My Fellow Member: Hello, I hope you are doing fine. My name is TheMystery008. You have probably seen some of my troll threads in the garm or in the hangout before. Otherwise, you probably don’t know me whatsoever. But whichever is the case, I hope you can help me with my problem --- what should I major in college? First of all, I would like to let you know that I didn’t create this to copy the thread of RoxxFan called “[College] Biology Major.” I intended to create this topic since last night. However I was sleepy so I told myself that I’ll make a thread first thing this morning. But I was taken back when I saw the thread of RoxxFan. Nevertheless, I decided to go on with the thread so I hope you can help me. So let me give you a little bit of background about myself. During my sophomore year in high school, I decided to take B.C.I.S. In that class, we took a career quiz where it tells us our strengths and weaknesses. My teacher suggested that I should become an accountant based on the result of my quiz. In the next two years of high school, I rigorously researched the suggested occupation --- from the overview to the job outlook of the occupation. After doing my research, I decided that the job fits my skills and abilities. After high school, I decided to enroll in the community college in our area since I’m only going to take my basic classes for now. I just finished my freshman year of college. I will be a sophomore in college this coming fall semester. After I finish my classes this year, I plan to transfer to the University of Houston --- Main. I was determined to major in accounting until last night. After talking to the sister of my girlfriend, majoring in finance doesn’t sound so bad. She told me that I’ll have more job opportunities if I major in finance since it doesn’t specialize in one area. So what do you think? Should I major in accounting or finance? From the words of MadMax, the “information from people who have actually gone through the experience is helpful.” I am pretty sure there are a good number of posters in the forum that has a degree in business. That is why I would like to know what you think. I will take this seriously, so any suggestion or comment will be appreciated. At the end of the day, I’ll choose which major fits me the most. Thank you for reading my post and I hope to hear from you soon. Sign: TheMystery008 Member Clutch Fans P.S. Also, any helpful hints or tips about college and the business world will be appreciated since my ultimate goal is to rule the world via my conglomerate company. ;p Joking aside, I plan to use this degree as a stepping stone in the business world. I want to know how the business world functions and such. Once I do, I plan to set my ultimate goal in motion --- to have my own company.
MIS major i can't really help you. actually, i may because i took Accounting 1 and 2. My sister is an accountant though
I know people that majored in accounting who had no trouble at all finding jobs in Houston. Take that with a grain of salt though, I don't know any finance majors.
Accounting degree definitely opens more doors in the Accounting/Finance field than a Finance degree. I know many friends who graduated with Acct degree in Finance fields doing great , vice versa not so much . Go for your CPA license
Getting an accounting degree and ultimately a CPA is great career choice. A typical career arc could be something like this: Staff auditor (~45k) -> Senior auditor (~50-60k) -> Audit manager (~60-80k) Take your time in audit to obtain your CPA license and get experience, preferably big 4. Develop contacts with your clients and ultimately opportunities will open up. Career auditor is hard because the hours are brutal. Make the jump to industry into entry level management, ala assistant controller (70-90k) -> controller (90k - 100k) -> then ultimately CFO.
You can't get a Lending/Credit Analyst job or even interview without Intermediate I and II, and you can't understand corporate finance or investment banking without Financial Statement Analysis. Also, finance jobs are the most competitive of any "practical" major on the entire campus, finance internships are no less competitive. You have to at least minor in accounting to get the hours I mentioned above, and if you sense there's a chance your cumulative GPA will be less than 3.5 or maybe even 3.75 nowadays, you need to switch to Accounting and never look back.
Unfortunately any non-Kinesiology or non-Fine Arts degree from a top-tier school: Ivy, Little Ivy, or best private University in a large or Northeastern city; is a better shoe-in for finance or investment banking jobs, even at obscure boutiques in small market cities.
First of all, thanks to all those who replied --- I really appreciated it. The thing is I don't plan on becoming a CPA. Call me lazy and stupid for leaving money behind. But, thank you for outlining the career path for me. My plan is still not set in stone, so maybe I'll take the extra hours so that I can take the CPA exam. I plan on taking the advanced classes in the University of Houston. As of right now, I am almost done with my basics. My current GPA is 3.91. But I'll be taking Accounting I, Economics, and Statistics this coming semester. So hopefully I'll keep my gpa up. :grin: Thanks for the advice! Not too shabby my friend. Not bad.
If you go into accounting, study hard. Intermediate was a borderline nightmare class for me. Managerial and financial are pretty straightforward.
I'm graduating with a Business Admin. BS, with one option in Accounting, in December. Accounting will definitely offer more career opportunities than Finance, but it is vastly more difficult. Had to retake the intermediate courses... a lot of studying is necessary. And I hate accounting. I'm only doing it to make the parents happy. The other option I will be graduating with is in Marketing, and I picked it because I'm a graphic designer and wanted to combine things I enjoyed. There are many other Business related majors to study, but Accounting is just the most "safe" route currently. So if my design/marketing dreams don't work out, I have accounting to fall back on. Make sure you apply to internships at accounting/tax/audit firms, especially around tax season. You are pretty much guaranteed a solid career at firms if you do well.
I actually think I'm about to change my major from environmental science to accounting. I hear good things.
I'm a economics major minoring in finance and probably accounting at UH also. It's all about who you know that can make finding jobs a lot easier regardless of what major you choose.
I think both are good. How about you double major? Or minor in the one you like the least? Double majoring in related subjects is possibly just a few more classes. I double majored and was 2 classes away from a double minor when I couldn't do the college thing anymore. I personally couldn't stand accounting. I had to take all sorts of crap to keep myself from dozing off in the 3 classes I had to take. So for that reason alone, I would say major in finance and minor in accounting if you feel like you must have it.
You can make way more in O&G (E&P) than what larvs pointed out without a CPA. After you gain experience.. an accounting major can work in finance, IT, or other areas. The only group that you need a CPA and public accounting experience to get into is SEC Reporting. Try your hardest to get an internship and you'll be fine once you graduate.
I majored in Finance, but ended up at a Big Four doing Advisory. The practice is a perfect hybrid of what you'd learn in Accounting and Finance. If you are a minority, I highly suggest applying the the Diversity Leadership Internships that most of the Big Four has. It sets you up with 3 internships and a full-time offer. Best way to get paid every summer. Back to your question, though: If you want a sure job, Accounting is the major for you. Of course, having a CPA will definitely be important for most "sure jobs" that you'd be pining for. If you want a more exciting opportunity that you are willing to be ultra-competitive for, stick with Finance. Telling us more about the career you'd like would help us answer this question a bit more tailor made for you, as there are reasons that each major is better than the other.
