<p>Jan2013 “So, if the starting salary in Engineering is more than accounting AND the high-end position like CEO salary is being held by persons who have engineering degree not accounting THEN who is making more?..y’all figure it out it is Engineering better than Accounting or not and dont forget do the math.”</p>
<p>You have formed an opinion based upon insufficient knowledge of the facts.</p>
<p>ChrisTKD: the starting salary (and its average) in Engineering is higher than Accounting. You dont know that?..and about the salaries of those two CEOs, what do you think they make in a year? and about their education, etc? just google it and prove me wrong, will yeah…</p>
<p>and you said this: “You have formed an opinion based upon insufficient knowledge of the facts.”</p>
<p>My comments: so what’s your formed opinion, lemme hear yeah…ONE LINER comment (like yours) does not explain the whole thing, right?..</p>
<p>Jan2013, claiming that engineers will out earn accountants based on a couple CEOs is simply cherry picking the data. CEOs of large corporations make a pile of money, no doubt. Some of them are college dropouts, so should we use that data point as well?</p>
<p>Accounting, as a profession, requires a unique skill set and knowledge. Much like engineering, there is very little touchy-feely. Lots of people can count money, not all of them can keep you out of jail. That is where the real value comes from. As a result, companies pay well.</p>
<p>Ironvivs, I think that turbo93 gave you the best advice. Don’t choose engineering simply for the money. For that matter, don’t choose accounting for the money either. There is some wisdom in picking something you can earn a living at, but don’t let money be the primary driver. </p>
<p>For some perspective on where I am coming from, I have a BSME, PE, MBA, 20+ years working.</p>
<p>My only advice is to base your decision on personal reflection and an honest assessment of the academic requirements and professional practice of each of these fields. Before relying on outside advice, be sure to evaluate the credibility of the source.
I read a story about Warren Buffett and his business degree. How much money does he make?
Interesting. I never would have thought to check with my pharmacist in that situation.
How did you possibly come up with Tony Hayward when deciding on a couple of successful execs to cherry-pick?</p>
<p>So, we all are in the WRONG MAJOR, right kebau? we all have to change into Accounting or Business Major?..</p>
<p>So, SobeGreenTea also said the wrong thing like this: I once had to make this choice, I chose engineering due to the fact that’s it’s about the same amount of education but PetE in particular entry salary is about 70k+ while accounting was around 40k from what I remember researching. It was a no brainer for me.</p>
<p>Oh big deal you get your MBA too…AND if you still dont believe that Engineeering Majors can be CEO and make BIG BUCKS then kindly read this: Jack Welch CEO of GE as follows: Welch attended Salem High School and then University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduating in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. He is a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.</p>
<p>Do you need more examples and three samples are not enough?..or perhaps you dont know that lots of engineering majors can be CEO and earn big bucks better than accounting major?..'nough sezs…</p>
<p>Tony Hayawrd of BP (that is British Petroleum to you) , Ginni Rometty of IBM and Jack Welch of GE…three examples are not enough for you, “noimagination”?..</p>
<p>
Tony Hayward is no longer CEO of BP. I would suggest that you research the circumstances surrounding his departure. Considering the number of engineers who have become successful chief executives, I was surprised by your choice.</p>
<p>No, I don’t think that the existence of three past and present CEOs with engineering degrees qualifies as a good reason to pursue engineering. In fact, anyone who could be convinced to pursue engineering based on that fact will probably find their motivation insufficient to complete an engineering degree.</p>
<p>NOIMAGINATION: Talk is cheap…now, give me anyone who has accounting degree and hold CEO of big corp, can you do that?..also, Tony Hayward is still alive who got his engineering degree and that is the most important thing !! I dont care about his departure whatsoever. His degree in Engineering is important. AND dont forget Jack Welch the pure engineering guy who has made it.</p>
<p>Now, how about those crook ACCOUNTANTS from Arthur Anderson and Co, now-defunct company?..those are angels and your hero?..</p>
<p>LASTLY, dont forget to give me examples at least 10 of CEO big Corp. who have accounting degree…can you do that or is that talk is cheap?..</p>
<p>Jan2013, you really like to try and start arguments on here. Your point is there are more CEOs who did an engineering degree than accounting, and this is right from some things I have seen, though there is bound to be some error. However, the number of CEOs out there compared to normal engineers and normal accountants is a negligible fraction of the population. The facts are, normal accountants have a higher salary limit than engineers by quite a bit.
