Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Degree Plan TESU BSBA in Accounting
#11
Definitely possible if u do it full time . Part time it depends.
[-] The following 1 user Likes Cofffeee's post:
  • thecontrarian
Reply
#12
(04-16-2021, 12:26 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: TESU BSBA Accounting/CPA is for the NJ track, I highly recommend doing a WGU Accounting after that to bump you up to 150 credits.

Thanks for the heads up on that BJ.

(04-16-2021, 12:42 PM)Flelm Wrote:
(04-16-2021, 09:10 AM)thecontrarian Wrote: Do you think that this is a viable plan to execute in 9 - 12 months? I appreciate that this is more subjective and dependant upon me personally, but does it seem unreasonable to you in any way?

I hate to say it, but it really does depends on you. Taking real courses through TESU complicates that, and not having any experience in accounting does as well. Are you going to treat this like a full-time job, or more? I think it's definitely possible, but ambitious, and don't be discouraged if you don't achieve your goal.

Thanks Flelm. It's going to be close to full-time, but definitely not 100%. Additionally, I've only got limited accounting experiance. I'll keep it pragmatic on my expectations. Appreciate your guidance.

(04-16-2021, 12:45 PM)Cofffeee Wrote: Definitely possible if u do it full time . Part time it depends.

Thanks for the guidance Cofffeee. Its gonna be somewhere between the two. I'll be realistic about expectations for myself.
Reply
#13
(04-16-2021, 12:42 PM)Cofffeee Wrote: By the way,  could anyone be kind to tell me average income for CPA. I do ask average since it will vary for many reasons.  I dont think income reported on usual salary websites reflects full picture.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (part of the federal government) says the average income for “auditors and accountants” is around $74,000/year.  

What you will find is that there is a HUGE range for accountants’ salaries. There are accountants (usually not CPA, but people with an accounting degree) working basically as bookkeepers who earn 30,000-40,000 per year, especially in smaller towns and lower cost of living areas. Same things for people who work as accounting “clerks” and “technicians” in small companies, non-profits, etc, make that or a little more. On the other end of the spectrum, the partners in Big 4 accounting firms can make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Of course, the partners in Big 4 firms represent a very small part of the accounting profession and it takes years of hard work, sacrifice, and some good luck to get there. 

If you end up earning your CPA, have a few years of experience under your belt, and particularly in a higher cost-of-living area like NJ, you should definitely expect a high 5-figure to low 6-figure salary. More than that if you are willing to sacrifice more of your life to your job and have the ambition.  Also, if you have a lot of connections and can help drive business to your firm (especially in smaller to mid-sized firms), that is also very helpful to your career.  Wink
Master of Accountancy (taxation concentration), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress. 
Master of Business Administration (financial planning specialization), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress.

BA, UMPI.  Accounting major; Business Administration major/Management & Leadership concentration.  Awarded Dec. 2021.

In-person/B&M: BA (history, archaeology)
In-person/B&M: MA (American history)

Sophia: 15 courses (42hrs)
[-] The following 1 user Likes freeloader's post:
  • thecontrarian
Reply
#14
Greatly appreciated for your explanation. I always thought that salaries statistics are a bit misleading for CPAs. So its good to know extra information.
Do u think its reasonable to consider opening own CPA business? Or its better to stick to buiding career inBig 4?
Reply
#15
(04-16-2021, 02:03 PM)Cofffeee Wrote: Greatly appreciated for your explanation.  I always thought that salaries statistics are a bit misleading for CPAs. So its good to know extra information.
Do u think its reasonable to consider opening own CPA business? Or its better to stick to buiding career inBig 4?

I wouldn’t want to work for a Big 4 accounting firm. I work for the federal government and am getting my accounting degree at UMPI. My ambition is to become a revenue agent (auditor/examiner) with the IRS. 

Firstly, it is hard to get a job with a Big 4 firm. They often have their pick of the best students at the best schools.  Maybe if I had gone into accounting when I was in school the first time, but not for me now. 

Secondly, they expect people to work A LOT. I had friends from college who worked at Big 4 firms. The two that I talked to spent multiple nights per month at their office, working through the night or sleeping I their office. They were on the road all the time and were under huge pressure to move cases along VERY quickly. I am middle-aged now with a family. NONE of that sounds fun to me. 

Thirdly, they tend to churn through people. Their organizational structure is like a pyramid. Lots of junior people at the bottom, very small number of people at the very top (the ones who make huge money). Both of my friends that joined Big 4 firms left after a few years—one got burnt out and quit, the other had it made clear he wasn't becoming a partner and quit. Again, not for me. 

