If you go to online accounting college, can you still get a job?

July 2 2014

Today we did a slightly different podcast than usual. Alan Ramsey sent me an email asking for some advice in finding a job as he went to an online accounting college. I thought we would have a lot of great things to cover so I figured I would bring him on the podcast to go through his situation.

If you’re in a unique situation or feel like you’ve exhausted all avenues in the job hunt, think again, we’ve got some out of the box options here!

Andrew,

I’m a 38 year old non-traditional student. I have been working in turf management for the past 15 years and decided to go back to school for accounting/computer information systems. The main drivers for my change of careers are employment security, tired of doing labor and boredom in my current occupation. I want to be in an industry where I’m challenged and constantly learning. I want unlimited growth potential, where if I wanted to pursue a law degree or MBA at 50, I could still be part of the organization.

My only experience with accounting has been working for HR Block for two seasons, but I have plenty of management experience. I’m looking to finish my degrees in May. Some questions that I have are:

Should I even bother applying to bigger firms?

Since I attend an online college, I have no idea when hiring season is. I figure it’s before busy season, but how much earlier?

Will my age be much of a factor in the hiring process?

I would like to get into a large firm since I know that it would offer more opportunities, but I also have my eye on some local firms, I just don’t know what my expectations should be. I don’t have the option to do a free internship since I do have a family to support and I would like to finish my schooling before adding another item to the juggling act.

Questions?

Email me at and rew@thebeancounter.org

P.S. Interested in working for the Big 4? Check out this course to Get Hired By Big 4 Firms.

http://www.advicefortaxpreparers.com/ bmeador@advicefortaxpreparers

I would tell Alan that his chances of getting an accounting job are good, but his chances of getting hired by one of the national firms is fairly limited. Big 4 and national firms hire people at staff level that they hope can make partner. Unfortunately, he is going to be 50+ before he would have the chance to be a partner in a national firm.

However, I think he has a fair chance of getting hired in a local CPA firm or industry (more likely tax than audit because of the travel). As long as he can handle working with today’s technology, these companies will place more value on his experience in the workplace.
- http://www.thebeancounter.com TheBeanCountercom
  
  Thanks for the comment!
  
  I think Alan said he was 39 or so in the podcast which is right on the brink of age. When I started in public accounting I was 21, but a co-worker and fellow new hire of mine was 35.
  
  The major challenge I saw for that person was their willingness to be coached by the younger members of the team. However, even though he was 35, there weren’t any other biases that I noticed. He would also be around the 50+ range but I think the firm recognized that the strong majority never make it to manager.
  
  I do think Alan’s best chance is at a smaller firm (top 10, top 25 or local) or an SSAE16 firm. We just had a follow up video chat discussing this and I’ll release it in the coming weeks!
  
  P.S. Let’s get you on the show, would love to hear about your website: http://www.advicefortaxpreparers.com.
http://www.thebeancounter.com TheBeanCountercom

Thanks for the comment!

I think Alan said he was 39 or so in the podcast which is right on the brink of age. When I started in public accounting I was 21, but a co-worker and fellow new hire of mine was 35.

The major challenge I saw for that person was their willingness to be coached by the younger members of the team. However, even though he was 35, there weren’t any other biases that I noticed. He would also be around the 50+ range but I think the firm recognized that the strong majority never make it to manager.

I do think Alan’s best chance is at a smaller firm (top 10, top 25 or local) or an SSAE16 firm. We just had a follow up video chat discussing this and I’ll release it in the coming weeks!

P.S. Let’s get you on the show, would love to hear about your website advicefortaxpreparers.com.
Pingback: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)()