I don't think I watched a single soccer game when I was in school. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier.
Re: About Accounting I just finished a Bachelor's in Finance in June, so a little accounting lite was thrown in there. As to Glamour Accounting... A friend of mine's sister is an accountant. Definitely the coolest job for any accountant that I've heard of. She works for HBO and is the site manager when they are doing shoots for their shows/mini-series. She was in Italy for a couple years while they were working on Rome, and then also worked on the John Adams shoot as well.
Of course it has been 20 years since I took the courses, but I found Intermediate II to be the hardest of the courses. Advanced and Govt. accounting my senior year were easier. Auditing sucked - mainly because of the teacher. Auditing became easier once school was over and I had a job - that is where you learn auditing.
I like your answer better! I am probably taking the auditing track, not tax, but will take enough tax classes that it probably won't counst against. I had my first Intermediate II exam and think it went well. Question: I will have 24 hours of business/accounting classes after this semester and 35 after next. This still leaves another 30 until I finish the Masters. I work fulltime. Is there a position for which I would be suited at this time?
Bump. It's been too long since I've taken an accounting class. I'm becoming stagnant. I've resisted the idea of online colleges, but I'm thinking it's time for that resistance to end. Anyone have any recommendations for schools to check out and schools to avoid?
More to the effect of after completing the first 30 hours, are there particular jobs in the accounting field for which I would be hirable being that I have had the classwork, but no accounting degree and no experience.
You seem to have a pretty good core underneath you. You may be able to pursue entry level into a CPA firm. Not KPMG, but a small, local practice may take a shot seeing that you are pursuing a masters. There are other opportunities where you can get into bookkeeping in order for you to gain some practical work experience. Places like payroll companies that have undegreed accountants.
Accountant representin'. Similar to comme, I work Chartered. Corporate Assurance and Governance Consulting, which means mainly audit work, due diligence and some other transactional stuff. Not sure how long I'll stick around for. Been in the game since I left school, now looking to get away from pure accounting. My interests are in corporate management, perhaps procurement.
Right now, I'm trying to determine if a product financing arrangement is actually a sale of inventory with subsequent expenses for a new acquistion of the same inventory or if it's just a loan, with the inventory remaining on the company's balance sheet. I have to make the call from auditor's POV... is it an off-balance sheet or on-balance sheet transaction... And then I have a throughput contract with a cash flow hedge. whoo hoo...
Speaking as an auditor, the make-or-break issue is asset control. It's rare I see a product financing arrangement where the vendor gets away without booking the sale...
I am about to complete Intermediate II and final withstanding could actually get a decent grade. Now my curriculum does not include advanced or cost accounting, however I would like to being looking for an entry level job in the field. I have 30 hours of courses under my belt which mostly encapsulate the bachelors level courses for my Masters. Do you think I could actually get an entry level jobs at this time? I am taking into account another flood of newly minted accountants graduating at this time most of whom have probably interned for a firm.
You would probably have a shot at a corporate job. Have you don't any networking? Are you on any accounting groups on LinkedIn?
Good luck with intermediate II. God that classed sucked. Advanced Accounting from my memory was a decent class. Advanced Cost sounds like a Bataan death march of a semester. Can you find a job? Yes. But that is up to you. Will your resume stand up against others? Will you interview well? Have you made any local in-roads with local firms where they may know of you already (did you work at a private company where auditors came in?)?
LinkedIn? Jesus, have no freakin' clue how this crap works. I remember getting home from school and picking up the NY Times help wanted section. Five pages of accounting jobs listed. Ahhhh, 1989. A pulse and an accounting degree and you had a job.
No, in fact you have touched on my weakness. I have not been a good networker in the past. I will begin to work on LinkedIn. Certainly I would accept a corporate job. Ideally, due to some family issues I would prefer a job with limited travel. Are you talking about a staff accounting job?
Yes, a staff accounting job. You may be able to get on as a junior auditor at a local firm. But be careful what you do. Here's a link to the definition of public accounting in Ohio. You need to make sure that whatever position you take will put on the track to fulfilling the requirements to obtain your CPA license. Stay away from the big 4 or any large consulting/professional services firm. You may have to travel more than you like and you will certainly have to put in a lot of hours. Of course Q1 of any year will be demanding, no matter where you work. If you have the opportunity, take an international accounting class. The conversion from FASB rules to IFRS is going to be a boon for accountants everywhere. Join the Finance and Accounting group in LinkedIn.
Thanks, Sachin. This is very valuable information for me. I'm not worried about long hours. At the end of the day, I'd like to come home to the wife is all. If there's travel, so be it. I just know of other accountants who are away from home 50%+ of the time (and I would assume you do as well) and would prefer to not have that lifestyle.
A local auditing firm may be the way to go. Be careful though, if you have a lot of clients with FYE on Dec. 31, the holiday season will not be fun. My advice to you, and to everyone else, reading this, is to think strategically about your choices. Where do you want to go? How do you get there? What are the gaps in your resume? How do you meet the people who hire the people who have the job you want? Most importantly for any financial field, what are the rules of the game?
Thanks for all the good advice, and, even more importantly, good questions, Sachin. I actually have an appointment this afternoon with someone in the career services center at my alma mater and I'm going to bring some of this up with her. Networking is also my big weakness -- I barely know anyone at any of the local accounting firms. That's kind of biting me right now as I lost my job a month ago. Travel? Heck, I'd love to do that, and not having a family or even an SO really helps with that. Thanks.
There should be a local CPA/accounting association you can use to meet people. You don't want business travel... go to some strange city, live at the client site for weeks on end. Travel back and forth between the hotel and client site. Work 80-100 hours a week.. Not. Fun.
I'm a little late to the thread, but I have an accounting degree and got my MBA last summer. I didn't know anyone in the accounting field, but was lucky enough to get an internship with my college in their Internal Audit department. When my time was running out there, they were helpful in getting in contact with their contacts, but I still couldn't find anything. Eventually I got an interview with the Defense Contract Audit Agency and three weeks ago I started a new job. Anyways don't give up hope when looking for a job, I was unsure of my future and it worked out, and the same thing will happen to you.