If you end up doing the TESU thing, I would really try to talk to people in your area who work as accountants in different jobs/industries. Also, consider trying to get an internship if you can. Business schools, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, tend to do a lot of events that bring speakers to campuses, bring firms and other employers to campuses, etc. One of the downsides of doing an online degree is missing out on that. Try to see if you can replicate it for yourself.  TESU may also be able to help you with some of that learning, since you are in the area. 

Practically speaking, you are going to have to work for/with somebody else when you first get started. Assuming you want the CPA (in Jersey), you have to work under a licensed CPA for a year in an accounting (or audit, tax, etc) job for a year before you officially earn the designation. 

After that, it just depends on what you want to do.  Do you have friends and acquaintances who would hire you for accounting jobs?  Are you interested in doing a lot of selling and marketing?  If so, then going out on your own might make a lot of sense. If you do, your income potential is going to be pretty limited unless you have people working for your firm. Do you want to deal with hiring/firing, HR-type stuff, etc?  If so, running a small firm makes sense. If not, it might not be for you. 

Maybe you like the idea of working 40 hours per week, leaving your work at the office, and having tremendous job security but kind of limiting your earning potential. If so, a job with the federal or NJ government might be for you. 

Maybe, after you take more accounting classes, you realize that tax and audit (the main thrust of Big 4 and many larger regional firms) are not your interest. Maybe you fall in love with managerial accounting. Instead of the CPA, maybe you end up working as a CMA with a big company. Maybe you decide you like payroll or AP/AR, and end up working for a company in a role doing one of those types of work. 

The long and the short of it—if you don’t have a lot of experience with accounting and haven’t taken any/many/most of your accounting classes, try to keep an open mind. There are accountants working in a huge variety of jobs in different settings.
Master of Accountancy (taxation concentration), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress. 
Master of Business Administration (financial planning specialization), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress.

BA, UMPI.  Accounting major; Business Administration major/Management & Leadership concentration.  Awarded Dec. 2021.

In-person/B&M: BA (history, archaeology)
In-person/B&M: MA (American history)

Sophia: 15 courses (42hrs)
[-] The following 2 users Like freeloader's post:
  • Flelm, jch
Reply
#16
Thank you a lot. Good luck with ur goals. How do u find UMPI Accounting degree?
Reply
#17
I think that if you're going to get your CPA, you're better off doing a lot of your accounting courses somewhere where you can learn more. It's one thing for someone to quickly get a bunch of accounting credit via alternative providers if they have years of accounting experience, or just want to get a business degree because they're already working; it's quite another to think that you can learn what you need to become a successful accountant using these materials. I just don't think you'll learn what you need to.

I would consider doing an accounting degree at UMPI (using Sophia to get as many credits as you can, and maybe Study.com to do Bio w/lab and a few additional courses in the major), and then getting your MS in Accounting at WGU.

If you really want TESU, then you can, but I would probably still look at WGU for the MS in Accounting. You really need those additional credits, so you may as well get an MS while you're doing so - and learn as much as you possibly can.

--------------------------------------------------------

Regarding the TESU plan you have, here's what I see:

Take Public Speaking at Sophia, or Presentation Skills at Study.com
Critical Info Literacy is not a TECEP, it's a TESU course (the cornerstone)
American Civil War is not a Sophia course, it's a Study.com course - and I would stick with the LL course instead (HIS 106: The Civil War & Reconstruction)
The Math requirement is fulfilled by Stats only (but you have it as a GE Elective, so that's fine; you just mixed those up)
For the Finance requirement, TESU wants FIN 104: Financial Management instead of FIN 101

Also, I can't quite figure out what you're doing with TESU courses. Are you planning on taking 18cr at TESU? And since they're obviously not going to be done in a single term to take advantage of the FT Flat-Rate In-State pricing (you wouldn't be allowed to without enough of your UL accounting courses completed prior to the capstone), are you doing them in 2 of those terms ($7,158)? Or paying for Per-credit tuition, which works out to $7,182? That seems high to me for this degree, when you get get it cheaper elsewhere (UMPI or even just a BSBA at COSC) and then getting an MS. I think you're going to end up paying too much doing it this way.

