#CareerAdvice - Choosing accounting as your college degree (FAQ + Tips included)

It has come to my attention that more and more youth are joining Steemit, and with this comes more responsibilities for those who are “older” and supposedly “wiser” in this community in guiding them as they mature. With this I’m starting a series called #CareerAdvice wherein I will be sharing some of the things I experience as part of the workforce. For today, we’ll focus on picking a college degree since this is one of the most difficult puzzles most of us go through, yet it’s one heck of a life-decision that may influence the direction of our career. I took up accounting, so I’ll give focus on that too.

A big decision to make

When I was picking a course to take in college, I struggled a lot. I was quite unsure which career path I would journey on. Initially, I thought of taking up Multimedia & Animation, since I enjoy making posters and other stuff involving photoshop, but then I realized it was more like a hobby than something I would like to make living out of. It was really mind-boggling. Time was running out, and I needed to submit my college application. I pondered a lot and deeply assessed myself. I asked these questions:

What do I want in life?
What am I good at?
Where do I see myself years from now?
Will this course help me achieve my long-term dreams?
Will I even pass the entrance exam?

Despite this evaluation process, I still found myself clueless on what to pick. Hence, I entertained another decision making process -- Elimination!

[x]College of Science - I didn't see myself in the field
[x]College of Liberal Arts - Too much broad for me
[x]College of Education - I like to teach, but as a a colleg professor
[ ]College of Business and Economics
[x]College of Computer Science - I'm not techie, and I don't enjoy coding
[x]College of Engineering - May be too complex for me

Finally, I had progress! I slimmed down my options to courses under Business and Economics. Now, since I got successful in employing the process of elimination, I applied the same thing on this.

[ ]Accounting - Interesting. Might not be too complex. Way to get a license.
[x]Advertising - I would have rather take up Multimedia and Animation
[x]Business Management - Too broad for me
[ ]Economics - Interesting, and I enjoyed my Economics class in High School
[x]Entrepreneurship - Too broad for me
[x]Finance - Too specific, I would rather take up Economics
[x]Legal Management - I am not good at memorizing laws
[x]Marketing - Not in line with my interest and skills

Now, I came down with two choices, and surprisingly both are available as one course in the school where I enrolled in. Thinking that Accounting is simple and easy to grasp, I decided to go for the double degree.

Why did I share this story?

Well, maybe you are also dealing with the same thing, so this might give you an idea of how you can funnel your options. Again, the first thing you may want to do is to assess what you really like including your long term goals and dreams. If this does not give you an answer, go for the process of elimination.

FAQs on Accounting

Q: Is accounting really difficult?

It depends on your definition of "difficult", but it sure does need a lot of hard work. If you'll ask me, I'll honestly tell you it is difficult since you really need to sacrifice something.

Q: Do you need to be intelligent to take up accounting?

Not necessarily. Although it helps to be intelligent, what's more important in Accounting is your patience to learn and perseverance to read and study.

Q: Do you really need old tests to survive accounting?

No, but many will attest that they help in improving your grades. However, I personally don't like the idea of old tests because they just provide you short term benefits, not unless you really understand each problem indicated and not just memorize the procedures.

Q: What's difficult in Accounting?

For most schools, I believe it's coping with the fast-paced learning that is difficult. Also, in order to fully understand it, you will need to patiently read the numerous standards.

FAQ on Life After College as an Accounting Grad

Q: Do I need to enroll in a review school for the CPA Board Exam?

Not necessarily especially if you have your in-house review in your school and/or you are well-disciplined with your studying habits and hours. You can also just borrow review materials and answer key from your friends who are in a review school. You can actually even “purchase” these review materials.

Q: Is passing the board exam difficult? (Applicable to the Philippines)

I would say yes, especially with the recent national passing rate falling under 40%. In fact, for our batch (i.e. July 2014), the national passing rate was just 19.98%.

Q: Are the review books helpful? (Applicable to the Philippines)

Yes definitely! You'll need something to practice on. This will enhance both your speed and accuracy in solving problems.

Q: Is it stressful, as they say, working in an audit firm?

It depends on your perspective and attitude towards work, but it MAY be stressful at certain times and circumstances.No doubt that you’ll really dedicate a substantial percentage of your time when you choose the Assurance Service Line, but the learning as they say is accelarated. For Advisory Service Line, work is not a seasonal, but there may be spurts as well.

Q: Do I regret choosing accounting as my college degree?

I might say I did for very few times (especially times when I needed to work overnight), but generally speaking I am proud I made that choice. With almost 4 years of working experience, I would say that I have a “fulfilling” and potentially “promising” career.

For additional questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment.

Day 15 of 30

I subjected myself to a 30-day challenge (read more). I’m 2 days delayed now after this. I’m planning to catch up this weekend. I’m doing my best and I shall be needing more motivation and ideas.

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I am a proud member of @trulaloo, a group that produces quality entertainment content for everyone. Individually, I love to tell stories about travel, food, art and etc. You may want to follow me at @anotsopopularkid. My discord ID is anotsopopularkid#6016. Hope to connect with you!