The Declining Value Of Your College Degree...

[quote name='lordwow']Unless you're planning on going to law/med school, GPA is irrelevant. The only thing that my GPA even reflects on my resume is my "magna cum laude" along with my degree. No one in job interviews wants to hear about your GPA, they want to hear about your relevant experience in the field. Take internships in college even at the risk of lowering your GPA.[/QUOTE]

Thats right, C's earn degrees!

Also to kill3r7, you dont need college to get a job. I say having a degree will help you keep a job. A degree is a start to set you apart from the rest, but its not end all. If you can show you arent expendable then a company will try its best to keep you, otherwise they can just hire anyone else who meets the minimum requirements for less money.
 
I forgot all about internships. Indeed. I think many people ignore the value of a good internship.

But I will have to admit internships are a catch 22. If you get a bad one and all they have you doing is picking up dry cleaning then you wont learn anything and it becomes a huge waste of time.

I guess I got really lucky as my internship had be shooting and editing within a week of being there. A made a ton of contacts and eventually they started paying me of the work I was doing.

I have heard a lot of horror stories for bad internships.
 
Internships (along with co-ops and REAs) have varying importance among different majors. TMK not interning isn't a big deal because he performed well academically in a very rigorous major, employers won't care so much. In his position a co-op would've been great, but probably would've delayed graduation. Blanket statements of internship importance really aren't fair to make.

[quote name='Soodmeg']I forgot all about internships. Indeed. I think many people ignore the value of a good internship.

But I will have to admit internships are a catch 22. If you get a bad one and all they have you doing is picking up dry cleaning then you wont learn anything and it becomes a huge waste of time.

I guess I got really lucky as my internship had be shooting and editing within a week of being there. A made a ton of contacts and eventually they started paying me of the work I was doing.

I have heard a lot of horror stories for bad internships.[/QUOTE]

That's not what catch 22 means.
 
Perhaps, but my university has 80% of students take 6 months or more off for co-ops in every major. Working in your field will hardly ever detract from your enployability.
 
I think the Co-Op is more important for you than for your future employer. It lets you see if you actually want to do that kind of thing as a job! I mean internship is one thing, but seasonal internships can also be noob-ified whereas the Co-Op wouldn't be watered-down.

I wish I had done this...b/c I definitely would have tried going another direction with my desired job/field. Oh well, I'll do that in my next life haha.
 
I list my co-op jobs just as if they were full-time work (which they were), and they make up the bulk of my resume as a recent college grad.
 
Ok, I am done. Since this thread is clearly not about College degrees and more about scrutinizing everything soodmeg says. Seriously, are you guys having fun?

The catch 22 would be being in a crappy internship (most people dont want to quit and internship as it looks bad) but staying with it will not teach you anything.
 
[quote name='Koggit']Internships (along with co-ops and REAs) have varying importance among different majors. TMK not interning isn't a big deal because he performed well academically in a very rigorous major, employers won't care so much. In his position a co-op would've been great, but probably would've delayed graduation. Blanket statements of internship importance really aren't fair to make.
[/QUOTE]
I don't want to use TMK as an example, because he seems to be a pretty smart guy, but he didn't do an internship/coop and now he can't find a job. It probably would have been better to delay graduation by a semester or so to grab some experience.
 
This article makes me glad I chose to major in computer science, anything that is math, science or tech related is always in high demand.
 
[quote name='Syraxis']This article makes me glad I chose to major in computer science, anything that is math, science or tech related is always in high demand.[/quote]

BWAHAHAHA!

My computer science degree with a minor in math got me a job in a call center helping grandmothers get online.

If I get a CCNA, I might get to destroy service to tens of thousands of customers.

BTW, I haven't programmed or tested software in years.

My friend with a BS in Chemical Engineering and a MS in Electrical Engineering had to go to law school to finally get a decent job.

EDIT: Seriously, simply having a degree in a high demand field means jack.
 
