Do I have to go back to college if I want to start a career in an accounting? I have my mba in marketing. I would rather take some courses then rack up more student debt.

9 Comments

1. Danielle CastilloJuly 6,2024 at 2:37PM UTC

   I would definitely encourage you to take some courses online and earn a certificate in accounting. I've also seen accounting courses offered at my local trade school, so maybe you could check your local trade school or one in a surrounding area. Both options are a lot cheaper with a much shorter complete time. Please don't rack up any more student debt in this terrible economy.

2. Kimberly OlmoJuly 6,2024 at 3:02PM UTC

   It depends on how passionate or how far you want to go in accounting.

   Without an accounting degree, some companies hire you and you can be a clerk, assistant, staff accountant. Without a degree or CPA some other companies may not even engage or will not promote past a certain point. Not saying that is right because much I believe can be learned on the job, but understandable for very high positions. It would depend on your area, what you wanted to do, etc.

   If you have a masters, you probably have 150 credits which is the CPA licensing requirement. And some states require that many credits for you to sit for the exam. If your particular state allows you to get licensed with 150 credits and ANY degree and just specific accounting/business law, etc, classes then this is an alternate potential route. (I did this in NJ because I had 150 credits from an original degree and sat for the exam while I was taking the accounting specific requirements - - I did however end up getting the degree because it made sense for me).

   A CPA designation may make employers (should hopefully) ignore the fact you do not have a specific degree, but that is not a guarantee of course. I would start by looking up specific requirements for your state (NASBA) if you are at all interested in that route. Best of luck!

3. AnonymousJuly 6,2024 at 4:19PM UTC

   An accounting degree will be most helpful. You will need to understand where the entries in reconciliations and financial statements are stemming from. I don't know how you will get that information if you don't take some classes. Maybe not another degree, but you have to take some classes in accounting. There's no way around it.

4. AnonymousJuly 6,2024 at 5:20PM UTC

   I decided to major in finance instead of accounting due to the flexibility. Accounting is alot more specialized that finance or marketing where the degrees are alot more interchangeable according to your career path or choice of job. You will have an easier chance starting a career in accounting with an accounting degree than without one.

   Unfortunately, if you go back to school, either way you'll probably have to deal with student debt.

5. AnonymousJuly 6,2024 at 5:21PM UTC

   No you don't need to necessarily go back to school to have a career in accounting. I work as a self-employed full charge bookkeeper and have no formal degree in the industry other than a few courses when I was in college.

   I worked with a mentor from SCORE, which was free before deciding to launch my small business. They were able to help me decide what I needed to do, so that I would be successful in my industry.

   I ended up taking course work through QuickBooks to learn and become certified in their Online Accountants platform (which was and still is free), also I took (and still do take) webinars for free through CPA Academy on different industry specific subjects, and I paid for a membership to LinkedIn Learning (about $30 per month) for more basic business coursework that I wasn't as strong or knowledgeable in to help catch me up to speed, such as the non-financial aspects of successfully being able to run a small business. I also watch Score webinars (there are many free ones that you can watch either live or on replay on SCORE's website at https://www.score.org , I hope these suggestions give you some other areas to consider looking into besides going back to school, as everyone learns differently. This is what has worked well for me, my situation, and my learning style. I wish you luck with whatever you decide is the right path for you.

6. AnonymousJuly 7,2024 at 1:14PM UTC

   You have given me hope. I'm doing a career pivot into accounting - I have a bachelor's degree in accounting, taking a few trainings to refresh myself on some concepts, and am currently taking training in QuickBooks. The only challenge I'm facing is that some employers want some experience, but I have faith I'll get something soon.

7. AnonymousJuly 7,2024 at 5:08AM UTC

   Yes, accounting is such a focused area, but it's still not easy to find a good fit. Don't recommend to go back to college.

8. AnonymousJuly 8,2024 at 5:03PM UTC

   At your education level you need to take a master or a higher degree to have the accountant qualification status.

   After the degree that you have now, there are not too many classes that you have to take. It will give you expertise without beginning a new bachelors degree.

   Good luck!

9. AnonymousJuly 12,2024 at 11:47PM UTC

   If you are interested in taxes, there is a really great work around. You can study and pass the enrolled agent exam, much cheaper and quicker than going back to college.

   Another work around might be to try and target industry accounting positions that work primarily with marketing departments (these jobs do exist but might be hard to find).