Online accounting degree and job prospects

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by mardi, Mar 27, 2011.

Loading...
  1. mardi

    mardi New Member

    I am looking at transitioning into an accounting career from IT. I currently work in a commercial real estate company developing SQL reports and work closely with the accountants and management and have taken an interest in accounting and also feel that my IT experience might tie in somewhere, maybe not.

    Was wanting to see how a degree from, Peru State for example, has worked out for people as far as getting an actual job. I tried to find out from the cpanet.com forum but they look down on any online degree and the majority of the posters are concerned about getting in the "Big 4" audit companies and making $200k. I just want to be able to work in a small company and go home at 5 or so, not quite that ambitious I guess. :shrug:

    I currently do not have a degree but do have about 45 hours of college coursework, mostly general ed, but from about 20 years ago. Hopefully I can transfer the majority of that. I currently live in AR and none of the state schools offer online degrees in accounting, some online courses, but not entire degrees and I can't not work so it's going to have to be online. Peru looks like a good option, maybe Wayne State College and complete as much of what I can't transfer from LSU. Does that seem feasible? not that it should matter, but I'm 43 years old, when I brought that up on the CPA forum they acted like a career change was hopeless at my advanced age. :laugh2:

    Martin
     
  2. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Hi mardi,

    Welcome to Degree Info! I hope you enjoy your time on the board and find the information you are looking for. Here's why your posts don't show up right away: http://www.degreeinfo.com/distance-learning-discussions/35100-new-users-ask-where-did-my-posts-go.html I happened to be online when you posted this one so it showed up for you pretty quick. I will all depend if a mod is online or not.

    You might look into Excelsior College or Thomas Edison State College. Both of them are liberal in accepting transfer credits, offer accounting degrees and both are regionally accredited, so they hold the same accreditation as any well-known, brick and mortar school.

    As for other people's opinions of online education, you will find a number of people who are against it. In the business world there are detractors, but most are fine with them as long as the degree is regionally accredited.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2011
  3. friartuck

    friartuck New Member

    I wouldn't let Big 4 aspirant snobs bother you. There are many folks who have switched over to accounting as a second career. In fact I remember reading posts over the the Another71.com forum by CPA 75 I think his handle is. This fellow was 65 years old and attacked the CPA exam like a dog after a steak. That forum I think is more positive for older candidates.

    Accounting is something you can do until you're ready for the nursing home. There was a fellow in my town who became a CPA and partner in a small accounting firm at age 47 after a career as an electrician. I worked with a guy who became an accountant in his late 30's after a career as a diesel mechanic, now he's a very successful EA.

    You have to decide what you want to do, a CPA certificate is a good credential but you need to keep up the license and it costs an extra 30 college credits in most jurisdictions. I'd recommend going for the EA designation and catch on with a small accounting firm doing tax work to see if you want to go the CPA route. You can be working on your BS at the same time. If you want to get a job in private industry you could go with the CMA certificate as an alternative, it's only 2 parts nowadays. Also, many controllership positions ask for a CPA or MBA.

    I think Peru looks like a very good program. In small accounting firms I don't think it matters too much as long as you have the CPA certificate in hand. Some very small firms are very happy with an accounting degree and EA certificate, just so you're competent and hard working.

    Good luck.
     
  4. mardi

    mardi New Member

    Thanks for the encouragement! Submitted my transcript request a few minutes ago so I can see what I've actually completed, been a long time.

    Should have finished my degree years ago but decent paying jobs came my way that didn't require a degree and , at the time, a degree wasn't a requirement for many positions like it is now.. Nothing I can do about the past now other than go ahead and complete it.

    I'm no stranger to learning, the IT field requires almost constant skill updates which I do on my own time for the most part, so I should be a perfect match for online courses. Like I said, I would like to go to a local (in state) school but no online degrees and I'm not in a position to quit my job to attend so my choices are somewhat limited.
    Thanks again and I will check out another71.com

    Martin
     
  5. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    Welcome to Degree Info, Mardi.

    I've perused the forums over at cpanet.com and got the feeling that most of the posters there are in their early twenties and are either still in college or recent graduates. At that age the only thing they can see is working for one of the Big 4. Thankfully, there are many different career paths accountants can take. Something I'm very interested in right at the moment is getting on with the federal government with the Defense Contract Audit Agency as an auditor. A person can quickly advance with a federal position to GS13 and make a very healthy living.