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[quote name='docvinh']I don't want to use TMK as an example, because he seems to be a pretty smart guy, but he didn't do an internship/coop and now he can't find a job. It probably would have been better to delay graduation by a semester or so to grab some experience.[/QUOTE]Actually, I was already taking too long finishing because I had a MAJOR senior project problem that delayed my graduation. Thankfully I eventually fixed it.

Anyway, part of the blame for me not having a job is being picky. Due to having transportation issues, I'm trying to stay as close to home as possible, where there isn't much. Many thought I'd get a great job, but in ways I can't get one due to that issue. Yeah it sucks I lack an internship, but I do still have some good stuff on my resume.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']If your friend graduated in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA, sounds like he didn't do any internships or extracurricular activities of any worth, which, you know, people are looking for more than a 4.0 GPA. Employers look at your friend and think he is an antisocial closeted geek, which is exactly what people hiring business majors do NOT want. I am very antisocial myself, and have a 3.93 GPA at one of the top accounting schools in the nation, and plan on graduating in 4 years in a track that generally takes 5 years, but I actually took the time to get an internship and have some relevant extracurricular activities. And bitches are knocking on my door looking to hire me. Sounds like your friend didn't do his research before deciding to be a shut-in for 3 years instead of getting actual relevant experience that are what employers are REALLY looking for. If your friend's GPA suffered a little bit, but he had internships and some solid activities, I am certain things would be different for him.[/QUOTE]

What relevant extracurricular activities are you doing related to accounting?
 
Isn't DoK hot? I seem to recall someone in the OTT saying she's hot. Her success in the business world is already certain.

[quote name='Soodmeg']Ok, I am done. Since this thread is clearly not about College degrees and more about scrutinizing everything soodmeg says. Seriously, are you guys having fun?

The catch 22 would be being in a crappy internship (most people dont want to quit and internship as it looks bad) but staying with it will not teach you anything.[/QUOTE]

Again, no, that's not a catch 22. Just stop using words/phrases you don't understand, problem solved.
 
[quote name='Koggit']Isn't DoK hot? I seem to recall someone in the OTT saying she's hot. Her success in the business world is already certain.
.[/QUOTE]

:lol: Oh, the world of'bidness.
 
[quote name='ivanctorres']FYI 100k is not that much relatively speaking...go out into the real world and you will see how far that gets you...especially in a big city.

College degrees aren't worth what they once were because more people have them. I think if you have the opportunity it would be wise to get an advanced degree to seperate you from the pack with bachelors degrees.[/quote]These days everyone seems to have a bachelor's degree. Unlike 30 years ago when it was a rare thing to have. most of the jobs paying $100,000 are fro people with advanced or doctorate degrees which few seems to want to put in the time for.
 
[quote name='vze21gwa']These days everyone seems to have a bachelor's degree. Unlike 30 years ago when it was a rare thing to have. most of the jobs paying $100,000 are fro people with advanced or doctorate degrees which few seems to want to put in the time for.[/quote]

That's because by the time you get your masters you're burned out of school completely. My uncle is about one year away from his Ph.D yet he quit because he just burned out. Then again he's doing quite well for himself.
 
[quote name='lordwow']Unless you're planning on going to law/med school, GPA is irrelevant. The only thing that my GPA even reflects on my resume is my "magna cum laude" along with my degree. No one in job interviews wants to hear about your GPA, they want to hear about your relevant experience in the field. Take internships in college even at the risk of lowering your GPA.[/quote]

Like many of the other factors recently brought up in this thread, GPA may mean a great amount depending upon your field and where you're looking for work. As a teacher currently looking for work back at home, the good districts nearby are absolutely rigorous when it comes to their hiring. While they won't bring up GPA in interviews or during demo lessons, they go through them with fine-toothed combs when making the final decision. If you have too many grad credits the budget can't afford you in the position. Why did you get a C in one of the classes we need you to bolster in our program?

