My wife chose accounting and got her BA from UH. She had a slick job w/ BHP Billiton lined up before graduation. She chose accounting over finance with the thought that accounting was a very specific skill v. finance and that finding a job would be easier. Not sure if that is true overall, but i think her thought process was on the money, literally.
Also, if any staff accountants are looking to move into industry hit me up for more details. I work for a small energy (power plant) company and we are looking to hire a staff accountant.
Whatever you do, make sure to account for your future family. You'll need to finance many things to take care of them.
Not sure which is better. Just dropped in to say: Get to know your professors. If you want a job, it's very important to go to office hours and make sure your professors are aware of you. When a company contacts the faculty asking them to recommend someone for an internship or job, they're going to pick someone they know, not comb through the records to see who has the best grades.
I'm a finance major who ended up in accounting and now work as a controller for a state bond bank. Essentially we issue munis and from the proceeds make low interest loans to local cities and counties for equipment and infrastructure. Love my job because its a blend of finance and accounting. Anywho not having a CPA can sometimes hold you back for a CFO position if that's your ultimate goal. As long as you have accounting experience when looking for an accountant position a finance or accounting degree are almost interchangeable. IMO
The OP eventually wants to own his own business. Not that an accountant can't do that, but a finance/general business degree would make more sense in that regard. Obviously not completely perfect analogy, but accounting is like nursing. In demand profession, still requires a lot of study and work but very specific. But if you want to be a doctor, you want to be a doctor. School probably plays a role here too. You are much more likely to get a good job out of UH with a specific accounting degree than with a finance degree. If you were at UT business honors (or similar) I'd feel even stronger about finance. Does UH have any good entrepreneur classes/major? By not pursue that if that is your ultimate goal? Also... I don't put a lot of faith into those high school aptitude tests. Not that they can't be helpful... But they seem limiting to me. Based on that test you pigeon-holed your thinking into you have to be an accountant. There are a bazillion things you can be
I am currently double majoring in Finance and Accounting. The requirements between the two are identical in most regards. I'd take the extra classes to wrap up both degrees and have a much wider range of job options at your disposal for what amounts to about one extra year of school.
Yes, my ultimate goal is to have my own business, that is why I don't plan to become a CPA. My plan is to have a stable job in the business world. Then find out how the business world functions. Once I have the experience and knowledge that I need, I plan to start my own business. Like what you said, finance sounds more fitting for my ultimate goal. The problem is that I am not sure if Finance will give me the same security that an Accounting degree has. That is why I asked here if Finance will give me more opportunities than Accounting. Also, I didn't just stick to Accounting. Like what I said, I researched the suggested occupation for two years. I looked at other business degrees as well. But Accounting fits me perfectly. Thanks for the advise JayZ.
3 thing UH has one of the better Entrepreneur Majors in the country (top 10-15), and owning and maintaining a business having a good grasp on managerial accounting background is very helpful (payroll, cost structure, price determination). And starting accountant pay has gone up on both mid and big firms (50-56K)
