<p>I've worked as a restaurant manager in my family business for a while now after graduating with a BA in psychology many years ago. </p>
<p>Tired of the long hours and wanting to sell my portion of the business, I have recently looked at alternative careers (if I were to leave). </p>
<p>Accounting has really caught my attention due to its status as a very high in-demand job and also because it seems do-able for me on an academic level. </p>
<p>My question is whether or not you experienced folks think that a second degree in accounting at the age of 33 (no health problems) would be plausible and whether or not any types of age-discrimination may be common in the field at all? I certainly look my age, but also find that I have a set of qualities that have come with age/experience that can also be of value in the professional working world. I'm also quite hard working as well. </p>
<p>One, final question is how many years would accounting major requirements usually take to complete if starting as a second degree student? If I were to go into the field, I would be starting school at the age of 34 (33 this year) and just wondering how quickly I might be able to finish if attending full-time?</p>
<p>And to just follow-up briefly, I’m curious what you meant by the term “MIS” in your above post? Still new to accounting and its affiliated vocabulary. </p>
<p>I think for me that the biggest worry is the time to completion of degree. I’m checking with my local university this week, but I do wonder if a person with a full BA/BS already would have to do a full 4 more years for a second degree in accounting (or if it’d be closer to 2 or 3 years)? If it were something like 4 years, then that is where I’d have to reassess very cautiously, because of the time commitment and the fact I’d be 38/39 at graduation!</p>
<p>Appreciate everyone’s input so far. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I just got enough hours to sit for the CPA exam. That was enough accounting hours for a degree, but I didn’t bother with the finance and marketing classes a degree would have required. I wasn’t aiming for Big Four, though. </p>
<p>Regional firms near me hire nontraditional students all the time, so don’t worry about being unemployable.</p>
<p>It took me four semesters (two summers, two falls) to get the hours, and I sat for the exam in January/February. I was working full time, but in a CPA firm’s tax department, so had an advantage. So the timing isn’t too bad.</p>
<p>No. I’ve known a few guys older than you who started accounting as a second career after pursuing their “dreams” and realizing it wasn’t like on TV (artist/rockstar/hipster in a cardboard box/etc.) Most did well.</p>
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