Essentially, it all depends. It could all be overlooked based upon who you know, personality, and other factors but, at least out here, when you're down to the wire they get really stringent when it comes to everything. Then again, they have to protect their already-strong programs and that's just in my field. And, really, it may not apply outside of my own home county and the nearby ones. ;)
 
[quote name='kill3r7']Everything is relative when discussing such a nebulous concept as the quality of life. As someone who lives in the Tri-state area I can tell you from first hand experience that most people will have a tough time making it on a combined income of less than $100K (if you intended on buying a house and having multiple cars). However, if you do not wish such commodities you can always rent and leave on the cheap but even so you're still looking at about $50-60K to live moderately. I'm also well aware that the Tri-state area and most of the east coast is not a good example to base any discussion on living expenses (High demand = high cost of living).

Getting back to the original topic, a college education affords you the opportunity to find a job and live moderately but if you aren't able to find a job than college/loans end up being a burden too hard to overcome. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you are better off having a college degree but this is not always the case.[/quote]

The East Coast aint all bad. I know that the tri-state area is pretty horrid when it comes to leasing and real estate prices but further south it gets better. It really depends on what type of neighborhood you want to live in. I live in an upper-middle class neighborhood that used to be lower-middle class... The property here is pretty hot, but just 10 minutes from here you have a straight ghetto.. with section 8 housing and everything. It's kind of weird.

By the way, MD-Northern VA is one of the richest areas in the country. It's right up there with southern Connecticut.

I'd like to reiterate what a lot of you have said. I doubt many people expect to get a good job just cuz they graduated college. First of all, graduating college is hella easy, all you need is like 2.0 GPA or something. Now, graduating with a good enough GPA/standardized test score to get into upper level schooling is actually difficult, and that's where the money is for most majors. Some majors actually prepare you for a good job right out of college, for example, many engineering majors. Neither one of mine (Biology, Psychology) will do me any good unless I attend medical school, which I plan to..
 
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[quote name='SithFran']What relevant extracurricular activities are you doing related to accounting?[/QUOTE]

I was the Vice President of my college's Accounting Association, and I also was an free accounting tutor. I also am in one of the honors programs at my school, which put us into core business classes with the same 30 people my whole junior year, with 6 teams of 5 that rotated each quarter. The team skills I learned in that program will be invaluable in a real working environment. You work in teams all the time in most real jobs, and at least at the public accounting firm I'm interning at right now.

But any extracurricular activity where you show active leadership/community service/teamwork will be attractive to an employer, not just one related to your major.
 
My post needed to be deleted? Seriously, whoever did that, could you PM me the reason? If it was offensive, could you let me know how? I'm just curious, and a little baffled.

[quote name='Soodmeg']Ok, I am done. Since this thread is clearly not about College degrees and more about scrutinizing everything soodmeg says. Seriously, are you guys having fun?

The catch 22 would be being in a crappy internship (most people dont want to quit and internship as it looks bad) but staying with it will not teach you anything.[/QUOTE]

Nope, you're still using it wrong.
 
[quote name='Paco']That's because by the time you get your masters you're burned out of school completely. My uncle is about one year away from his Ph.D yet he quit because he just burned out. Then again he's doing quite well for himself.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, you have to enjoy life in academia to get a Ph D. I should have mine next summer barring issues with data collection for my dissertation. This coming year will be my 7th of grad school (3 years for master, this will be 4th for doctorate) and I'm not really burnt out at all. Was burnt out dealing with the 2 Ph D. comp exams (fail either 2x and you're out of the program) but other than those 2 years I've loved grad school as I like learning, doing research and teaching.

But it's definitley not for everyone. We have a pretty high drop out rate.
 
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[quote name='SithFran']What relevant extracurricular activities are you doing related to accounting?[/quote]

We had an Accounting Association and a chapter of Beta Alpha Psi on our campus. It was run by pretty much the same people so if you didn't have the grades for BAP (3.0+) you could still come to the meetings and network with the big 4/local firm contacts they had visit. Definitely do these if you have a chance.

