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is accounting a hard major?
and what's the salary like in accounting
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23 answers
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Bill’s Answer
Accounting does come easy for some people but most people I went to school with had to devote a large amount of time to reviewing, studying, and doing practice problems. The entry level accounting courses are pretty easy and don’t require much effort (at least they didn’t for me) but when I got into the upper level courses I had to put in a lot more effort studying.
At my company (PwC), senior accountants and senior financial analysts make ~80k-100k. It doesn’t take that long to get to senior, maybe 3 years. Becoming a manager is a big jump, too... ~130k-150k.
At my company (PwC), senior accountants and senior financial analysts make ~80k-100k. It doesn’t take that long to get to senior, maybe 3 years. Becoming a manager is a big jump, too... ~130k-150k.
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John’s Answer
It's hard to give an exact answer for a question like this. There are so many factors like the current job market, country and city you live in, and the exact accounting specialty you're interested in (this can range from forensics to personal tax returns). I would suggest using a site like Glassdoor (https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm). Sites like Glassdoor are basically an anonymous form of social media for professionals to discuss salaries and the workplace environment.
Visit Glassdoor! (https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm)
Search for your desired job; in this case, "accountant".
Read about other accountant's experiences and see salary ranges.
John recommends the following next steps:
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Madi’s Answer
To me, the difficulty of accounting depends on the person and the professors at your university. Some people in my classes understood concepts as soon as they were taught. Personally, I had to study for hours in order to get a good grasp on certain concepts. It was a very rewarding feeling when I did understand the concepts.
As for my professors, they were always willing to help and explain concepts in different ways so that we could understand. It was very obvious that my professors loved their jobs and it made it a bit easier to understand Accounting. Therefore, I would suggest going to a school with a great Accounting program and professors.
Now, the starting salaries for accountants depend on various factors like your location, the type of accounting you will be doing (e.g., tax, auditing, etc.), the type of company you work for (e.g., small, mid-size, large or public vs. private) and so on. In order to get a sense of the starting salary for yourself, I would check any website that people volunteer information about their salaries. You can filter by location, position, and so on.
As for my professors, they were always willing to help and explain concepts in different ways so that we could understand. It was very obvious that my professors loved their jobs and it made it a bit easier to understand Accounting. Therefore, I would suggest going to a school with a great Accounting program and professors.
Now, the starting salaries for accountants depend on various factors like your location, the type of accounting you will be doing (e.g., tax, auditing, etc.), the type of company you work for (e.g., small, mid-size, large or public vs. private) and so on. In order to get a sense of the starting salary for yourself, I would check any website that people volunteer information about their salaries. You can filter by location, position, and so on.
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samantha’s Answer
Accounting is not an easy major. There's a lot of complexity in accounting, and it requires a lot of studying. It is extremely rewarding, though. A career in accounting is stable and the money is equally stable.
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Josh’s Answer
Accounting has it's challenges and there is a wealth of information to well versed in. Furthermore, tax law changes/varies from time to time based on the current state of the political or social factors so there is a fairly constant need for personal development and continuing education. What I will say is: Every profession where you want to be considered an "expert" and have the skills necessary to help the people should be hard right?
Now, I must say the career is very fulfilling and satisfying once you get get more and more confident in your accounting/tax skillset. I must also emphasize that accounting (at least public accounting) very much promotes a great team environment and it gives you the ability to work alongside your peers which is great! Just as several others have mentioned, I would suggest obtaining your CPA license and all that comes with it. There is always a high need for accountants and I think the pay is very good from staff to partner and can be quite lucrative if your career drive is high!
Now, I must say the career is very fulfilling and satisfying once you get get more and more confident in your accounting/tax skillset. I must also emphasize that accounting (at least public accounting) very much promotes a great team environment and it gives you the ability to work alongside your peers which is great! Just as several others have mentioned, I would suggest obtaining your CPA license and all that comes with it. There is always a high need for accountants and I think the pay is very good from staff to partner and can be quite lucrative if your career drive is high!
