Career Advice Needed

TokenWhite

Hello all, I'm facing a bit of a dilemma at the minute (admittedly not a bad dilemma to have) with regard to my future career path, or more to the point, the opportunities that one particular option may provide me in chosen career (accountancy) in comparison to the doors the other might open.

I just finished an Honours Accountancy degree in June and currently have 2 options on the table for further education. One is simply a follow on from my current degree i.e. I've been offered a place in a Msc in Accountancy programme. I'm very interested in the programme as it has intertwined with it a 2 month relevant work placement scheme in May/June, but the problem is that although I'm likely to get the grant, I'll have little to no other income to support myself so will probably struggle with day to day expenses (I would be willing to take out a loan though if I felt that a Msc was the better career option)

The other option is a bit more "exotic", truth be told it's a fantastic opportunity that's unlikely to arise again. I've been offered a place on a Springboard course (and as such I'd still be eligible for JSA, which takes some of the stress off my financial situation) that entails one semester studying in a local IT and the other semester involves a 3 month work experience stint (with flights and accommodation paid) in Shanghai, China. According to the course notes, the course theory (and presumably placement) revolves primarily around marketing and sales, but I've been told by the course organisers that my accountancy degree will stand to me when the specifics of work placement are being ironed out, and that there's a strong chance it could lead to me working as an intern in one of the Big 4 Accountancy firms in Shanghai. Of course, on the flip-side, it may not.

Ultimately, my initial career goal is to work in one of the larger, more respected/prestigious accountancy firms here (doesn't have to necessarily be a top 4 firm, although it's obviously preferable) in the hope that that might provide me a strong platform from which I might build a successful career in Accountancy. So the question I have is, which of the 2 options above, would be the better career choice?

Apologies for the long post, any advice is much appreciated, and if further details are needed to inform that advice, please feel free to ask. Thanks

starlit

Hey its great to have options like that. Accountancy you can do a lot with it and expand your skill set into accounting further or other areas to blend in with the likes of Financial Information Systems, auditing or tax etc.

Which ever you think will further your career but I think the springboard course seems like a better option for now if you think that opportunity might not appear again in your horizon jump at it you never know might lead you to another job that is the point of a springboard to lead you into employment. Could you defer the Masters for another year? apply again next year if you think be useful? Though with accounting maybe something too broad might not be a good thing that something more specific aspect of accounting be handy but that's up to you what you want to gain from further study.

You still get a work placement on both courses. I would suggest get bit of experience first before further study but then again if you can't get experience go for a course that give you that and have a work placement of some sort. Accounting you can branch off into other areas of it or other areas of business. Though with accounting you need to get work experience no ways around it and to get your ACCA exams unless you done that or will do so in the future. You will need them to get any kind of a proper job in accounting even if it a grad job. If you don't plan to do ACCA now do the springboard/masters.

I suggest to do both but do the Springboard course (what is it in?) first you get hands on experience and then do the Masters. Only do the springboard if its relevant to what you have done and hope to do and that expand your current skill set and benefit your future career and be a help to an Accounting Masters.

There is good employment prospects in accounting but unless you have work experience behind you you won't go far!

No harm mixing up your knowledge and skill sets marketing/sales and accounting can go hand in hand and be very handy when it comes to the world of work.

Best of luck!

TokenWhite

doovdela wrote: »

Hey its great to have options like that. Accountancy you can do a lot with it and expand your skill set into accounting further or other areas to blend in with the likes of Financial Information Systems, auditing or tax etc.

Which ever you think will further your career but I think the springboard course seems like a better option for now if you think that opportunity might not appear again in your horizon jump at it you never know might lead you to another job that is the point of a springboard to lead you into employment. Could you defer the Masters for another year? apply again next year if you think be useful? Though with accounting maybe something too broad might not be a good thing that something more specific aspect of accounting be handy but that's up to you what you want to gain from further study.

You still get a work placement on both courses. I would suggest get bit of experience first before further study but then again if you can't get experience go for a course that give you that and have a work placement of some sort. Accounting you can branch off into other areas of it or other areas of business. Though with accounting you need to get work experience no ways around it and to get your ACCA exams unless you done that or will do so in the future. You will need them to get any kind of a proper job in accounting even if it a grad job. If you don't plan to do ACCA now do the springboard/masters.

I suggest to do both but do the Springboard course (what is it in?) first you get hands on experience and then do the Masters. Only do the springboard if its relevant to what you have done and hope to do and that expand your current skill set and benefit your future career and be a help to an Accounting Masters.

There is good employment prospects in accounting but unless you have work experience behind you you won't go far!

No harm mixing up your knowledge and skill sets marketing/sales and accounting can go hand in hand and be very handy when it comes to the world of work.

Best of luck!

I've already accepted the springboard course but yeah, the Msc could easily be deferred, the only problem I have is that I'd be 28 before I finished it. I don't mind another year in education but anything beyond that I'm not sure I'd be open to. Would like to have taken a few steps in my career before my 30th. Anyway, the road has been chosen and the first steps taken, time will tell if it's the right choice! But I've little doubt it should be. Thanks for the reply. Appreciate it