Everything you wanted to know or should know about accounting - Page 54

AnyColour · 09-27-2009, 03:54 PM

-How long do you stay at a Big 4 (if you don't get partner)?
-How do you achieve partner at a Big 4? At mid/regional firms?
-After Big 4, what? Where do you go from there?

rosedust · 09-27-2009, 05:41 PM

I'm a bit confused about the school being accredited. I took an accounting course at a local CC and the school is "fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges." However, I do not see that it is accredited by AACSB. I am confused because in a previous post it was said that the school "only needs to be an accredited institution and preferably have its business program accredited by AACSB, although even that is optional," but on the front page it says it must have AACSB accreditation and regional accreditation. Will this course (ACCT A101 Financial Accounting) count then? It was a class at this school: Orange Coast College

Thanks for the help

taxguy · 09-27-2009, 07:46 PM

I am the orignial poster of this thread. NO WHERE in post number one did I say that a school MUST have AACSB accreditation. In fact, throughout the thread, I and others have noted that it is simply nice to have but is optional.

jonahrubin · 09-27-2009, 10:18 PM

Counted how? You need your school to be accredited by the big regional groups that accredit every decent school. If you aren't in somebody's garage taking classes on cosmetology, you are probably at an accredited institution(the Western Assoc of etc etc means you are good as far as that goes). AACSB accreditation might be nice but what I think you are thinking of is whether or not your classes count towards the CPA. In that case you need to check your state's CPA website. Chances are that basic, Accounting 101 type class you are taking first won't count towards the CPA regardless of where you take it though. In Texas and many other states you need to get 24 of 30 upper division accounting hours. That excludes Accounting 101. Now if that college offers upper level accounting classes like Intermediate Accounting, that's a different story. My guess is they wouldn't bother offering the class if the state accounting board doesn't accept it. But you should probably go ahead and check.

rosedust · 09-27-2009, 11:04 PM

@ taxguy - Sorry about that. I misunderstood your first post because of this sentence - "As long as a school is accredited (AACSB accreditation and regional accreditation)." I took the "and" to mean that the school had to have both AACSB and regional accreditation. That's why I got so confused when I read later that it was optional.

@ jonahrubin - Thanks!! Turns out the course will count after all.

precocious · 09-27-2009, 11:14 PM

Question... if I attended one of the big4's summer leadership programs, should I put that on my resume? Would it look favorable (that I attended one, i.e. was qualified to go to one since you have to be preselected and interview for it) or that I'm showing favoritism towards one firm and the other big4 will automatically think I will take an offer with them and not even look past my resume?

Thanks!

southpasdena · 09-28-2009, 12:30 PM

Summer/sophomore leadership programs are the hardest to get into. They take considerably less people than intern and full time, so yes, it is looked upon very favorably. It does not show favoritism, you just need to have an answer ready when they ask "why us."

precocious · 09-29-2009, 09:38 PM

^ I love you! I've been looking for this answer everywhere, not even my school advisers know what to tell me. Thanks

pokey07 · 09-30-2009, 01:23 PM

How is demand in this economy for CPA/Accountants? I was just reading over CPAnet, and it seems there are a lot of people without jobs. I know the recession obviously hit everyone hard, but am wondering how hard CPA's are getting hit.

AnyColour · 09-30-2009, 09:54 PM

Should I major in Accounting if some career(Strong Interest Inventory) and personality(MBTI) tests say it is not a good fit for me?

That's really the only thing that is making me hesitant about accounting, all the career/personality tests I've taken mention it is not a good fit for me.

I've taken both intro courses, Financial and Managerial and I did really well in them, and did not find them to be dreadful.

Honest and sincere advice appreciated.

Thetaxdad · 10-01-2009, 08:07 AM

Pokey07 - I posted a thread about a month ago that had a link to a study done by the AICPA on trends in the accounting profession that you may want to look at. Yes, the accounting industry is being hit with the recession, however, the profession as a whole has a very optimistic job outlook. Also, having a CPA vs not having one will play a large factor in your job outlook/job stability.

AnyColour - I took one of those tests in high school and was told that I should go into a design field like engineering or architecture. I tried both in college, and disliked both. Bottome line is that those tests are not perfect and in many cases you won't really know until you get to college and take a few classes. If you are in college or are going to be soon, I suggest taking the intro accounting courses. These will help you determine if you like/understand accounting.

pokey07 · 10-01-2009, 10:28 AM

Oh ok thank you taxdad. I definitely plan on pursuing my CPA designation, and even further schooling if necessary!

coolkidd123 · 10-04-2009, 10:01 PM

I was reading this article about how there are good paying jobs out there but recruiters cant find the people they want. I was surprised when I read this....

It's become especially hard to find accountants, health care workers, software sales representatives, actuaries, data analysts, physical therapists and electrical engineers, labor analysts say.

and

At PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, there's a shortage of qualified applicants for management jobs in tax services, auditing and consulting. Rod Adams, the company's recruiting leader, said huge pay packages on Wall Street siphoned off lots of business school graduates earlier this decade.

"That made our pipeline more scarce," he said.

Some of the openings at PricewaterhouseCoopers pay around $100,000 and don't even require graduate degrees — just specialized accounting certifications or other credentials.

Formerly successful bankers or hedge fund managers don't necessarily qualify.

"We've gotten a lot more resumes, but they haven't been the right people," Adams said.

Johhny Vue · 10-04-2009, 10:13 PM

Entry level accounting/auditor wage in Texas is: $18.60 per hour

http://www.tracer2.com/admin/uploade...Texas_2008.xls

gaitian · 10-05-2009, 03:47 AM

I will apply several schools to study accounting.First thing first is money then I choose schools among AACSB schools.Is it right thinking?
how about truman state university or louisiana tech University or university of south Dakota? since these univ.'s tuition are fit for for me if not considering scholarship .I do not care location.any one know these schools?
thans a lot!