So MOST experienced engineers will probably never have a salary higher than MOST experienced accountants unless they try dropping the engineering job and going into management or something. But even then, accountants can get into management roles and make more too, so you have to keep things in perspective. And again, there are always outliers.</p>
<p>This argument is silly. People here do engineering for the love of it, not the money, so just stop arguing about money regardless about how right our statistics are. It shouldn’t matter unless all one cares about to be happy is money, which in itself would be sad. Both careers are good ones, so the OP just needs to find what they will enjoy the most and stick with it.</p>
<p>aerokid: but still engineering degree can make better money than accounting. It has been done and can be done…And hopefully, I can be one of those CEO in the next ten years.</p>
<p>Jan2013, I give up. </p>
<p>I think I will go back to school and study geography so I can win a few NBA championships.</p>
<p>yeah…who is stopping you?..now Michael is retired and Kobe is getting old and all you need is to beat King James then the throphy is yours. Do you like Kobe or King James?..</p>
<p>As pointed out in other threads, the question of which profession commands higher salaries is an empirical one which can be addressed with data. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics; odds are the information to make a fair comparison can be found there.</p>
<p>The other question - whether one should choose the profession and specialization based on genuine interest rather than expectation of superior financial gain - is a question for which the only possible answer is that each person should act according to his/her personal convictions. For lots of people, the subject is more important than the pay, and if they choose a field they love, then they will succeed and be happy. For others, the opportunity to earn a living is more important than the subject, and if they choose a field where they can make a living, then they will succeed and be happy. There is no wrong or right here.</p>
<p>aegrisomnia: are you talking to me?..just wondering though.</p>
<p>Wow, dude. I’m a little concerned that you actually think this kind of trivia is relevant to the topic. I’ll give you one last reply, just for fun.</p>
<p>Five accountants from the F100:
Randall Stephenson (AT&T)
Patricia Woertz (ADM)
Robert Niblock (Lowe’s)
Stephen Roell (Johnson Controls)
George Paz (Express Scripts)</p>
<p>Just if anyone is curious (this should not play a role in your choice of major!) 22% of Fortune 500 CEOs in 2008 had engineering degrees and 9% had accounting degrees.
Source: <a href=“http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2008_RTTT_Final_summary.pdf[/url]”>http://content.spencerstuart.com/sswebsite/pdf/lib/2008_RTTT_Final_summary.pdf</a></p>
<p>@Jan2013 I try to use @<username> when talking to somebody specific. My above post is addressed to anybody who had been reading the preceding discussion and needed a vacation back to the world of sanity.</username></p>
<p>engineering</p>
<p>engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering engineering </p>
<p>accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting accounting </p>
<p>who cares??</p>
<p>do what ever you want and be hard-worker and you will get what you want,that is my conclusion.</p>
<p>Look at it this way -when you finish your degree(s) you will be 22 or 24 years old. You will then work 50-60 hours a week for the next at least 40 years** at your profession. So **pick the work that you enjoy the most! **
If you have questions about which you would like better do some more research including reading more about the professions, personality/aptitude tests, interviewing people in the profession, job shadowing etc.
If you are still ambivalent when you start college, go to a college that offers all potential majors you are interested in so you have options. Continue your research…perhaps consider majoring in one field and minoring in another. Or take enough courses in the secondary field to help you decide. Talk to professors and grad students etc.
**Nowadays many professional people switch careers at some point.</p>
<p>I want to be CEO in the future just like Jack Welch (GE CEO…and that is General Electric to you - GE) is my hero. He is the manly-man Engineering guy. That is my goal; case close and Engineering rules.</p>