Is a Bsc Accounting degree worth doing

If you want a degree for the sake of having a degree and going on graduate schemes, then I would recommend any solid academic subject. I personally don't view more obscure degrees as necessarily less academic, but a lot of people do. With that in mind, if you place it safe, these are good ones:

Economics
History
Modern Languages
Computer Science
Sciences (any)
Mathematics
English Literature
Psychology
Sociology (but not some derivative of it)
Law (very good if you later want to be a CoSec)
Linguistics
International Relations
Politics
Philosophy (yes, Philosophy is a hard subject!)

There are probably a few others but you get the idea. Occasionally people are sniffy about Sociology or Philosophy, but normally they're the type of people who think they know a lot more than they actually do and believe me they're not good people to work with let alone for.

I've known recent graduates getting into big 4 firms with both Sociology and Psychology (one of the partners at my firm did Psychology). Psychology is a well respected and demanding academic degree and recruiters are generally aware of that. Sociology doesn't get a good press because of some of the 'sociological' degrees that are out there. I'm talking about the highly vocational degrees that are only about 30% sociology and 70% fact recall.

Interestingly, many people who deride sociology don't know what it is. They seem to associate it with bizarre social experiments and 1960s hippies rather than the influential writings of Max Weber or Emile Durkheim! As someone who did History, I can certainly attest to the increasing overlap of the two fields and have a lot of respect for people who study the subject.

Given I am an accountant at a top firm (who also has a degree incidentally), perhaps try listening?

The degree is irrelevant to being an accountant. To be an accountant you need a professional qualification; ACA, ACCA or CIMA. Once you have this qualification, the degree is pretty much irrelevant if you want to stay in the accounting field (particularly if you've done essentially the same thing at uni). It may well be beneficial moving outside of accounting, but not really within it.

Becoming a chartered account takes 3 years total, not 6. You are not "working on top to pay off your debts", in most instances you are on a training contract where your employers pays the cost of your qualification and gives you appropriate paid leave to complete the exams. A very different scenario to what your describe.

The link is meaningless in the context of accountancy, where it is the professional qualification and experience that matter. That is what is being discussed, hence why your 'proof' is meaningless.

That's wrong too and can be an idea that only an extreme form of student angst could muster. When you have the letters ACA after your name, no one who matters cares if you have a degree or not. The idea that a senior manager would make a choice of a particular candidate because they had, say, a BA (Hons) in Classics in addition to their ACA is laughable. They'll make their decision on the basis of the RIGHT qualification (ACA, ACCA or CIMA normally, maybe CIPFA), solid experience and a good interview.

And before you say 'but all other things being equal,' you're delving into hypothetical situations that have probably never existed in the history of recruitment. And even if they did, half would be academic minded and value the degree whilst the other half would admire the commercial savvy and favour the school leaver.

Great, and you obviously were not reading what I was saying. I am pretty sure you need a degree to do a professional accountancy training or the equivalent in terms of higher education - correct me if I am wrong, as most degrees take three years and the training takes three this adds up to six. As to working off your degree, it is effectively paid off as your wage is not as high as a qualified accountant. My argument is relevant as I was answering the question of whether accounting and finance degree is useful, not whether you need it to be an accountant. " perhaps try listening" you cannot listen to text unless it talks to you. Also, the degree might be irrelevant once you have the qualification, but it is very useful so as to be accepted onto a course. Of course any degree will suffice, but it does not mean an accounting and finance degree in particular will be any less useful in getting onto the course. Sorry my argument is a bit jumbled up, just writing whatever comes into my head at the time.

I'm going to talk real slow for you.... you. don't. need. a. degree. to. become. an. accountant. Get it? I work with accountants who don't have degrees, there is no debate to be had here.

So no, you are wrong. Your entire post is nonsense. My favourite part of the nonsense was this;

"As to working off your degree, it is effectively paid off as your wage is not as high as a qualified accountant."

Can you name me a career where your salary does not go up over time? Do you not see how nonsensical your argument is?