We also had one big job fair for Accountants called "Meet the Accountants" night in September and there were a ton of companies that came to it. They don't advertise it, but Cleveland State University claims to have an excellent program.

What will help you career wise: Accounting is VERY HIGHLY GPA biased. You WILL get snubbed if you don't have a 3.25. Shoot for an internship/entry level position with Big 4 because as someone else mentioned, it is the gold standard. You should really try and get your CPA as well. It is basically the equivalent of a masters, but is just expected when you have a BS in Accounting.

I decided to do things my own way and it took me a LONG time to get my 1st job but I am happy where I am at. I got in with a private company's accounting department and won't have to work slave-type hours 1st quarter of each year, or travel constantly. This is a huge bonus for me as I will be looking to get married next year and start a family soon after.
 
[quote name='QiG']We had an Accounting Association and a chapter of Beta Alpha Psi on our campus. It was run by pretty much the same people so if you didn't have the grades for BAP (3.0+) you could still come to the meetings and network with the big 4/local firm contacts they had visit. Definitely do these if you have a chance.

We also had one big job fair for Accountants called "Meet the Accountants" night in September and there were a ton of companies that came to it. They don't advertise it, but Cleveland State University claims to have an excellent program.

What will help you career wise: Accounting is VERY HIGHLY GPA biased. You WILL get snubbed if you don't have a 3.25. Shoot for an internship/entry level position with Big 4 because as someone else mentioned, it is the gold standard. You should really try and get your CPA as well. It is basically the equivalent of a masters, but is just expected when you have a BS in Accounting.

I decided to do things my own way and it took me a LONG time to get my 1st job but I am happy where I am at. I got in with a private company's accounting department and won't have to work slave-type hours 1st quarter of each year, or travel constantly. This is a huge bonus for me as I will be looking to get married next year and start a family soon after.[/quote]

I went to San Diego State University. Substitute AA for Student Accounting Society and "Meet the Accountants" for "Meet the firms" and your summary would apply word for word to my school. If you're in BAY the firms will trip over themselves to get to you. If not, like me, you are shit.

How long did it take you to get your first job? I just graduated and I'm to my wits end. I'm beyond frustrated and feel pretty shitty about still being unemployed. I've tried everything.

And guess what? I never felt entitled to a high salary job just because I graduated like people in this board keep suggesting.
 
[quote name='DQT']I went to San Diego State University. Substitute AA for Student Accounting Society and "Meet the Accountants" for "Meet the firms" and your summary would apply word for word to my school. If you're in BAY the firms will trip over themselves to get to you. If not, like me, you are shit.

How long did it take you to get your first job? I just graduated and I'm to my wits end. I'm beyond frustrated and feel pretty shitty about still being unemployed. I've tried everything.

And guess what? I never felt entitled to a high salary job just because I graduated like people in this board keep suggesting.[/quote]

Took me just about 11 months. I started looking at the end of July 2007 a few weeks before I graduated and got the offer for the job I have now the day after Memorial Day this year (end of May). My graduating GPA was 2.96 according to transcipts but was higher by my calculations due to me transferring from community college for all but my last three semesters of the degree.

I got interviews regularly, but in a nutshell employers wanted experienced hires and when I heard more than once that the hiring manager was getting apps for an entry level position from people that are qualified for their own job it made the picture clearer (buyers market for employers). I absolutely hate job interviews, so my plan of action was to return to school in January this year and get enough credits to sit for the CPA (graduated with 135) and I need 150. So I've been taking some easy classes to up my GPA since I know I'll need to use a program like Becker before I attempt the exam anyway.

Though it's all worked out now, it was extremely frustrating and probably the most disappointing experience of my life going to interview after interview and never hearing back. But keep your head up, the day I interviewed for the company I work at now was the same day I was called back for a second interview for a place I really thought I wanted to be at. I interviewed with my current company 2nd that day and didn't give it much thought so maybe that helped me relax enough to impress them. But hang in there and plug away towards CPA/Masters if you need to do something in the mean time.
 