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David’s Answer
It depends. First of all, it's not rocket sciences, if you are willing to spend time and effort, I believe people can succeed in accounting. I was a Finance/ Econ student when I was in college. I switched to accounting career two years ago. Compare to finance and accounting, I think they are very different. In finance, we predict something in the future, like financial modeling and finance analysis. In accounting, we report things has happened already. However, on common area is professionals need to understand how business really work. If you really understand your industry, you can really find ways and use your knowledge to help client. So, in short, I don't think accounting is a hard major, but if you want be succeed in accounting career, it requires a lot of work.
In terms of salary, it also depends. Some entry level book keeper job may pay $30k to $40k a year. However, public accounting always have very high demand for staff. Right out of college, the pay will be between 60k to 75k. And the partners can make millions of dollars depends on the revenue they generates. So, it's not a bad career at all. Hope this answers your questions.
In terms of salary, it also depends. Some entry level book keeper job may pay $30k to $40k a year. However, public accounting always have very high demand for staff. Right out of college, the pay will be between 60k to 75k. And the partners can make millions of dollars depends on the revenue they generates. So, it's not a bad career at all. Hope this answers your questions.
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Lauren’s Answer
I have a bachelor's in history ,a master's in religion and went back to school to get all the accounting courses necessary to be CPA eligible. I found that accounting coursework required more work/studying than my other two degrees did, but it is manageable if you are willing to put in time and effort learning the concepts and practicing problems. An accounting degree will open up a lot of different career options, and most careers that fall under the accounting umbrella pay well. Accounting jobs usually pay between 60-75k to start, depending on the location, size of the organization, area, etc. and go up with years of experience.
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Samantha’s Answer
Hi Zongyin!
Like all majors, accounting can be both easy and hard, depending upon what your strengths are. If you are mathematically inclined, you may find accounting easier, while if you struggled with math growing up, you may find accounting more challenge. Majoring in accounting will definitely require a lot of studying, but if you put the work in, I’m confident you will succeed.
As far as salary, the amount you make depends on what kind of firm you want to work for and the city you’d like to live in. However, accounting is a lucrative career and accountants generally make good salaries, especially if they have their CPA. Salary also depends on the type of accounting you’d like to go into, such as tax, audit, or consulting. Generally accounting roles that are consulting based (such as forensic accounting) tend to have higher salaries, because they are considered consulting roles. I’d recommend looking on glass door to get a better sense of the salaries different companies offer for different roles. Best of luck! Accounting is a great career path, should you choose to continue down this route.
Like all majors, accounting can be both easy and hard, depending upon what your strengths are. If you are mathematically inclined, you may find accounting easier, while if you struggled with math growing up, you may find accounting more challenge. Majoring in accounting will definitely require a lot of studying, but if you put the work in, I’m confident you will succeed.
As far as salary, the amount you make depends on what kind of firm you want to work for and the city you’d like to live in. However, accounting is a lucrative career and accountants generally make good salaries, especially if they have their CPA. Salary also depends on the type of accounting you’d like to go into, such as tax, audit, or consulting. Generally accounting roles that are consulting based (such as forensic accounting) tend to have higher salaries, because they are considered consulting roles. I’d recommend looking on glass door to get a better sense of the salaries different companies offer for different roles. Best of luck! Accounting is a great career path, should you choose to continue down this route.
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Marcos’s Answer
This is a difficult question to answer. In my opinion, you first have to define what "hard" means for you. I am a true believer that you can accomplish anything you want as long as you work very hard for it. In terms of accounting, I would say yes, I had some very difficult times but it was not impossible. Most importantly, you need to ask yourself the following:
1. Do you really want to have a career in accounting? Do you want to be challenged everyday and help clients find solutions to their problems?
2. Are you willing to put yourself through a schedule or routine in order to learn more and become proficient in the accounting language.
This question can be answered in many ways but it all comes down to, do you want to put in the extra studying time when it is required. If so, this major will be easy for you and will only require planning, a positive attitude, and take things one step at a time. You will gradually learn along the way, be patient with your self and you will make this be a very easy major!
In terms of salary, it ranges just like any other job. What kind of work do you want to do? Do you want to work in government, public accounting, or corporate? This is tough since it all depends on where you live, experience, and certifications. If you are interested in making more money, please try to take the CPA exam and or another certification such as (CFA, CMA, etc).