    I went through the Peru State College BS program in accounting and it's definitely top notch. When I went through the program there was one guy who taught almost all of the accounting courses. He was really good though, so it wasn't a problem.

    PSC's staff and administration was very good to work with. I ran into one small problem at one point and sent my adviser an e-mail. It didn't take any time at all to get the issue resolved.

    Washington State University is another school you might want to consider too. It offers an online BS in accounting and is AACSB accredited.
     
  6. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Don't worry about starting late. Many on this board, including yours truly, are in a similar boat. As far as you saying what you should have done, don't beat yourself up for that; at least you are doing it now. As my mom has always said to me, "Don't should all over yourself." Yes, my mom really says that.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2011
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Martin,

    In accounting, the degree is not as important as the certification. There are two main certifications (CMA and CPA). The CMA would be the fastest to get, you don't need a degree an accounting but a degree in any field, you can do a BS from Excelsior in Liberal Arts and try to test out as much as you can based on your experience (e.g. programming, foreign language, etc) and then just write the CMA exams (two) from the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants). The CMA is good enough to get something in an office.

    If your intention is to work as an auditor or for a big firm, then you need the CPA that requires in most states 120 credits. The easiest way for the CPA would be to take a BS in Liberal Arts from Excelsior and then a MBA in Accounting, this is path is a bit longer but the CPA is required for big auditing firms.
     
  8. friartuck

    friartuck New Member

    A masters in accounting is a good way to go for some, but not strictly necessary. Depending on jurisdiction, he could go with the Excelsior degree then tack on the LSU accounting certificate for a couple of grand. That would get him to the 150 credits he needs to either sit or get licensed.

    If he's interested in working at a small accounting firm the EA will be good for him. I've talked to several CPA's who are obtaining the EA so they don't have to mess with registering in multiple states. One person was going to retire in a southern state and wished to represent tax clients but not have to deal with that state's BOA requirements. I also think that if the OP were to work in a small/medium company as a controller the EA would be of help in working with tax issues for both the company and owners.
     
  9. joel66

    joel66 New Member

    I am also doing a career change into accounting and will be 45 next Saturday, so you're not alone :)

    I would strongly recommend you stick with your option to go with Peru State for the BS in Accounting. As I mentioned in other posts, I wish I had done the accounting concentration when I got my BS in General Business at Excelsior. I went the Excelsior route because I already had intentions of obtaining a graduate degree. After flipping flopping so many times with MBA programs, I ended up going with Liberty University for the MS in Accounting.
     
  10. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Wayne State College (NE) offers an online BABA or BSBA in accounting. Its School of Business & Economics has IACBE specialized accreditation. Online tuition is $190 /CH. I believe I’ve read that their graduates do quite well as regards the Uniform CPA exam.

    Business & Economics Department
     
  11. mardi

    mardi New Member

    I'm comparing the three NE schools now --Chadron, Wayne and Peru-- wonder by NE seems to be on the forefront of online degrees? It's great that they have a very reasonable tuition for all students, regardless of state of residence.

    I had read something on a forum, maybe it was here, that Wayne State's online format wasn't as good as Peru but that might have been an old post and things have changed. Does anyone have experience with how Wayne's online courses are offered? Peru uses Blackboard but I don't see any reference on Wayne State's site to what their online format is.

    And thanks again for all the replies. I had put off going back for so long due to not having time to go to a B&M school, it's refreshing to see how far DL has come. Not sure what I will face as far as getting into the industry once I get a degree, but I think my IT background in working in all types of industry such as Oil & Gas, real estate, finance and insurance might help bridge that gap.
     
  12. major56

    major56 Active Member

    WebCt or Blackboard Learning System, owned by Blackboard…
     
  13. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    Keep in mind, getting the CMA credential requires 2 years accounting experience, and getting the CPA credential requires at least 1 year accounting experience in most states (there are about 4 or 5 states that are exceptions for the CPA).
     
  14. mardi

    mardi New Member

    Maybe I'm just missing it but I don't see anything on the Wayne State website about the undergraduate accounting degree being online. Can someone give me a link or I might just have to email/call them.

    Thanks mcjon, I've been researching that a little but I have to get the degree first. Actually, have to enroll first.
     
  15. major56

    major56 Active Member

  16. FUTURECPA

    FUTURECPA New Member

    Mardi

    I have sent you a PM
     

Share This Page