Son deciding between Chemical Engineering and Accounting

happy1
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 14:55:00 +0000

The fact is that both paths can open many doors for your son. It is a matter of what path he wants to take.

Here are a couple of examples from my life:
-My brother was an electrical engineer undergrad, went back for his MBA, and is now CFO of a company.
-I am a CPA who worked at a Big 4 firm for a number of years and went into municipal bond finance.

Keep in mind that with both of these majors he would have to decide relatively quickly and must be able to flip into the program he wants at whatever college he is or will be attending. Engineers typically start off right away with courses in science and engineering and business majors have a business core curriculum to fulfill.

Note that to become a CPA one now needs 150 credits, and a typical bachelors degree is 120 credits. Some can fulfill this through AP credits and taking some summer courses, but many CPA candidates now go on for a one year master’s in accounting to fulfill this requirement. The CPA exam is challenging and requires a great deal of committed study time. Still, accounting is fine field which can lead to a multitude of different opportunities.