Accountants, or anyone else on schooling

[Lizard Queen]

Just a quick question before I have to head back to work.  


How necessary is a bachelor's in accounting to do accounting work?  I've got a BS in pych, business minor, and all the credits for an assoc. in acct., but never did the paperwork for the actual degree.  I've been working the AR side for over 14 years.  Do you think I could cut it to venture into GL?  Will fill in more after work, if anyone is interested.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

It would depend on the level of accounting they want you to do.  Lower-level work can often be done without a degree. 

[cronewitch]

I think you could if you had on the job training.

I had an associates degree in accounting in 1974 and landed a job as assistant bookkeeper in an accounting firm. I learned payroll and business taxes, and GL entry, bank reconciliation basics. I then went to a CPA firm where I learned much more like partnership returns and financial statements before computers. Then to a construction company where I learned a bit more about cost accounting, AR and writing paychecks. The next job was a CPA firm where I was a staff accountant doing everything for 11 years. After the that I did get an accounting degree but didn't really learn much more since I had so much on the job training.

[The Captain]

There is a difference between accounting and bookkeeping. 

As cronewitch mentioned - the basic debits and credits can be done without much more education.  Sounds like you have a good foundation for the basics already.

I also firmly believe a lot of it can be learned and taught on the job.  If you are looking to get into higher level stuff (SEC filings, etc) it becomes a bit more difficult because there are so many different dang accounting pronouncements to keep track of.  Trying to learn all that on the job, and actually perform the job, at the same time is something I would find a bit difficult.

[souldoubt]

As others mentioned to do bookkeeping doesn't require a bachelors in accounting nor does it require a bachelors degree.  A lot of people have started out in A/P or A/R and ended up moving up taking on more work doing financials preparation, budgeting, projections, etc.  There's a lot of people out there who started out in an entry level job and move onto a full accounting role while not ever trying to become a CPA or getting their degree in accounting. 

[sheilaincali]

My sister has an Accounting Degree and she does financial audits and is the assistant comptroller for the "Midwest Region" of a large international company.  To do her job and accounting degree was required.  However, all the jobs she had leading up to that particular promotion within the company did not require a degree.  I think they may have added the accounting degree requirement because they knew she had one and really wanted to hire her internally for the job.

I guess you would call me a bookkeeper?  I have a bachelor's in Construction Management/Interior Design.  My major prior to that was Corporate Finance so I have enough credits for a minor in that.   I do all of the PR, AR, AP, GL and jobcost.  All the audits, interactions with our outside corporate accountants, etc.  I wouldn't call myself an Accountant but I do some accounting work.  The Boss values my Const Mgmt degree higher than he would an accouting degree for my job because I do a fair amount of the estimating and project management work as well. 

I guess it would depend on how much traditional accounting work is going to be done.  If it's more data entry and bookkeeping than I would say Not very necessary

[Lizard Queen]

Apr 24, 2013 12:22:20 GMT -5 Rocky Mtn Saver said:

It would depend on the level of accounting they want you to do.  Lower-level work can often be done without a degree. 

The job description is general ledger, but also involves some of what I already do, (which is lease accounting), as well as bank rec.'s and some other reconciliations, and some other internal reports and variances to budgets.  I know they do a decent amount of data entry, which I think is sort of nuts, when you can hire someone to do that for $10/hr.


I am currently doing the work of probably about 3 former employees (there were 6 before to work with 15 properties, we have 10 now and just me to work on them, with some of my old tasks delegated to others), and I've been growing frustrated as I don't seem to be respected or appreciated much, and the company is growing so that my work load is increasing quite a bit.  Its a fairly small corp. office, so I report directly to the controller.  The GL's report to the assistant cont.  My old boss left about a year ago, and when she left, she assured me that the higher ups realized that I would need more help once this new project was built.  Since then, her old asst. left as well (due to my new boss pushing off so much work onto her).  My new boss doesn't really know everything that goes into my job.  After a year, he's still very much still figuring things out for his own job.  He told me to think about ways to make things more efficient.  That's what I've been doing for the last decade!  Anyway, there is no plan/money in the budget for help for me, but they're planning on hiring a new GL, which won't help me with my work load one bit.  The GL's have been giving me a lot of attitude off and on, and I know for a fact that they don't have that much to do once their done with their closes, so leaves about 1/2 month free to nit-pick my work.  (They got some of those delegated tasks from my job.)  Anyway, between their nit-picking my work, their extra time they have for 1/2 the month, and basically marginalizing me, I thought of a way to make things more efficient.  [img]http://images.proboards.com/new/wink.png[/img]  I suggested to my boss that he make me the other GL and spread the rest of the lease acct. work to all of us, and then hire an accounting assistant to do more of the data entry, administrative-type stuff.  He seemed intrigued with the idea, but I knew those 2 woudn't like it.  (I've heard before, no one wants to do my job.)  A week and a half later, I think they were told about it (from the little sort of snide comments, I gathered that), but then tonight I see the GL job description online.  My boss hasn't mentioned anything to me yet.

