I'm almost 30 and going back to school again. No degree yet. 1/2 done for assoc. In your experience, would I be too late in the game for this career?

Josh, I'm 40 and will graduate with my undergrad in Summer 2015. It is never too late. I've interviewed with top 4 firms and am an active member in Beta Alpha Psi. The most important immediate thing you can do if getting back into school is set up a situation and a plan where you can succeed. The only real thing you have control over is your GPA, so do whatever it takes to become a good student. Accounting is a challenging major. I recently spent roughly 40 hours preparing for a single Intermediate II test, which is not unusual for the more difficult classes. Keep this in mind as most people who jump into college do not have realistic expectations when they start. Good luck!

Some additional information I wish I had known when I started (from my experience in New Orleans, La):
1) Most CPA firms won't even consider hiring you unless are eligible to sit for CPA exam, or already have the CPA license. In Louisiana, you need 150 hours to be eligible. So just graduating with an undergrad in Accounting is not enough to get hired as an accountant where I live.

2) The larger, more prestigious firms almost exclusively hire grad students. I met a single person who did not have a master's degree who was working for a big 4 firm and he was brilliant with a very high GPA. But keep in mind this is in Louisiana where you need 150 hours for the CPA. Not sure if that is different in other states.

3) Most decent firms won't even consider you if your GPA is below 3.1 or so. I think the lowest of the firms actively recruiting at UNO was 3.1. They will not interview you if it is lower. I think EY was 3.3 if I remember correctly.

4) You will have to chose (at least initially) between focusing on Tax Accounting or Audit. Most firms have two different departments and some like EY have many more depending on your focus. But Tax and Audit is the big decision you'll have to make first. At my university, they have a general accounting Master's, accounting with Tax focus, and accounting with audit focus.

When involved in recruiting, you will have to apply for a job with a specific focus, not just a general "accounting" job. When interviewed, this will be a very important part of the process. I was asked why I specifically was interested in Tax, and what I was doing to pursue that career choice.

There is a fairly substantial difference between what you do in both, and how your schedule pans out. You can google to get more specifics on the difference.

5) And I'm adding this for fun: Don't believe the Accounting people stereotypes. Accountants are some of the most interesting and intelligent people in the room. And Accounting students are some of the most diverse group of people I've ever been around. (And I'm an Army Veteran.) In Beta Alpha Psi, I have met people from all over the world: A Pakistani, an Indian, Slovakian, Czech, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Turkish,etc.

We are not just a bunch of bookish dorks sitting in the corner with a calculator. We're a smart, lively, inquisitive bunch of eclectic people.

Hope some of this helps as I wish I had known some of this when I started school two years ago. Good luck!

I am a junior studying accounting and working part time as a staff accountant. I have been working as a staff accountant for about 8 months and still fell like it is my first day on the job. I'm beginning to think that this may be the wrong career for me. Any advice?

Is Accounting a good career? Math is my strongest subject that is why I want to become an accountant , but most of my family tells me that that is not a good career, that mostly in El Paso their is no job as an accountant and that they don't get pay much.

17 years as a CPA and it amazes how now one discusses slow times in public accounting. Yes I was laid off mostly around Nov 30th, work had run out and employers never had to foresight to plan ahead so I was on the sidewalk. DOn't you believe it that you will not run out of work it happens in most industries and accounting is no exception; The ability to plan and bring in new business is vital to surviving in Public Accounting.

Look for internships they will help beef up your resume and might give you an extra edge. Also it might be a little late for this now but my school offered an accounting class in high school that helped me learn the basics.
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Thanks for the information|The Accelerated Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program is designed for working professionals who wish to advance their careers, either as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or in some other area of accounting. Students in the accelerated program take three courses per quarter to complete the program within one year.