I snagged a part-time bookkeeping job for the summer, which is perfect, because I think having some bookkeeping experience will be really helpful as an auditor!

It’s hard to go and ask people in your client’s accounting department for paperwork without really understanding how an accounting system functions. Now, even if a client has a different accounting system than the company I’m working for now, I’ll have the confidence to know that my ignorance is of that specific system, not of bookkeeping in general.

Of course, having a degree in accounting means that bookkeeping is pretty understandable, and I already understand the concepts, but participating in the process at a real company just makes me feel that much more competent and reassures me that I really did learn something over the last five years!

Note: This post turned out to be a little long and theoretical, but as a college student, and as someone trying to become part of the workforce after college, this topic is very meaningful for me, and hopefully for some of you readers out there.

On my drive home tonight I was listening to NPR as they talked about various criticism and support for President Obama’s claim that we should try and get every American to go to college, and that most of the new jobs created in the US will require some college. (Read/listen to the story here.)

I think this is an interesting topic, because I come from a family where we consider education very important and we were expected to go to college and even graduate school. Overall, I agree with his plan to try and get every American to have at least a year of college, because people should have the opportunity to try it before they decide whether or not to pursue it further.

However, as some of the critics pointed out, not everyone wants or needs to go to college. One economics professor even argued that while many jobs will require training, it is mostly on-the-job training, rather than a college education that will provide the needed skills.

What do you really learn in college?

I liked studying accounting because I learned information I would use directly in my job once I graduate. (You still have to learn almost everything about how to do the job in accounting, but you have 4 years of learning the background terms and concepts.)

Many college students study an area that does not (directly) relate to their first job. On the other hand, some companies prefer to hire college graduates with no knowledge of how to do a job to someone without a college degree. Therefore, they must see some benefit to a college education beyond getting direct knowledge of how to perform the tasks required in the workplace.

The explanation I have heard regarding this is that college teaches you critical thinking skills how to communicate. From where I stand, this seems somewhat true, but I also know that going to a good high school can do the same thing. So perhaps everyone should get a chance to go to college to learn what they should have learned in their 12 years of free public education?

Should we educate for the jobs we expect to have, or will our education now determine our future jobs?

I found the arguments over whether or not our expected future jobs will require higher education to be interesting. I wonder if you can plan to educate for the jobs we expect to be available, or if the education people get now will influence the jobs available in this country in a couple of years.

Even if there are few jobs available in science, for example, if many students get science degrees now, will they not create their own industry as they graduate and try to find work for themselves? If there are no jobs, someone will have to innovate, and entrepreneurs with the excess skills may create new niches that utilize the skilled graduates available.

My conclusions

These are just some of the thoughts rolling around in my head, and I haven’t quite organized them yet. Also, I’m kind of an idealist, no? Here are my main conclusions:

1. College for everyone would be nice, but isn’t necessary.
2. Future jobs will depend on the skills we have, not the other way around. But more college graduates may lead to more jobs for skilled workers being created or moved to the US.
3. Improving high school and on-the-job training could potentially aid us just as much and possibly more than everyone in the US having at least one year of college.

Any thoughts?

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!