So, my plan B was to quit and go to school full time for 2 years to get a masters in accounting.  The kids would still go to the sitter 4 days a week so I could focus on school, and I have the $$ for tuition from my inheritance.  One problem is, my husband doesn't have insurance for us through his job, so we need to find him one that will provide that.  This would mean I would quit just one month after the sh!t hits the fan and the new property opens, since I would start fall semester. [img]http://images.proboards.com/new/grin.png[/img] Does that sound like a good idea, or should I just suck it up and keep the job I already have?

[Lizard Queen]

So, to continue without constant interruptions from my 3 year old...

I find it very encouraging that several of you have done accounting without the degree. It seems like the job at my place is so particular to the industry and to just our company, that it require s a ton of on the job training despite the degree. I don't know if the job listing means I'm out of the running for sure. At least I would already know half the job, and am already familiar with our computer system. It just seems to make a whole lot of sense for them to just train me in the rest.

[Lizard Queen]

UPDATE, in case anyone cares, needed to get this off my chest:  (I'm usually oblivious to the goings on at work, but somehow have been very tuned in this time around.)

The 2 accts were called into their bosses office a couple of weeks ago.  I had a feeling he was going to tell them about maybe making me #3.  It was a very quick meeting, and by their supposedly vague comments afterward I knew he did.  It sounded like they were going to go for my idea.  However, they also made the job posting the next day, which my husband spotted right away.  The one acct. who is supposedly a good friend of mine, was practically howling to everyone who would listen--but whispered so that I wouldn't know about it--about how horrible it would be for them to promote me.  She wouldn't even look at me at work.  I mean, how do you look somone in the eye whom your stabbing in the back, right?  When she found out it wasn't settled yet, she was suddenly happy.  After that, she would do her whispered howling off and on to various people, depending on her mood and if it was someone who hadn't heard yet.  This week my boss told me they were going to have to look through resumes to see if there was anyone who could work, and if not, use a head-hunter.  This is an entry level acct position!  Really?  A head-hunter?  The only issue is, the way this company does things is so specialized, anyone you bring in would have to be trained extensively.  I would actually require less training.

To look on the bright side, my plan B of quitting and going to school is the only idea that has made me truly happy from the beginning.  My husband just found a new job with more pay and benefits, so I'm much more free to proceed with it.    The B that has pretended to be such a great friend is, in fact, going out of her way to talk to me and friendly to me now that I will still be below her.  I'm civil, but really don't want to have anything to do with her.  I really want to leave immediately, but will probably suck it up until the school year starts in the fall.  I have no ill feelings towards my boss or their boss, since they're virtual strangers to me, but she was supposed to be my friend.  To top it off, my old boss went out on a limb and gave her a chance when she gave her that job.  What a friggin' hypocrite.

[Deleted]

Milizard, I know nothing about the accounting field.

But . . . have you applied for the job?  I don't know how it works in other industries, but even when the school wants to hire you, they have to post first for two weeks.  So apply and take your shot.  You seem to have a good back-up plan.

Whatever happens, good luck!  Bad stuff does happen to good people, and you just have to remember that.

[Lizard Queen]

May 10, 2013 17:09:52 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Milizard, I know nothing about the accounting field.

But . . . have you applied for the job?  I don't know how it works in other industries, but even when the school wants to hire you, they have to post first for two weeks.  So apply and take your shot.  You seem to have a good back-up plan.

Whatever happens, good luck!  Bad stuff does happen to good people, and you just have to remember that.

No, my company isn't that formal in their procedures.  Anyway, I think if that were the case, my boss would mention that to me.  They're already starting to interview in a day or 2.    I feel like, if my "friend" hadn't put up such a fuss, it would have just gone to me.  It sounded like that anyway, from what she was saying to everyone.  Then, she turns around and starts coming over and trying to chat me up once I'm out of the running.  It makes me sick how two-faced she's turned out to be.  I'm not sure if I should call her out on it, or keep it quiet until I leave.

Thanks for listening.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

That's unfortunate.  I'm sorry. I'm glad your husband's new role will let you have more opportunities. 

[Lizard Queen]

May 12, 2013 12:14:54 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

That's unfortunate.  I'm sorry. I'm glad your husband's new role will let you have more opportunities. 

Thanks, Chloe.  Unfortunately, the thought of going to just his salary makes my husband nervous.  On the other hand, I don't know how I'm going to suck it up staying at this place another week, much less 3 months.