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks!
1. Do you really want to have a career in accounting? Do you want to be challenged everyday and help clients find solutions to their problems?
2. Are you willing to put yourself through a schedule or routine in order to learn more and become proficient in the accounting language.
This question can be answered in many ways but it all comes down to, do you want to put in the extra studying time when it is required. If so, this major will be easy for you and will only require planning, a positive attitude, and take things one step at a time. You will gradually learn along the way, be patient with your self and you will make this be a very easy major!
In terms of salary, it ranges just like any other job. What kind of work do you want to do? Do you want to work in government, public accounting, or corporate? This is tough since it all depends on where you live, experience, and certifications. If you are interested in making more money, please try to take the CPA exam and or another certification such as (CFA, CMA, etc).
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks!
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Thomas’s Answer
Accounting may seem confusing at first however once you get a strong understanding of the general framework and concepts, everything else will start to make more sense. The major takes a lot of studying and dedication however the career is extremely rewarding and most firms offer tremendous opportunities for upward mobility!
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Omoyemi Florence’s Answer
No, accounting and finance are the language of business. Being knowledgeable about it is very beneficial, a major in accounting is not difficult if you pay attention. It doesn't involve a high degree of math. It's more so excel! - PwC Indy
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Aida’s Answer
Accounting is not a hard major as long as you like the concept and good at problem solving. You can start to take some easy course like basic accounting at college and see if you are enjoying it or not. The good point about accounting is that you always have job opportunity. Another question should ask from yourself is that do you like to work at CPA firms or private companies because working at the CPA firm is completely different from private companies.
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M’s Answer
Hey Zongyin! In my opinion, Accounting along with any other subject, comes easier to some than it may to others. However, I do believe depending on the school you attend and the professor of the course, can make a class more easy or more difficult. Thus, I would recommend talking to other students from your school, and using resources like ratemyprofessor, to find the best class to take for you. Additionally, look into any other resources your college may provide from tutoring to office hours, leverage those tools to do the best you can to understand the material. As long as you put in the effort, it will definitely reflect in your grade!
Furthermore, starting salaries for a job related to accounting varies. These wages are determined by a variety of criteria, including your location, the type of work you will be performing, etc. If you had a specific or even if you wanted to search up job salaries, I would recommend using a site like Glassdoor (https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm). Hope this helped, and best of luck to you!
Furthermore, starting salaries for a job related to accounting varies. These wages are determined by a variety of criteria, including your location, the type of work you will be performing, etc. If you had a specific or even if you wanted to search up job salaries, I would recommend using a site like Glassdoor (https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm). Hope this helped, and best of luck to you!
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Catherine’s Answer
The answer is... It depends, Zongyin. If you like math, solving puzzles, and the likes, I think you'd find Accounting fun to learn even though it can be challenging at times. There are a lot of reading and concepts to understand but once you got the hang of it, it is rewarding to put what you've learned to help advise the clients.
The salary range is pretty wide, depending on how many years of experience you have and the size of the company you work with. These days with remote and flexible work, location is not a big factor anymore. Some people recommend Glassdoor or Roberthalf. That's a good start.
With a lot of automation happening with accounting programs and processes, I would also recommend learning some programs that are used a lot in the Accounting industry, such as excel, power BI, Quickbooks, Sage Intacct, AgilLink/Datafaction... This will help you become more marketable and negotiate a higher salary.
The salary range is pretty wide, depending on how many years of experience you have and the size of the company you work with. These days with remote and flexible work, location is not a big factor anymore. Some people recommend Glassdoor or Roberthalf. That's a good start.
With a lot of automation happening with accounting programs and processes, I would also recommend learning some programs that are used a lot in the Accounting industry, such as excel, power BI, Quickbooks, Sage Intacct, AgilLink/Datafaction... This will help you become more marketable and negotiate a higher salary.
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Matt’s Answer
When I volunteer at schools and tell students I went to school for accounting I always say. "If you like math, then you might like accounting. If your favorite part of math is algebra. Then you might like accounting even more. If your favorite problems suddenly become more 'real' or fun for you when the numbers have dollar signs in front of them or are word problems about money, they you'll even more likely to like accounting."
