A little backstory A year and a half ago I received a BA in Organizational Behavior through a local private college (night school/online type of thing, while working full-time) with a good reputation. But since then Ive come to realize just how much of a fluff degree OB is. Its not going to get me anywhere. If anything were ever to open up in HR, maybe I would have a shot at it, but Ive also learned that HR isnt the place to be at least not with my employer! And leaving my employer for a HR job would mean starting out at entry level and I cant afford to take that kind of pay cut.
I work for the county Accounting department most of us here are clerical staff except for a few accountants that aren't retiring anytime soon. With this degree Im never going to get higher than clerical - even if it is high-level clerical, thats not good enough for me. I want more than that. I want a career.
The reason I initially chose OB instead of something like Accounting was because I am not super strong in math and I didnt think I had a chance of doing well in a field like Accounting. Now that Ive worked in the Accounting department for a year and a half, I actually feel like I havent been giving myself enough credit. I do just fine at my job excellent, in fact. Nearly 100% accuracy. And its allllll math.
I realize I know very little about the field right now, but I do feel like even though it will be hard, I will do just fine. And from what research Ive done, it seems its still a pretty strong field. Even entry level seems like it should be at least $10k/year more than what I make now, if I can believe my research. I have zero chance of getting to that point with what I have now.
The other thing is we do not want to live here forever. We have plans to move out of the area in 3-5 years, and I really want to make myself more marketable when its time to find a new job wherever we end up.
So .. long story short (ok that really wasnt short, was it? ) . If anyone is still reading, Im seriously thinking about going back to school for Accounting and would like to hear from some people that have an Accounting degree.
Is your current job in the Accounting field / does it pay well / do you love or hate it?
How is the job market in this field in your area?
Those kind of things oh, and is it really necessary to get the CPA certification to be marketable and make a decent living?
I already have most of the credits I need for the degree; would only have to do the accounting specific classes and its at the same school I received my first degree from (I should also mention I get a 60% discount because my husband is employed there part-time). I would also still work my full-time day job.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
I work for the county Accounting department most of us here are clerical staff except for a few accountants that aren't retiring anytime soon. With this degree Im never going to get higher than clerical - even if it is high-level clerical, thats not good enough for me. I want more than that. I want a career.
The reason I initially chose OB instead of something like Accounting was because I am not super strong in math and I didnt think I had a chance of doing well in a field like Accounting. Now that Ive worked in the Accounting department for a year and a half, I actually feel like I havent been giving myself enough credit. I do just fine at my job excellent, in fact. Nearly 100% accuracy. And its allllll math.
I realize I know very little about the field right now, but I do feel like even though it will be hard, I will do just fine. And from what research Ive done, it seems its still a pretty strong field. Even entry level seems like it should be at least $10k/year more than what I make now, if I can believe my research. I have zero chance of getting to that point with what I have now.
The other thing is we do not want to live here forever. We have plans to move out of the area in 3-5 years, and I really want to make myself more marketable when its time to find a new job wherever we end up.
So .. long story short (ok that really wasnt short, was it? ) . If anyone is still reading, Im seriously thinking about going back to school for Accounting and would like to hear from some people that have an Accounting degree.
Is your current job in the Accounting field / does it pay well / do you love or hate it?
How is the job market in this field in your area?
Those kind of things oh, and is it really necessary to get the CPA certification to be marketable and make a decent living?
I already have most of the credits I need for the degree; would only have to do the accounting specific classes and its at the same school I received my first degree from (I should also mention I get a 60% discount because my husband is employed there part-time). I would also still work my full-time day job.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!