<p>I think your father mentions the Bookkeeper instead of Accountant.
Some accountants with rich experience can make decent money.</p>
<p>jbreezy3. as I noted in the featured thread, “Everything you wanted to know or should know about accounting,” there is very little sophisticated math in accounting per se. However, there is a LOT of problem solving skills that are necessary in many engagements. In addition, some knowledge of statistics also is useful in audit engagements.</p>
<p>taxguy, while you’re right that there’s almost a dearth of actual math in accounting, it’s still a little misleading for a layman to hear. Since you minored in math, you know that mathematics is all about doing proofs and finding double derivatives and topology and those sorts of things. What you might overlook as a math major, however, is that to a high schooler, math equals arithmetic and simple algebra. Admittedly, even then, accounting does not require an excess of arithmetic, and it truly isn’t a major part of financial accounting as a whole. But it bears mentioning that the type of thinking that would make one successful in mathematics, which in my opinion is twofold - one, being able to apply a very high volume of vague, highly underexplained, and rigorous concepts to problems which deviate markedly from those which the student has been exposed to in lecture and homework, and two, being one who will tread the same ground repeatedly to absorb all available knowledge like a sponge and avoid the mere chance of error like the plague. Underestimation of the importance of the latter is the peril of junior-year accountants and engineers who aren’t in the top 25% of their class – extremely low class averages on exams are another hallmark of both math and 300 level-plus accounting.</p>
<p>Whistleblower, im not sure is calculus is considered arithmetic and simple algebra. But never the less thanks for the response and advice. Im most worried now about How much not going to a top school will affect me.</p>
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<p>From what I’ve seen, right now you’d be looking at about a 1 in 10 chance of getting an offer from any firm whatsoever before graduation, all else equal and assuming you aren’t of extraordinary luck or ability, if you go to an non-top school and the economy doesn’t pick up. </p>
<p>Since I didn’t imply that calculus was akin to simple arithmetic, yet you think I did, I assume you aren’t of extraordinary intelligence, so my advice to you is to go to as good of a school as possible because of the superior networking opportunities, and higher grades for the same effort, cerberus paribus. Where you go to school definitely matters. Low-rent schools with serious professional programs aren’t pleasant places to be unless you like thick accents, and business programs especially are home to some haphazard and utterly unintelligent faculty members with no knowledge or ability, which is why you should aim for the top. They’re not all bad, but there’s a higher likelihood of them being bad, and sometimes you end up with ridiculous exams as a half-ass surrogate for academic rigor.</p>
<p>Whistleblower, i meant no disrespect its just you said math to highschoolers equals arithmetic and simple algebra and i was just pointing out that i do math quite more complex than that.
If i go to a decent university and have exemplary grades and then attend a top notch grad school my chances of aquiring my dream job would increase right?</p>
<p>Bump! This is an old thread, but it is still very helpful.</p>
<p>I’m taking intro to accounting this semester. It is extremely easy and extreeeeemly boring for my personality type. I’m a big-picture kind of guy and accounting seems to be all about the small details. Yea, not gonna happen. However, I do want to own my own business one day and since accounting is the “language of business” I am going to finish off the two intro courses. At least they will be easy A’s.</p>
<p>Accounting is THE big picture major. You are dealing with every aspect of the business in great detail, how is that not big picture?</p>
