UC Davis Managerial Econ major vs SF State accounting major?

State Forums
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<p>I was a student at UC Davis. I didn't know what i wanted to do and had little confidence in myself for completing the program i was enrolled in (biochem engineering). I got kicked out at the end of the year, and was told to complete classes in desired major with a 3.1 to reenter the uni. </p>

<p>After a year of being lost, taking and dropping classes in attempt to switch back into UCD, i decided that it wasn't worth it. To return, i would need to reapply for my financial aid. If i get it back, i would have to take 5k loans each year, which would be at least 25k by the time i graduate (took 5k out too with freshmen year). If i attend sf state, i would live with my parents, so the cal grant alone would cover more than what is needed.</p>

<p>If i go back to ucd, i wouldn't be able to hack engineering. The closest (somewhat, i mean all majors suck for employment nowadays besides Computer science and engineering, right?) employable major that is suitable for my average aptitude would be managerial econ ( econ B.A would be too theoretical for employment). </p>

<p>So does the major matter more, or does the school? My other choice would be to go to sf state and major in accounting. I understand that without a CPA, i wouldn't get far with my degree, which would be limited to doing outsourced work. But at least with an accounting degree, my chances of employment are higher, right? I could work for start ups and do some bookkeeping or something. Also, I would most likely be working at starbucks even with an accounting degree. That is doable if i have no loans to pay back. The accounting degree would give me useful skills, even if not employable. </p>

<p>Looking at the courses of managerial econ, it is just basically a business degree that requires you to take the whole set of calculus. So would a business degree from a middle tier UC be better, or would an accounting degree from sf state be better?</p>

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<p>My Economics professor (who also teaches at Stanford in the Fall terms) mentioned to me very recently that UC Davis’ Undergraduate Economics program is better, in his opinion, than even Stanford’s.</p>

<p>Anyway, IMO, I think going to SFSU for an Accounting degree while also being able to graduate with (even almost) zero debt outweighs some advantages to UCD’s programs. You can do a lot more than you might think with the skills you learn in accounting, especially in the Bay Area. My only caveat is that I believe when a student considers majoring in accounting s/he should be comfortable with taking on the typical roles and responsibilities of the accounting and overall business industry. Basically, don’t major in accounting just to increase your chances of becoming employed anywhere. If you’ve take some accounting courses and you enjoy them enough to put up with them and excel in them (a high GPA in your accounting courses also bodes well with employment prospects), then that should be alright. If this is the case, then I’d suggest to go to SFSU, get as high a GPA as possible, maybe look into internships in your area, live cheap, and leave with as little of debt as possible.</p>

<p>FYI, while becoming a CPA will mean more doors will open for you in an accounting career there are still plenty of doors open for accounting undergrads who are yet to become CPAs. Plus, if I remember correctly, the new CA CPA exams require the applicants to have multiple years of industry work experience - so technically, at least *some[/] firms have to hire accounting personnel who are not yet CPAs.</p>