Surely there are some here? If you could share a little about your experience. I switched majors, determined I wanted the kind of life a career in accountancy could provide, but sometimes still waver and wonder if I really am making the right choice, even still at 27.
Penny for your thoughts?
As a professor of accountancy, I do not deal with parents. FERPA prohibits dealing with parents.
Not if they sign a waiver form.
I will win the lottery before that happens. I have been an accounting professor for over 10 years. Never happened and I will bet it never will. I do not even know if there is such a form at my college. I would never accept anything generated by a student or a parent unless it was vetted by the legal department at the college. Even than, i would have to be indemnified before I release any info.
I agree it’s very unlikely that a parent would come talk to their kid’s accounting professor about their grades lol. From the student perspective that would be humiliating. But I’m sure your school has a waiver form and it’s just not in your realm because admin would logically need it more than the faculty.
Yeah, I am not saying there isn't a form. But I have done this for a long time. I have never heard of anyone talking parents. Not just in business...any subject. This is one of the perks of being a professor versus k-12. K-12 have to deal with parents constantly. That is a big headache!
What if a partner parent just wanted to shoot the shit
Nada. If I was convinced Little Joey was in my class, I might say Joey is a nice kid. That is about all...and I might still be in violation of FERPA. Does not have the 'strength' of medical rules, but it is the same idea. Assuming you are an adult, If your parents wanted to talk to your doctor about your medical condition...I don't think the doctor would say anything.
There is a big reversal. K-12, those teachers tell everything to the parents (some restrictions in my state for gender/medical). College/university, professors do not say anything.
Exactly this.
Excellent advice. One of my mentors from practice has devoted himself to teaching auditing and accounting standards, especially to those at mid to small-size firms.
Visit r/Teachers.
Kids are monsters.
Some of the posts I see in that subreddit are wild.
I could only teach college/university. In college if a student fails it's their fault. In k-12 if a student fails the teacher takes all the blame.
Biggest reason I wouldn't become a professor is having to do research. Accounting research is boring AF and frankly pointless.
yep, my sister is a middle school art teacher and they're fucking horrible; threatening to bring guns to school, calling her a fat bitch, throwing desks at each other (and sometimes at her). she's only a few years in and already thinking of other options.
I get less satisfaction from my career, but I got more money and more bitches.
When do the bitches start coming in?
After your 5th pizza party.
Around your 2nd raise / first promotion
Nothing gets bitches hotter than accounting work 😎🧮
I am a CPA. In college, I thought about switching my major from accounting to math. My older brother (also a CPA) convinced me to stick with accounting. I did the audit/analysis route for several years. I made the switch to teacher (professor) a few years ago. Best decision ever. I am still an CPA and also a professor.
Good pay, excellent benefits and killer pension. Best work life balance. I highly recommend the professor of accountancy route!
Did u have to get your PhD?
In my state I can teach at the community college with a BS in Accounting and a CPA. Someone who has just this education level this probably will not get hired for a tenure track position. I have a BS in Accounting, MBA & CPA (I have another masters in an unrelated field). I am a tenured professor at a community college.
Most tenured accounting professors I know (a lot!) have a CPA, BS in Accounting and one of these - MS TAX, MA Accounting or MBA. Having the MBA also allows me to teach any of the business classes (not just accounting) in a Community College. I personally only like teaching accounting. But, the MBA makes me more attractive from the college's perspective since I can teach any business classes. I am also a 67% adjunct in the local state University.
Tenured professors at the state university have PHDs. In my state, community college professors start at a lower pay but can exceed the pay of a university professor. Also, state university accounting professors are restricted from having side gigs (tax practice, consulting, legal witness, etc.). I have always had a side tax practice and I have the part-time gig at the state university. The state university and the community college have different pensions, so I will have two different pensions in retirement.
I know a lot of teachers, but I don’t know any happy ones.
