

<p>I'm at a crossroads in my life and trying to make the difficult decision of co-starting a business or going to grad school for a masters of accountancy.</p>

<p>I've read a lot of posts and what not on the forums about the field, it seems like something I would like given that I am very organized and detail oriented. My biggest question that I would like to answer those of you who have accounting degrees is, if you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, would you still have been an accountant?</p>

<p>It's an incredibly hard decision for me, I dont want to look back and regret not starting a business that end up being very lucrative. But I also am pulled toward the safety and benefits of the accounting degree and the fact that it would give me so many options. I could be an accountant, teach HS business and accounting electives (my undergrad is in education), or even decide to get my PhD and teach at the college level.</p>

<p>Side note, I'm not thrilled with the idea of public accounting. I would much prefer corporate or government work. I enjoy money, but it's not worth sacrificing 60 hour work weeks for. So take that into consideration.</p>

<p>Appreciate any responses.</p>

<p>I went into UIUC back in the olden days. A lot of my friends in college were accounting majors. Most did go into public accounting, though. My ex-husband is a managing partner at PwC. Others have their own smaller firms or work with regional companies. All of them are happy with their decisions. Accounting is one of those professions that has a number of different career paths. You’re not locked in to one way of doing things. It alwyas seemed like a fascinating field to me. </p>

<p>" it seems like something I would like given that I am very organized and detail oriented. My biggest question that I would like to answer those of you who have accounting degrees is, if you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, would you still have been an accountant?"</p>

<p>I too am organized and detail-oriented. As a scholastic discipline, I enjoyed accounting. However, I loved math and wish I would have just gone to school for math.</p>

<p>My accounting jobs included public and private. I enjoyed the jobs where I was able to be more involved with the business and the product and could work on projects which really worked best with smaller companies or divisions of companies. I really like working on product cost. On the flip side, accounting did lead me to a QA job in IT which I enjoy (because I get to make sure a product works as it should). But that is me.</p>

<p>I do know plenty of people who enjoy their accounting jobs, both big public and small local public as well as private, One friend in particular didn’t get his BS in accounting until he was 32 and started at a small local firm and last I knew became a Sr. Tax Manager at a Big 4.</p>

<p>“I dont want to look back and regret not starting a business that end up being very lucrative”</p>

<p>That is key. It is the things I didn’t do that I think about, not the things I actually did. When all is said and done, you have to listen to your inner voice. </p>