<p>I can’t tell you whether accounting is a good major for you,you must decide that.IntermediateAccounting courses are rigourous, to do well,you will probably have to sacrifice your social life.When you get out you will be working long hours(longer in tax season if this applies to you)again chances are you will have to sacrifice free time with loved ones.The work in accounting is tedious and stressful,many of the people you encounter are difficult to deal with and there tends to be alot of backstabbing in many of these firms.If the work seems terrible now in college it is because IT IS! it doesn’t get any better.If you want to see more comments regarding the accounting life, google(“Holy crap this really sucks,” the anonymous accountant )or (26 Things you should know before working for a national accounting firm by Dr. David Sativa)or even (Why accounting practitioners and educators would not major in accounting again by Robert J. Sack and W. Steve Albrecht).These articles and blogs tell the truth about accounting, also look at job forum indeed.com under accounting and read the comments.I wish I could be more optimistic, most of my friends who started in accounting have left often frustrated and discouraged.Some who have a family accounting practice to go into do well or those who can take the degree and combine it with a masters degree and “sell it to Wall Street” will wake away with a success story but most people RUN away from accounting,some of the partners i worked for got ulcers or strokes from the nonrelenting stresses, hours and deadlines!The best way to learn about owning a business and being an entrepreneur is by starting small businesses and learning from past mistakes , THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE.</p>
<p>^^Psycho…</p>
<p>Actually, Copies is right about many things. Yet, he said that he is a CPA, and has his own business. (I guess he is doing good, so as many accountants and CPAs) </p>
<p>Copies, did you ask yourself a question whether you would be able to succeed without being an accountant (CPA)? What would you choose instead?</p>
<p>Yeah. I don’t believe he is a CPA that has his own business.</p>
<p>You want to see what its really like to work in public accounting? Just watch this video. </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Tax Season is back](<a href=“Tax Season is back - YouTube”>Tax Season is back - YouTube)</p>
<p>^hahahahahaa…this video is hilarious</p>
<p>Sorry to tell you this ,but all jobs are tough. Employers are expecting much more than they did because this is a buyers ( employers) market and they can get away with it.</p>
<p>I don’t think accounting is tougher or worse than other jobs except in tax season. Other than that, it isn’t bad at all compared to other types of jobs , and it usually pays better than most jobs and usually offers better opportunities for the right person.</p>
<p>tax season goes something like this:</p>
<p>shortly after 4/15 - partner: “lets start busy season earlier again so our people don’t have to work as late - how does june sound?”</p>
<p>shortly after 10/15 - partner: “lets start busy season earlier again so our people don’t have to work as late - how does january sound?”</p>
<p>Friday afternoon shortly after 10/15 - manager: “hello associate. i have some 6/30 YE not-for-profit clients that i need your help on. i will need you to come in this weekend and prep the 990 and 990-T due 11/15. Keep in mind we received 150 K-1’s from the client with UBIT. Please have this completed by Monday morning. Thank you.”</p>
<p>too bad we still have to work 80 hours a week because there is always work to be done. hah.</p>
<p>Taxguy</p>
<p>I graduated in electrical engineering for about a year now. I can’t find a job in engineering. I have taken the first two accounting classes. They are intro to financial accounting and intro to managerial accounting. I got 4.0 in financial accounting and a 3.7 in intro to managerial accounting from University of Washington. My GPA in engineering degree is 2.97.</p>
<p>I am currently thinking about ditching the engineering career and go for a career in accounting. If I can do really well in accounting, I am assuming a 3.5 or better for all my accounting classes. When it is time to look for a job, will accounting firms overlook my engineering GPA. and focus on my accounting GPA. I read one of your threads and you said the accounting profession requires a high GPA.</p>
<p>Thanks,
sg1234</p>
<p>im going to be a senior in high school. i love math and i feel like accounting is the perfect major for me. i recently went to visit canisius college and fell in love plus they have a really goo accounting program. </p>
<p>i spoke to an accounting professor there and i was originally going for the 5 year BS/MS program which you come out with your masters and qualify to take the CPA exam. however when i spoke to him he advised that i go for dual major in accounting and accounting information systems and do they 4 year program. after a few years of expierence come back and get my masters and take the CPA exam. yet i dont know if public accounting is for me. i dont know what to do. </p>
<p>4 years or 5 years? if i get my masters and take the cpa exam can i work for a private company or the government?</p>
<p>If you like Math a lot, Accounting may not be the “perfect” option for you. Accounting is just arithmetic.</p>