<p>I'm currently a freshman at Miami University (Ohio) and I plan on getting enough credit hours straight through to meet the 150 credit hour requirement for the CPA. A BS in accounting only takes 128 credit hours, so I essentially have about a years worth of credits to earn after meeting the BS requirements. </p>
<p>With that time, I either plan on getting a Macc or a double major in finance. </p>
<p>How much of an advantage does the macc give a person going into accounting over someone with a BS? Do employers look at graduates with a macc in a better light than those with a BS? I'm curious as to the extent to which a macc is seen as better than a BS. If there's a huge advantage to getting a macc, I'll most likely do so, but if the gain in getting it isn't substantial, I'll most likely opt for a double major in finance to broaden my scope a bit. </p>
<p>Can anyone tell me from experience if one choice is better than the other in a big way?</p>
<p>Double major in finance since you will already be CPA eligible with the BS. This will at least give you a foundation if you decide to work in Big 4 valuation. </p>
<p>"How much of an advantage does the macc give a person going into accounting over someone with a BS? Do employers look at graduates with a macc in a better light than those with a BS? "</p>
<p>Not much. You’ll still work on the same inventory observation with or without a MAAc, except the MAAc student will cost the firm more money to hire - pointless since you’d already be CPA eligible with the BS so there’s really no need to pay you more for doing the same work that an undergrad would do and billing at the same rate.</p>
<p>I had a pretty crappy day at work so I’d advise you to find another career path rather than working at a Big 4 unless you want to work for a bunch of vampires.</p>
<p>Ehhh…so what do you suggest? Going straight to the private may potentially limit the future career growth. Wouldn’t it be better to work for at least 2 years in public, and then go somewhere else?</p>
<p>I just had a rough day at work yesterday. I’m fine today. </p>
<p>The structure of public accounting is all about accountability. If you make people look good, people will protect you. If you suck and you pull your senior and manager down with you, you will get thrown under the bus.</p>
<p>If you go to any large firm, just make sure you know how to play the political game. What people say in front of you may not be the same thing they say behind your back. ALWAYS know where you stand in terms of your performance even if it may hurt to hear that you are not performing up to the standard. More likely than not, you will probably be ignorant of this once you first start but keep your ear to the ground and try to get a sense of what people think of your work. If you suck, do CPE, get some training, ask for help to get better. It’s a sink or swim type of environment. You need to perform.</p>
<p>Find someone above you that cares about your career. They’ll tell you the hard truth (since they have bigger ears in the office) and as a result, you’ll perform better at the firm.</p>
<p>Find a good personal mentor/coach. Their job is to PROTECT AND ADVANCE YOUR CAREER during the evaluation process. Try to ask around to see who is good at that. It takes a person with strong character and integrity to be a good mentor (i.e., they genuinely care about your career and won’t back down). </p>
<p>Just go to the Big 4, make senior, get your CPA, and keep in touch with recruiters for better opportunities.</p>
<p>Do the double major. A MAcc isn’t going to improve your employment prospects in public accounting, and a second major will open up your options (yes, there is a chance that in four years you will have changed your career goals somewhat) and give you something to talk about in interviews, since accounting firms aren’t going to be asking you anything substantive anyway.</p>