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Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
29 Mar 2012, 12:59
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So I have a general business degree and I was looking to get into accounting. I graduated in 2010 and it appears the only positions I get call backs for is customer service and sales. I want to get into accounting but I am trying to find out if the a career in accounting is right for me as I have no work experience in the field.
I was just hoping that people currently in an accounting career could answer a few questions for me. How did you get into accounting? Rather, how did you know to pursue accounting as a career path? What do you like best about this type of work and what do you like the least? What do you do on a daily basis at your job?
If I decide Accounting is right for me I am seriously considering going to grad school to pursue an MS in accounting.
I was just hoping that people currently in an accounting career could answer a few questions for me. How did you get into accounting? Rather, how did you know to pursue accounting as a career path? What do you like best about this type of work and what do you like the least? What do you do on a daily basis at your job?
If I decide Accounting is right for me I am seriously considering going to grad school to pursue an MS in accounting.
29 Mar 2012, 15:35
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I currently work as a Sr Financial Analyst and have had jobs before this one that were very accounting centric.
From my experience, accounting roles tend to be good for people who are extremely detail oriented. In most accounting jobs, you will spend most of your time forecasting, booking journal entries, analyzing balance sheet accounts and helping business partners understand business performance and holding them accountable to meet budget goals.
For accounting jobs in most fortune 500 companies, you will need to be an expert at building powerpoint presentations and excel models. Most importantly, you will need to be able to quantify the impact of management decisions and be deal with major corporate hierarchies. You will be expected to work long hours when necessary. You will be privy to confidential conversations often and be expected to know the numbers like the back of your hand. You will need to be accountable for forecasts and more importantly be able to build bridges that tell the story of your units business performance. At the lowest level, being an expert at the intricacies of the accounts you deal with will make you a rockstar. The biggest thing you need to be careful about is accuracy. If you are constantly revising data that you provide, you will gain a reputation of poor reliability and people in your organization will not trust data you provide.
Anyways thats my 2 cents about accounting. Alot of people get in as interns while in college. My major was Finance and I was fortunate to get recruited right out of school into a leadership development program at a big company.
From my experience, accounting roles tend to be good for people who are extremely detail oriented. In most accounting jobs, you will spend most of your time forecasting, booking journal entries, analyzing balance sheet accounts and helping business partners understand business performance and holding them accountable to meet budget goals.
For accounting jobs in most fortune 500 companies, you will need to be an expert at building powerpoint presentations and excel models. Most importantly, you will need to be able to quantify the impact of management decisions and be deal with major corporate hierarchies. You will be expected to work long hours when necessary. You will be privy to confidential conversations often and be expected to know the numbers like the back of your hand. You will need to be accountable for forecasts and more importantly be able to build bridges that tell the story of your units business performance. At the lowest level, being an expert at the intricacies of the accounts you deal with will make you a rockstar. The biggest thing you need to be careful about is accuracy. If you are constantly revising data that you provide, you will gain a reputation of poor reliability and people in your organization will not trust data you provide.
Anyways thats my 2 cents about accounting. Alot of people get in as interns while in college. My major was Finance and I was fortunate to get recruited right out of school into a leadership development program at a big company.
16 Jun 2012, 15:53
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PwC public accountant here:
To get into accounting you need to have an accounting degree and learn your debits and credits. A masters in accounting is typically the route that post-undergrad individuals will take. Big 4 firms will recruit out of certain MSC programs - find out which ones and get into those. If you want a career in accounting your best bet is to start at a Big 4 firm.
Try taking a course and seeing if you like accounting. The accounting career path is the least lucrative of the various professional paths most people take. (ie: MC, IB, VC, PE,etc.) Also the detail can get pretty boring sometimes. The one very solid thing I can say about accounting is job stability. Every company needs accountants. Work at a Big 4 firm till you make manager (6 years) and then jump ship to a large company in a controller type role - you will be making around $120K not including options, benefits, bonuses, etc. And you will have job stability and pretty decent hours. You're not making the big bucks but you're definitely setting yourself up to still being rich enough imo. And usually a decent work-life balance. Not too shabby.
To get into accounting you need to have an accounting degree and learn your debits and credits. A masters in accounting is typically the route that post-undergrad individuals will take. Big 4 firms will recruit out of certain MSC programs - find out which ones and get into those. If you want a career in accounting your best bet is to start at a Big 4 firm.
Try taking a course and seeing if you like accounting. The accounting career path is the least lucrative of the various professional paths most people take. (ie: MC, IB, VC, PE,etc.) Also the detail can get pretty boring sometimes. The one very solid thing I can say about accounting is job stability. Every company needs accountants. Work at a Big 4 firm till you make manager (6 years) and then jump ship to a large company in a controller type role - you will be making around $120K not including options, benefits, bonuses, etc. And you will have job stability and pretty decent hours. You're not making the big bucks but you're definitely setting yourself up to still being rich enough imo. And usually a decent work-life balance. Not too shabby.