I'm going to give you all a great tip for getting a job, regardless of having a degree or not. Are you ready?

Be likable. Present yourself in a professional way (or however the job calls for it) and be outgoing, personable, and friendly during your interview. I would much rather hire a nice, enthusiastic person who I need to mold into a skilled employee over a skilled prick that I have to put up with on a day to day basis.
 
[quote name='theHeat']I'm going to give you all a great tip for getting a job, regardless of having a degree or not. Are you ready?

Be likable. Present yourself in a professional way (or however the job calls for it) and be outgoing, personable, and friendly during your interview. I would much rather hire a nice, enthusiastic person who I need to mold into a skilled employee over a skilled prick that I have to put up with on a day to day basis.[/QUOTE]

This.

Sometimes even having like.. a certfication in something is just as good as degree. I'm thinking about doing HR. So I'm thinking about taking up some courses, getting a piece of paper and using that merely as an aide to help me out. Though, IMO, being an HR is really just about being VERY personable + organized..which I am.
 
[quote name='QiG']
What will help you career wise: Accounting is VERY HIGHLY GPA biased. You WILL get snubbed if you don't have a 3.25. Shoot for an internship/entry level position with Big 4 because as someone else mentioned, it is the gold standard. You should really try and get your CPA as well. It is basically the equivalent of a masters, but is just expected when you have a BS in Accounting.

I decided to do things my own way and it took me a LONG time to get my 1st job but I am happy where I am at. I got in with a private company's accounting department and won't have to work slave-type hours 1st quarter of each year, or travel constantly. This is a huge bonus for me as I will be looking to get married next year and start a family soon after.[/QUOTE]

Yep, you NEED a high GPA/credentials for a Big 4 firm because they are fairly snobby about that shit for some reason. I am enjoying my internship currently with a Big 4 firm, but I am definitely going to look at other options. Travel can be as limited or as unlimited as you want, at least in my office. Lots of clients are around the Columbus area, but you can volunteer to travel if you want. There may be slave hours in the first quarter of the year (like 70 hours at most for a couple weeks) but they give full-timers 3 weeks of vacation for the first 2 years, 4 weeks thereafter, plus "unlimited" sick days, Flex Fridays in the summer, and a $5000 bonus just for getting your CPA within a year of starting. The perks may outweigh the 1st quarter BS for me. I don't know yet.
 
[quote name='DQT']I went to San Diego State University. Substitute AA for Student Accounting Society and "Meet the Accountants" for "Meet the firms" and your summary would apply word for word to my school. If you're in BAY the firms will trip over themselves to get to you. If not, like me, you are shit.

How long did it take you to get your first job? I just graduated and I'm to my wits end. I'm beyond frustrated and feel pretty shitty about still being unemployed. I've tried everything.

And guess what? I never felt entitled to a high salary job just because I graduated like people in this board keep suggesting.[/quote]I'm in the same boat as you dude, but I ain't stressing yet. I figure its just a matter of time before I get something.
 
[quote name='theHeat']Be likable. Present yourself in a professional way (or however the job calls for it) and be outgoing, personable, and friendly during your interview. I would much rather hire a nice, enthusiastic person who I need to mold into a skilled employee over a skilled prick that I have to put up with on a day to day basis.[/QUOTE]

That really does seem to be the case. I remember my dad telling me that he'd interviewed some guy who went to Harvard, did well, and had some experience. Even so, he didn't get the job, just because nobody would have wanted to put up with him.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']Yep, you NEED a high GPA/credentials for a Big 4 firm because they are fairly snobby about that shit for some reason. [/quote]

Because clearly, smart people never screw up (tons of smart people in the banking industry, look how fantastic they're doing and how they're positively contributing to our economy :roll:). God I hate my major sometimes. Especially now.

Big 4 is great but these people work insane hours. They pay so well right out the gate because their employees earned it. Most people recommend staying with them until you can get a job elsewhere (clients trying to hire you away). Or you can work your way up with them and work even more insane hours. Hope you like working in the car on your vacation with the family! :)

The point is, every degree has their pros and cons. The WSJ article and video was somewhat inaccurate about the opportunities in my field.
 