You can swap out one of the accounting courses for Study.com's ACC 301: Applied Managerial Accounting; you can take the Federal Income Tax TECEP exam; you can take some courses through Univ of Northern Alabama Accounting Career Completion Program ($545/course). Just lots of ways to bring prices down no matter where you go.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
Reply
#18
To learn more for CPA, u r better to go for prep courses such Wiley,  Rogers and so on. They r built around CPA requirements for that particular year u r taking exam. I dont see point of going for classes which u have to do tons of work in particular schedules and stress out for grades. If it can be replaced by SDC and few additional self paced courses. U r better getting ur degree faster and focus on good Quality CPA review courses 
Also it will be probably self teaching like maths courses at TESU. So rather spend this effort on the curriculum which covers CPA exams
Reply
#19
(04-16-2021, 08:49 AM)Flelm Wrote: AP Tests: I'm not sure where you got the information about using only 3. TESU will treat the AP tests as other alternative credit: It counts towards your maximum 90 credit allowable limit. So, assuming you got at least 3s, you'll have:

6 credits of World History (HIS 121/122)
6 credits of US History (HIS 113/114)
8 credits of Physics with Lab (PHY 115/116)
3 credits of Calculus (MAT-231)

This will cover your Knowledge of Human Cultures, Physical/Natural World, Quantitative Analysis, and put some extra credits into your GE Electives.

Yes, not sure where the idea came from of limits, but this is all correct (except that you'll actually get 4cr for calc). So 24cr of AP is awesome, and you'll want to use every bit of those.

Don't do US History I & II through Sophia, those are duplicate.  You'll also need to remove some other courses, since you'll have too many GE credits.

Definitely do the 3 math TECEP exams, those should be very easy for you.

You might also want to consider MTH 117 - Finite Math through ONU since it's a self-paced course, will count as RA credit, and only costs $150 (you'll have to wait until after graduation, since they don't allow high schoolers to take courses).

Last - you might want to consider taking all of your accounting courses via Study.com (or Sophia and Study combo) as planned, and then doing a term of e-Pack courses at TESU to get 15cr - do the cornerstone via regular online (no other option), then e-Pack Am Govt, Computers (business core), Stats, and then maybe do an additional UL accounting course via online.  Then, the capstone is your final course, which you can pay $1200 for, and you've avoided the Residency Waiver.

Just some thoughts.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
Reply
#20
(04-16-2021, 09:26 PM)Cofffeee Wrote: To learn more for CPA, u r better to go for prep courses such Wiley,  Rogers and so on. They r built around CPA requirements for that particular year u r taking exam. I dont see point of going for classes which u have to do tons of work in particular schedules and stress out for grades. If it can be replaced by SDC and few additional self paced courses. U r better getting ur degree faster and focus on good Quality CPA review courses 
Also it will be probably self teaching like maths courses at TESU. So rather spend this effort on the curriculum which covers CPA exams
Just curious: do you plan to work as an accountant before sitting for the CPA exam?  If so, don’t you think it would be a good idea to understand accounting?  When you go for a job interview and they throw some moderately hard accounting questions (challenging, but reasonable for somebody who did well in an accounting undergrad program), would you like to actually be able to answer them?  

I am sure you have seen this: accounting is the language of business. It is a lot like a foreign language. Foreign languages take time to lean.  So does accounting. One subject builds on the last.  Maybe you are super clever and can pass some tests with ACE providers and then cram everything you need with a CPA review course, but maybe not.  I love the Prof Farhat videos. He says on many occasions that CPA review courses do not teach you accounting. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but he probably has a better sense than you or I do. 

Let me put this one other way: most people who take the CPA exam, which is 4 tests, are also working full time as an accountant or something closely related. Assuming you do that, you expect to work 40 (or more, sometime a lot more) hours a week, learn 4 years worth of general accounting content, plus the specific stuff for the CPA exam, and take the tests?  Again, maybe you can, but I wouldn’t want to even try.
Master of Accountancy (taxation concentration), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress. 
Master of Business Administration (financial planning specialization), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in progress.

BA, UMPI.  Accounting major; Business Administration major/Management & Leadership concentration.  Awarded Dec. 2021.

In-person/B&M: BA (history, archaeology)
In-person/B&M: MA (American history)

Sophia: 15 courses (42hrs)
Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Need some advice on my plan jobojoe285 0 2 6 minutes ago
Last Post: jobojoe285
  Educational Degree Planning Help nhmimi 7 151 3 hours ago
Last Post: rachel83az
  Degree planning help - UMPI BBA vs PUG BSBA crowbird 35 657 3 hours ago
Last Post: rachel83az
  Path/degree recommendation for a 40 yr old man with no degree Freyo27 1 62 5 hours ago
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Degree Planning- MS degree dodek101 8 343 9 hours ago
Last Post: Captainrekt000
  Potential Degree Input, Please curious 4 152 Yesterday, 06:39 AM
Last Post: curious
  DBA degree: online, 2-3 years, top US or UK school, accredited absamer 22 1,484 03-26-2024, 11:54 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Degree Planning Advice - 31, Norway, No Higher Education ASenna 28 1,859 03-26-2024, 06:00 AM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Masters Degree in Texas Melhux 3 181 03-26-2024, 05:45 AM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  BACS BSCIS plan guidance LAMi 23 348 03-25-2024, 09:11 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)