Accountancy courses and general advice

btothei

hey i am a leavin cert student, exams in 2 months etc. i am lookin to do accountancy hav it filled in on CAO for Accounting and Finance in both DCU and DIT respectively. now had my mock interviews in my skool there last nite and out of pure chance i got some one hu's an accountancy recruitment manager etc. he told me do ure course in dcu r dit r watever and den wen ure finnished the 3 year course to get a contract with one of the big four, he sed these will take u in (provided u get in) and giv u a nice lil wage and pay for u to do ure exams and paid holidays and u'll hav great time and enjoy it thoroughly.....however i was readin another thread on here sumthin bout bein a trainnee accountant wit one of the big four and dat dey treat u like **** and the money is crap for the amount of time u hav to work and study and everything.

basicially wat i'm wonderin is if accountancy is all that bad and is it worth it..... or shud i just change my CAO to my other career path being Journalism....(note: accountancy is firmly my number 1)

cheers for all help and advice!

information

btothei wrote:

treat u like **** and the money is crap for the amount of time u hav to work and study and everything.

Trainee Accountant is probably the worst paying job that a graduate can get.
They do work you hard, being treated badly is really to do with your manager, so would be different for each person.

btothei wrote:

basicially wat i'm wonderin is if accountancy is all that bad and is it worth it.....

Yes its worth it if you want to make money long term, earning potential is sky high, but it does take a few years post grad to get good money.
3 of my mates are accountants.
I made double than them straight out of college and more than that for 3-4 years. One is now making nearly double what my highest every earnings where and his future prospects are massive.

btothei wrote:

or shud i just change my CAO to my other career path being Journalism...

Journalism is one of the hardest careers to get into and the money is also very poor unless you are at the very top level.

lochie

Well I am just graduating from college this year and i am starting on €25,000 with the potential to move up to €40,000 within the year if I get my professional exams (which is very likely). The money isn't too bad in my opinion with great potential for higher wages depending on what route you go down so I would say go for it!!! but it has to be your own decision obviously. By the way I wouldn't touch the big four!

I have done the course in DIT and it is a great course in terms of exemptions from the professional exams. it is really aimed towards doing ACCA or ACA after you leave college and from my experience doing interviews seems to be highly recognised

small

I'm a college graduate, with a good bit of experience in my field but was thinking some good formal accountancy training might open lots of more options for me. Are there recognised professional exams I can take indepently? Or do I need a company to sponsor me? I'm not looking to be a full chartered accountant, but something that's maybe half way in this direction, if you know what I mean.....

smcgiff

'(note: accountancy is firmly my number 1)'

Unless someone starts publishing in text speak this could be a blessing.

As has been said, pre-qualified it's a minefield re wages. But it's improving all the time. Post qualified your employment options and salary will open up hugely.

Good luck