3 answers
3 answers
Updated
Timothy’s Answer
Hi Swapna!
Generally speaking, knowing you want to pursue accounting before you go to college is already a big head start; I certainly didn't know that when I went to college!
More to your point, I would say that the college you go to should be determined by where you want to work, and if that place recruits from the college you're going to. Using your accounting example, say you want to work in a "public accounting" firm, which means a firm that does auditing and tax for clients and bills them for it, and say you wanted to work at a Big 4 firm like PwC, Deloitte, EY, or KPMG.
The best approach would be to look into the college's webpages, the alumni base, or just look on LinkedIn for people in your area who now work at the places you want to work and see where they went to college, reach out to them about what the on-campus recruiting is like, etc.
While it's true that a school with a good academic program gives you a chance to work anywhere, I've certainly seen it happen where students struggle to find jobs at firms they want to work for because they're campus isn't a "target" for the firms' recruiting efforts. Make sure the place you want to work actively recruits from your school if you want the most direct path to getting hired.
Generally speaking, knowing you want to pursue accounting before you go to college is already a big head start; I certainly didn't know that when I went to college!
More to your point, I would say that the college you go to should be determined by where you want to work, and if that place recruits from the college you're going to. Using your accounting example, say you want to work in a "public accounting" firm, which means a firm that does auditing and tax for clients and bills them for it, and say you wanted to work at a Big 4 firm like PwC, Deloitte, EY, or KPMG.
The best approach would be to look into the college's webpages, the alumni base, or just look on LinkedIn for people in your area who now work at the places you want to work and see where they went to college, reach out to them about what the on-campus recruiting is like, etc.
While it's true that a school with a good academic program gives you a chance to work anywhere, I've certainly seen it happen where students struggle to find jobs at firms they want to work for because they're campus isn't a "target" for the firms' recruiting efforts. Make sure the place you want to work actively recruits from your school if you want the most direct path to getting hired.
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
Swapna, congratulations on finishing your puc! It's great that you know how you want to start your career. Most accounting programs are within the business or commerce school of a college or university. I suggest researching on the websites of different colleges to check if they offer a business or commerce program. When I was going through the college application process, I made a list of each college that I researched and made notes on which colleges had business schools, and offered a degree or major in Accounting.
Also, to become an accountant, in most countries you need to take a test and obtain a certification (such as the Certified Professional Accountant, or CPA, designation in the USA, or the Chartered Accountant, or CA, designation in India). It would be helpful if you knew the requirements for this test before choosing a college, to make sure that the college offers the correct classes. For example, you probably need to take various classes for financial accounting, tax, auditing, etc., so it would be good to make sure that any potential colleges you find offer those classes.
This website, from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, might be helpful to you: http://resource.cdn.icai.org/19323ca_atcourse260510.pdf
Also, to become an accountant, in most countries you need to take a test and obtain a certification (such as the Certified Professional Accountant, or CPA, designation in the USA, or the Chartered Accountant, or CA, designation in India). It would be helpful if you knew the requirements for this test before choosing a college, to make sure that the college offers the correct classes. For example, you probably need to take various classes for financial accounting, tax, auditing, etc., so it would be good to make sure that any potential colleges you find offer those classes.
This website, from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, might be helpful to you: http://resource.cdn.icai.org/19323ca_atcourse260510.pdf
Updated
Bridgette’s Answer
Hi Swapna
Congrats on finishing your second puc. If you attend a school that has a career services center, they are a great resource for finding internships that fit what you are looking for. After my sophomore year, I used LinkedIn job posting to find a internship close to home that would be a good starter internship. I hope this helps and good luck!
Congrats on finishing your second puc. If you attend a school that has a career services center, they are a great resource for finding internships that fit what you are looking for. After my sophomore year, I used LinkedIn job posting to find a internship close to home that would be a good starter internship. I hope this helps and good luck!