[quote name='DQT']Because clearly, smart people never screw up (tons of smart people in the banking industry, look how fantastic they're doing and how they're positively contributing to our economy :roll:). God I hate my major sometimes. Especially now.

Big 4 is great but these people work insane hours. They pay so well right out the gate because their employees earned it. Most people recommend staying with them until you can get a job elsewhere (clients trying to hire you away). Or you can work your way up with them and work even more insane hours. Hope you like working in the car on your vacation with the family! :)

The point is, every degree has their pros and cons. The WSJ article and video was somewhat inaccurate about the opportunities in my field.[/QUOTE]

The starting pay here in Columbus, OH, for the Big 4 is a little under $50k. Which I think I could do the same or better going private. I plan on interviewing with both public and private firms regardless of if I get an offer after my internship and see what pops up in terms of $$$. Though I don't think I would ever go to another public firm besides the one I am interning at because they are just a great fit for me.

And yes, the Big 4 and other companies' standards on GPA, etc. are idiotic as long as other credentials, such as extracurriculars, experience, and community service are there. One guy on CAG posted a while back about how someone he knew with like a 3.8 GPA interviewed with a Big 4 firm and she didn't get the job because of her SAT score. They circled her SAT score on her resume in red ink during the interview. Retards.
 
A lot of smart people in here.
If I'm gonna get a B.S. in Psychology what kind of jobs can I expect to find? Someone told me that to really get into the field of Psychology I would need a higher degree than a bachelors.
 
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[quote name='D_Icon']A lot of smart people in here.
If I'm gonna get a B.S. in Psychology what kind of jobs can I expect to find? Someone told me that to really get into the field of Psychology I would need a higher degree than a bachelors.[/QUOTE]

That someone is correct. Psychology is a pretty flooded major. At Ohio State, the largest school in the country, it is the single most popular major.
 
What? SAT score? I've never ever heard a story like that. It's so damn hard to get meet their GPA requirements that I'd imagine they've already cut their application pool to a good small amount. It's been a buyers market ever since I declared, and I learned that one semester into the major.

Where I'm located, all they care about is GPA and BAY membership. I've proofread a group paper by a group of BAY members. It was terrible, but hey, they got jobs and I didn't. Who cares about communication? Don't get me wrong, they were brilliant accounting students, but sometimes I wonder how short-sighted these people can be.

[quote name='D_Icon']A lot of smart people in here.
If I'm gonna get a B.S. in Psychology what kind of jobs can I expect to find? Someone told me that to really get into the field of Psychology I would need a higher degree than a bachelors.[/quote]

Honestly I really can't say. I was very concerned for a couple of my friends who were humanities majors after they graduated. She didn't get a job related to her field but her bosses did like the fact she had a degree. You should talk to some faculty (like counselors, teachers or the dean). Most importantly, talk to some students in the major, and some graduates. There are student organizations that can give you some idea to what the major is about. I know I did my part to warn random pre-business majors to what they're in for.
 
[quote name='DQT']What? SAT score? I've never ever heard a story like that. It's so damn hard to get meet their GPA requirements that I'd imagine they've already cut their application pool to a good small amount.
[/QUOTE]

PwC asked me for my SAT score in my online part of the application, and E&Y was the firm named in that story I posted (never applied to them cause I heard other major horror stories about them). Thankfully I am excellent at standardized tests (some people are good at them, while some people are bad at them, has little to do with someone's real capability) and it wasn't an issue.
 
[quote name='D_Icon']A lot of smart people in here.
If I'm gonna get a B.S. in Psychology what kind of jobs can I expect to find? Someone told me that to really get into the field of Psychology I would need a higher degree than a bachelors.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's a highly competitive field, a bachelors most likely won't get you very far. Probably mostly low level counseling positions etc. from my limited experience (a couple friends who only have bachelors in psych, vs. a couple with advanced degrees).
 
