Accounting - return to college for honours degree or take job and start exams?

killkat

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I'm a full time mature student in my early 30's. I completed an ordinary degree in accountancy in May. I immediately started a summer internship in the finance department of a small IT company to get some accountancy work experience over the summer months before I return to do the final honours year in September.

The company has offered to take me on full time on a two year contract starting at €26,000, and to pay half of my tuition/exams if I pursue ACCA.

Prior to this job offer, my plan was to complete the honours degree in accountancy and to apply for a graduate accountant position for June 2014 with one of the Big 4 in Novembers milk rounds and qualify as an accountant in the next few years either with one of the top ten firms or a small accountancy practice if that's all I could get.

What do you think, should I turn down this job offer in order to return to college in September to get an honours degree? As tempting as the money is I want to emigrate in the not too distant future so I think having an honours degree might open more doors than an ordinary degree. I also feel If I take the job and pass all the ACCA exams I would essentially be a glorified bookkeeper and not an accountant.
 
You have listed almost every option that a person could have.

What is your ultimate objective? Anyone who passes all the exams of a professional accountancy body which are difficult when you are working full time in a relevant field has a qualification which is well recognised.

If you do the honours degree how many more exemptions will you get? Have you any feel for which practices would take someone in the early thirties on as a trainee?

What is the study leave like in the IT co.

Most people think that all accountants are glorified bookkeepers BTW!
 
Although I'm not an accountant and haven't lived in Ireland for a few years, I do work for one of the Big 4 (and did in Ireland, too). As asked above, what do you actually want to do?

As a general rule, even in Celtic Tiger Ireland, when nobody could get enough staff, there were very, very few people with ACCA working where I did (I can only think of one off the top of my head). So if what you want is to get into practice and work at that, then getting a place at one of the Big 4 and doing ACA is probably your best bet. If you prefer to stay working in industry, ACCA might be the way to go.
 
Hey, guys.

Joe, you're right, I'm thinking out loud so my train of thought is all over the place.

At the moment if I take this job and enroll with ACCA I would get exemptions for F1 - F8 and if I return to college for the final year I'll get an additional exemption for F9 but I've been told by lecturers that most people who do well in fourth year pass the remaining five ACCA exams with relative ease.

If I return to college in September I know there is no guarantee I will land a graduate contract in the milk rounds with any of the Big 4 / Top 10 firms but at the moment I'm working in the finance department of a small IT company so if I stay here I'll only get the experience in one particular company. I'm not sure how appealing this will look on my C.V in a few years if I'm trying to get a job as an accountant.

My biggest problem is that I don't really have a specific goal. I'm probably looking for the route that will give me the best long term employment prospects and best salary. I've also thought about emigrating with my partner at some point over the next five years so I've a niggling feeling that maybe I should do the honours degree as it probably gives me more options over the ordinary degree if I want to change careers or pursue a masters. People have told me once you qualify as an accountant no one cares what type of degree you have but from browsing job sites a lot of them state a 2.1 honours degree as a requirement for the position.
 
People have told me once you qualify as an accountant no one cares what type of degree you have but from browsing job sites a lot of them state a 2.1 honours degree as a requirement for the position.

As someone who has worked abroad for nearly 25 years, I can tell you that an honours degree is very important regardless of the accounting qualification you have. Many multinationals use it as the first HR filter before you even get to be considered by the business people.

And if you are intending to work abroad the you can't beat having a big four background. It is something familiar to all employers regardless of country and equally as important it tells them you were among the best of your year at the time.
 
Thanks, Jim. I think you're right.

My partner and friends have been advising me to take the job and not to return to college but I feel that having a good honours degree will offer better opportunities in the coming years. I understand the economy isn't in a great shape and the job market is very competitive so it makes it harder to decide whether turning down a two year contract is the wisest of decisions.
 
How about taking the full time job and get some experience. You can always finish your degree part time rather than taking 20K off the state.
 
Tommy, please send me the details on how I can get a free €20,000 from the state.
 
Tommy, please send me the details on how I can get a free €20,000 from the state.

No problem.

The BTEA is the same as your current social benefits which depend on your situaton. I will assume full dole rates of €183 which is just shy of 10K. Rent allowance or other household payments will add another few thousand. The cost of the course and registration fee will be over 7K.
 
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