When did I say you need a degree to be an accountant? Now you are the one who is being slow and rude. All I said is that a degree helps. And how can you talk slow on a forum that uses text, you really are an idiot haha...
Ok, salaries increase with time. I could never prove your salary would be lower if your a trainee. But you could also not disprove that it is not originally lowered to compensate for the firms costs of training you. There is no point arguing with someone that simply ignores the other person which is what you are doing. I never once said you need to be a graduate to be an accountant so I don't really know what you are trying to argue. I guess you are doing one of the easier professional accounting courses, as you don't seem to have the brainpower to manage anything difficult?

I am pretty sure you need a degree to do a professional accountancy training or the equivalent in terms of higher education - correct me if I am wrong, as most degrees take three years and the training takes three this adds up to six.

And again, how many school leavers get onto a professional accounting course without a degree compared to the numbers with a degree? I am betting people with a degree are much more likely to not just get onto the course, but also to be able to complete it.

I was talking about Sociology from experience. I took one module at a red-brick uni and it was air. The assessment to the 'teaching'.

Psychology I was iffy about mocking but they have some very low starting salaries, even among the better universities.

Please see the exact quote below where you said it. I would have thought you would remember your own comments...



Your inability to understand the written word is incredible. It was emphasis, read a book and learn to write a coherent post before you attempt to talk to me about my use of English. Seriously, just try and read one of your own posts!

Your comments regarding people working to pay off their debts are just nonsense. Good training providers provide full time pay during months of study leave whilst paying for all tuition and exams. This is whilst offering competitive salaries that are consistent with entry level in the majority of other fields. Clearly what you're saying is nonsense, you just don't have the life experience to understand that. I'm guessing you're a student with no actual experience?

"I guess you are doing one of the easier professional accounting courses"

Again you prove your complete lack of knowledge. What are these easier professional accountancy qualifications you speak of? You do realise all three (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) get you chartered in much the same way right? So your comment is absolute nonsense As I've already explained to you, I work at one of the big 4. For goodness sake google it before you start talking more crap.

"Competitive salaries" - £21k starting salary is nothing for any company in the top four. The sudden jump of around £40k+ once you qualify just as a reward is it? That is double the salary after 3 years, a very big jump for a pay rise. Many starting salaries at big companies are above £25-30k a year, so why are the big four paying so little unless of course it is the cost of training them?
A lot of people I know doing the course joke about the easier courses. SO SORRY IF THEY ARE ALL WRONG - just listening to conversation they were making.
It doesn't make really make sense why universities offer the degree course then - if everyone is saying it is completely useless.

"Competitive salaries" - £21k starting salary is nothing for any company in the top four. The sudden jump of around £40k+ once you qualify just as a reward is it? That is double the salary after 3 years, a very big jump for a pay rise. Many starting salaries at big companies are above £25-30k a year, so why are the big four paying so little unless of course it is the cost of training them?
A lot of people I know doing the course joke about the easier courses. SO SORRY IF THEY ARE ALL WRONG - just listening to conversation they were making.
It doesn't make really make sense why universities offer the degree course then - if everyone is saying it is completely useless.

Having a degree does not necessarily help. If you are set on being an accountant and enter a school leaver scheme at 18 or 19 (hell, even 16 if you go down AAT route), you will be qualified well before a graduate counterpart, have more experience, and depending on the individual, be better placed politically for promotions.

You're assuming that the material is too tough for a school leaver to cope with and someone without a degree can't possibly be as intelligent as someone with one. This is the flaw in your argument. Anybody can pass these exams with enough dedication and practice. Having a degree in accounting or media studies is not going to guarantee any sort of success. The fact that big 4 grad schemes don't even specify what degree candidates should have, shows that it is irrelevant and no more than a tick box exercise (in my opinion). Are you telling me that someone with a Geography graduate will be a better accountant than someone who has been training since leaving school?

You shouldn't choose the degree you study based on this, university is a very important time in your life and there is so much more to the experience than your degree. By all means do an accounting degree, but not because you think it will guarantee your partnership at Big 4.

If you ran a company, would you not want to hire the graduate over the school leaver - as it is less risky?

Hmm pretty sure the big 4 in London don't pay £21k a year..

You could compare the big 'jump' of wage with other non-accounting grads in big companies naturally get promoted to management after 2-3 years because of experience and performance. Being a qualified accountant just gives you more of a defined timeline for the promotions.

I know I was paid exactly the same as the grads I started with, and 3 years on we're on roughly the same money.




Posted from TSR Mobile

Why don't you read my post 33 above to find the answer to that question?