Learning accounting in school is useful, but most business related jobs don't require the application of your raw accounting skills. Technology takes alot of the raw accounting out of business activities. Accounting is the language of money. It's useful to know this language regardless of where you end up. It is a valuable degree to have.
Learning accounting in school is useful, but most business related jobs don't require the application of your raw accounting skills. Technology takes alot of the raw accounting out of business activities. Accounting is the language of money. It's useful to know this language regardless of where you end up. It is a valuable degree to have.
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Mel’s Answer
Not really difficult for those who are skilled in analysis with numbers, are organized and detail-oriented but others might find accounting challenging and difficult if they don't like dealing with numbers which is very important in accounting/finance careers. Accounting is needed in most industry, whether data entry or a licensed accountant, there are a lot job careers out there.
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Carlos’s Answer
It really depends on the individual whether if math and numbers come easy to them to understand. From my personal experience, I had to study a lot and was never the best test taker throughout school. I was able to major in accounting and later on passed the CPA exam with really hard work and dedication. So it is definitely possible and I truly think that having an accounting major is one of the most rewarding majors you can have. There are many job opportunities out there and can be financially rewarding.
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Wendy (Xiao)’s Answer
Accounting isn't hard once you understand the basics and foundation of this subject. I would say if you decided to jump into accounting, being a CPA is a very stable and rewarding career. You start from public accounting and after some 10-15 years, you are on your way up to partner, which is pretty awesome!
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Huong’s Answer
Accounting is not a difficult major as long as you put effort into it. A lot of people think that accounting involves complex math but it is actually just basic concepts that you should already learn in high school or early college. Salary wise, it depends on the accounting field you land in and where you live but across the board it is a safe major with plenty of opportunities for high paying positions. Ex: last I heard, starting salary for associate tends to be in 50-70K in average.
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Mark’s Answer
Accounting may be hard depending on your aptitude for the curriculum, but is generally not considered an easy major. It is a combination of working with numbers, problem solving and interpretation of standards that may be complex. If you enjoy understanding and mastering concepts it can be quite rewarding. I've spent time working for both corporations and public accounting firms and had the opportunity to continually learn and work on interesting projects and with really interesting companies. I've been able to travel with this work which has taken me to Europe twice and many places in the US that I wouldn't have visited if not for my work. From a salary standpoint it can be quite lucrative and can be more than a many professions over time. If you are good at sales, working for a CPA firm can be quite rewarding.
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Juan’s Answer
Accounting is not an easy major objectively. it requires you to not only be good at problem solving and math but also covering topics such as financial analysis and evaluations that require knowldge of complex math and excel skills. while some people find it to be easy, most people will agree that it is not an easy major and its fair since accountants are expected to give only the highest quality work with minimal mistakes. something as simple as forgeting a period in excel in payroll could lead to outrage from the employees and your managers.
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Michael’s Answer
Accounting is generally difficult because it covers a variety of business and financial areas. Many think that accounting requires complex math knowledge, but this is not always the case. While accounting does involve some difficult financial analysis at times, personally, I have not had to know anything harder than simple multiplication! The difficulty of accounting is having to know a broad range of topics and apply different rules and standards to many different situations.
In regards to salary: I began my career almost 6 months ago, and am making $67K. Not bad if you ask me.
In regards to salary: I began my career almost 6 months ago, and am making $67K. Not bad if you ask me.
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Nancy’s Answer
Accounting is not considered an easy major and it does take a lot of dedication and studying to fully understand concepts. While school is great at teaching you the basis of concepts, a lot of the complexities are learned on the job. There are various jobs in the accounting field that will require you to learn more or less about certain subjects. For example, auditors and tax accountants are different and are experts in different things. I am a tax accountant and I can tell you from experience that you will learn so much in your first year of work! Accounting may be hard in college but on the job training is where you really learn the subject. In regards to salary, it is going to vary based on location and what sector of accounting you are going into. Do some research online for average salaries and that can give you a general idea of the range that would be expected. Good luck!