End of life - lack of career motivation

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by lowtrader, Jan 7, 2014.

Loading...
  1. lowtrader

    lowtrader New Member

    I would like to switch to an accounting/finance role and I'm currently a software developer & analyst and have a Bachelors and Masters degree related to IT.

    Should I consider an MBA/Masters/Degree/ACCA to make the switch or should I suck it up and do nothing? This is difficult because getting a PhD/DBA in Management or Business at this point would not really be useful for personal matters.

    Any suggestions? Anything I do must be strongly based on DL / Residences since I have mortgages to pay and cannot take a year or two off work.
     
  2. jobee

    jobee Member

    Have you considered switching employers in your chosen career instead of changing careers? Having a job in this economy is a good thing, and it helps us pay our bills and mortgages. Maybe find some excitement outside of your career, go on vacation or spend time with family and friends.

    In the mean time if you want to get some personal fufillment go ahead and take some accounting and finance classes and see how you like it.

     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Have you considered moving partway, say by getting into financial cryptography or something like that? People who understand both the information security and financial sides of that are few and far between and it can be fascinating stuff.
     
  4. lowtrader

    lowtrader New Member

    I like finance and in fact work in a financial institution as a software developer and analyst. But as more time passes by I'm hating IT, not because I hate IT but because people make me hate it.
     
  5. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    I have a friend who completed a second bachelors in Accounting at WGU in two semesters. Employment opportunities presented and he enjoys the work!

    Earn your Online Accounting Degree at WGU. Get a Respected and Affordable Degree.
     
  6. jam937

    jam937 New Member

    I know the feeling. I'm getting burned out in IT mostly because of incompetent management. "Hey I read this one article about this technology and I have no expertise in IT and I did not consult with my expert staff but I know best so lets migrate to it and bet the company on its success." Here's a better one. "Hey my buddy runs this consulting business so lets hire him because he's giving me a kick back and I realize this will bankrupt the company in a year but I'll be working for him then so lets do whats best for me."

    Every career has its problems and problem people though. Switching careers won't solve that problem. The only way to solve that is to be your own boss.
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I couldn't agree more!
     
  8. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    Being your own won't solve it either. When you're your own boss you're never truly your own boss because your customers become your bosses. And if you think it's bad now, wait until you have to deal with customers that cannot be pleased no matter what, and then if your business is successful you'll need to multiply that by 100 at least.

    As long as we live on this earth in this society, we'll have to deal with the mess of other people. There is simply no escaping it.
     
  9. sideman

    sideman Well Known Member

    This is so true. Something else "new" bosses don't think about is dealing with employees (a never ending chore), making payroll every week, keeping your fleet up and running (if you're so blessed to have one), dealing with insurance people, landlords, advertising and marketing people, IT workers that think you're an idiot, and on and on and on....You must be prepared to humble yourself because even though you might be the best in your field (which I am), everyone else thinks that they know more than you (like your employees). I've been the boss for over 30 years and while technology changes, people don't.
     
  10. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    I have similar background, I hold a MS in Computer Engineering and a DBA in IS. I completed a M.Sc in Accounting and Finance by using an ACCA qualification.
    This background helped me to get gigs in IT Auditing, Risk Management programming, and Accounting IS (SAP).

    I completed ACCA but never completed the full qualification as I required to get financial accounting experience ( I don't fee like doing taxation during 3 years or similar type of jobs).

    If you complete the first 9 exams of ACCA, you can quit with a BSc in Accounting from Oxford Brookes that in my opinion would enough to show some background in the Area.

    I went the ACCA way because is a lot cheaper than any other traditional options. ACCA exams can be quite challenging tough.
    An alternative to ACCA that can also lead to a MS in Accounting and Finance or BS in Accounting is the Association of International Accountants(AIA) or CIMA.

    CIMA and ACCA are the most recognized, AIA is not so recognized but the qualification is shorter so if all you need is a degree, maybe AIA is the way to go. With a AIA, you can get a BA in International Accounting and a MSc in Accounting and Finance though Northampton University for less than 10K.

    If you are going to work in the US, CIMA is better because is recognized by AICPA so you can become a CGMA and work there on top of your MSc.
     
  11. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    This thread is somewhat ...well...funny to me because I went from managing projects in IT to consulting on projects for financial and accounting people and what I've noticed is...both industries have giant mountains of issues complete with armies of A-holes who derive a great deal of satisfaction from making other people's lives miserable. You cannot escape "people" issues by changing your skill set. You can however change jobs (or careers) and things WILL change, not necessarily for better or worse, just "different".

    I say this as a career changer too. I went from IT, into law enforcement, back into IT (as a project manager) and now work in finance (as a project consultant) and throughout my journey I have exchanged one set of problems for another. The bright side is throughout the process I've learned that I am not "stuck" I can move when I feel like it and probably get a job doing what I do soon after feeling that I've had "enough". That kind of mobility has been very liberating in how I feel about my work if nothing else. At the end of the day, I work where I work, doing what I do because I genuinely "want" to rather than "have" to. And that has made a dramatic difference in my perception of workplace issues. Now I’m not saying I have it figured out, but so far this has worked for me. Developing skills that can travel well have really made all the difference for me. Of course doing this (as I see it) means always learning, looking for skills trends, and investing a lot of time into sharpening your axe.

    I'm not saying "don't change careers" what I am saying is "if you change careers, realize you are swapping one set of issues for another". If you still love IT, then stick with it, maybe just change employers or your role within IT. There is no law saying technical people cannot also be managers in technology.
     

Share This Page