It doesn't take much to graduate from college beside a decent amount of money to pay for tuition. That said college doesn't get you a job, being smart and ambitious does. If you got all three, then you're set regardless of the job market.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']PwC asked me for my SAT score in my online part of the application, and E&Y was the firm named in that story I posted (never applied to them cause I heard other major horror stories about them). Thankfully I am excellent at standardized tests (some people are good at them, while some people are bad at them, has little to do with someone's real capability) and it wasn't an issue.[/quote]

That's fucking ridiculous. I've talked to some partners and they seemed pretty cool. I've also talked to plenty of hires too. I would have heard of this if it was brought up to any of my peers.
 
Okay, a couple questions for the three accounting Cag's here. What's the Big 4? And how close of what you do is like Quickbooks? I'm not proficient with it, but I'm getting there as I handle a small company's books. Mind you I've only had two classes of accounting, one year in high school and a semester in college years ago. While I never even gotten my AA, this has gotten me thinking of starting up again for a backup incase things don't go well. And it'll be harder as I'm 30 and haven't done school in awhile.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, it's a highly competitive field, a bachelors most likely won't get you very far. Probably mostly low level counseling positions etc. from my limited experience (a couple friends who only have bachelors in psych, vs. a couple with advanced degrees).[/quote]

Agreed. One of my friends who had a bachelor's in psychology is a social worker. Another couldn't find a job and became a nurse.
 
[quote name='SithFran']Okay, a couple questions for the three accounting Cag's here. What's the Big 4? And how close of what you do is like Quickbooks? I'm not proficient with it, but I'm getting there as I handle a small company's books. Mind you I've only had two classes of accounting, one year in high school and a semester in college years ago. While I never even gotten my AA, this has gotten me thinking of starting up again for a backup incase things don't go well. And it'll be harder as I'm 30 and haven't done school in awhile.[/quote]The Big 4 are the 4 largest accounting firms. Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
 
[quote name='DQT']What? SAT score? I've never ever heard a story like that. It's so damn hard to get meet their GPA requirements that I'd imagine they've already cut their application pool to a good small amount.[/quote]

As many people have said, it all depends on your situation. If you are looking for highly competitive investment/wall st jobs (think ibanking, hedge funds, etc) people will be looking at your gpa and SAT/GRE/GMAT scores well after you have graduated and completed several years work experience. For jobs that require raw intelligence, it's a fairly good, although obviously not perfect, indicator.
 
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Thanks. Sorry for talking over this thread. None of the coursework focuses on day to day bookkeeping, which Quickbooks is used for. All of it focuses on public accounting.

Also to D_Icon, yeah I have heard it is an uphill battle for psychology majors. They're hot, but they're also in the most popular major at my school as well. I really dislike trashing other majors but that's just how I see it.
 
[quote name='Koggit']The easier the major, the hotter the students.[/QUOTE]

This is true. Communications/Media was a gold mine.
 
[quote name='SithFran']Okay, a couple questions for the three accounting Cag's here. What's the Big 4? And how close of what you do is like Quickbooks? I'm not proficient with it, but I'm getting there as I handle a small company's books. Mind you I've only had two classes of accounting, one year in high school and a semester in college years ago. While I never even gotten my AA, this has gotten me thinking of starting up again for a backup incase things don't go well. And it'll be harder as I'm 30 and haven't done school in awhile.[/QUOTE]

At the Big 4 firm I work at we never use QuickBooks. We do do a shitload of client work on Excel though.
 
Since the Accountants have seemed to hijack this thread, I'll just jump back in and say that the company I'm at uses a mix of Traverse and Excel. Quickbooks is really pretty and simplified, but I think from my extremely limited exposure to it, the idea is along the same lines as most Accounting programs.
 
[quote name='lordwow']This is true. Communications/Media was a gold mine.[/quote]

We had student teachers for our basic comm classes. My class had a guy though. #-o
 
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