I decided to study accounting because I knew I wanted to work in business, and all of the adults in my life insisted that accounting is the foundation of all business. Therefore, studying accounting would give me a good background for any type of work I might want to do. Is this true?

I don’t have enough experience with the working world to know this, but accounting can definitely help. The main part of your job might involve more soft skills, such as effective leadership, but accounting will help you think logically, and understand how and why the organization you work for runs a certain way.

I definitely began to doubt the usefulness of my degree, even to actually work in accounting, as many people told me that nothing I learned in school would be applicable in a “real world” accounting job. That, at least, I can say is definitely not true. It’s true, I always feel confused, and have to be taught how to do each task. But this work would be 10 times more confusing if I hadn’t already learned about debits, credits, accruals, and other accounting concepts at school.

I’m also a firm believer in the fact that universities require students to take many “core” classes that probably won’t relate to their major. Work encompasses far more than the technical facts I learned in my major courses. I have to interact with clients and my fellow teammates. I have to deal with learning new tasks, having to ask for help, and still being really confused about what’s going on. Logically, education prepares you to be a better learner in the workplace.

Other than that, I’m still waiting to see. It definitely is a valued major to have. Even now, in a recession, I have a chance of getting a full-time job offer, for more money that most of my friends would earn at their first job in a good economy. If you’re debating between getting an accounting degree, and something else, feel free to get in touch with me about your questions/concerns!