Can't choose between Accounting/Finance

DmitriR
Sat, 03 Jan 2015 04:57:26 +0000

What DO you want to do? I was an Accounting major so I am obviously biased in favor of that option, but there’s a big difference between, ‘preparing and understanding financial statements might be useful’ and ‘I need to get an accounting degree, 150 hours, and then sit for the CPA exam’. I think having a basic understanding of accounting (rudimentary stuff) is important for anyone working in finance, but I also think that these skills can be picked up without actually becoming a CPA (in the same way that you can learn how to change a tire without becoming an automotive engineer).

If you’ve figured out what you want to do, try to determine which parts of it can only be acquired from an accounting education. If it’s really not that many things, I would consider majoring in Finance and maybe taking one accounting course if possible or doing some independent study on your own.

If it turns out that what you want to do requires a lot of really in-depth accounting knowledge, then one thing I would remember is that you don’t necessarily have to become a CPA if you’re not planning on working in public accounting. It’s a boon for other fields, but it’s not as compulsory if you’re not going to be an auditor or a tax consultant. You mention that you wouldn’t be happy working as an accountant; that’s perfectly fine, you don’t have to have the job title or function of ‘accountant’ to benefit from an accounting education.

It really does depend on what you really need to meet your goals. Finance and accounting are both good majors though.