It truly depends on what you personally value more, job satisfaction or financial stability. I come from a family of teachers who absolutely love their jobs and their students. They admit that the pay is incredibly low, but are so passionate that they overlook that aspect. One of them tried to convince me to be a teacher but I had to bite my tongue on my response. I can’t say that I’m passionate about accounting per se, but I like my job more than the idea of dealing with misbehaving kids and their entitled parents. I’m passionate about my paycheck being 2-3x as much, and the prestige that comes from being a CPA.
ETA: Maybe consider becoming an accounting professor? Might be the best of both worlds
Well teaching provides more stability than anything in business.
And no. As someone who’s whole family is in teaching you dodged an absolutely massive bullet. You should have zero regrets. The teaching profession is a mess
Hard disgaree - i think if you are a tax professional, that is way more stable than even teaching. and it pays way more. I can't keep up with the demand and I'm not even trying to get clients.
Well most people aren’t tax accountants. Theres obviously situations where it can be. But it’s pretty difficult to get fired teaching. My family has never once worried about their jobs. Even public accounting has layoffs
I suggest finding a small boutique firm where you are too valuable to be laid off. I get it I have it way too good and I forget that sometimes.
I’m in state government making mid 6 figs and don’t work a lick over 40 hours. I don’t need a boutique firm.
Again. You’re speaking to the minority not the majority of accountants and teachers. I’m not saying we have bad stability in our industry. I’m saying as a whole teachers still have more than accountants
I have a cousin who wanted to become a teacher.
After having had a negative experience with my sociology degree, I dug into degree pay and versatility, and knew a teaching degree would set her on a track that would be hard to pivot out of.
I strongly encouraged her to, at the very least, double major in something like finance, in case she wanted to pivot out of teaching later. Her reply was “children/teaching are my passion, I’m not doing it for the money.”
Less than 2 years in, she now realizes how expensive life is, how underpaid our states teachers are, and is trying to pivot into corporate America. But she only has her teaching degree, and she can’t seem to even get in front of interviewers for $45k office jobs.
If she had gotten a finance degree, and hated corporate America making $65k a year from an office, she could have still become a teacher as our state certification process allows ANY 4 year degree to pursue certification.
You can always give advice, but adults have to be allowed to learn their own lessons sometimes.
She can get a masters in accounting or taxation? It’s only a year and basically a guaranteed job after. Finance isn’t the best choice for an undergrad degree anyway
She doesn’t want to do “accounting”. She only wants “an office job”. She doesn’t want to do jobs “that involve math”.
Her words.
Like I said. I can offer advice. But sometimes people have to find their own way in life.
wow i thought i was the only one that wanted to be a teacher but became an accountant. my mind was changed when my dad said ‘you can be a teacher with an accounting degree but can not be an accountant with a teaching degree’
Public school kids-12?
No.
Look, teaching is the same as police officer, paramedic / emergency medicine, pizza delivery, etc
You are on the front lines dealing with the lowest common denominator and whatever crisis they’re in.
It’s like being a prison guard. You may think you’re better off than the inmates because you’re ‘free’, but you’re both trapped in the same building all day.
I became an accountant and now I will be transitioning to be a teacher.
Obviously, you are talking more about elementary or high school, but I started out in PA for 5 years, went back to school for my PhD and will be starting as an assistant professor in the fall making snr mgr/director level pay.
Even for an accountant who just has a masters and CPA, teaching is quite viable, especially if you maintain some tax or bookkeeping clients on the side.
I have been teaching and have had a small tax practice on the side. Also, I am not sure what professors make in other states, but in my state professors make pretty good money. Tenure track professors at the state university level start at $150kish. The normal load is 15 units a year (5 classes), research/publishing and committee work. Pretty good gig if you ask me. Also, the 6 figure pension is pretty nice.
I think pensions are pretty much gone at this point. Everyone I know has a 403(b) now.
That being said, the worst interview I had was at a small state school where the salary was 140k before summer support. At the large state schools a research tenure track will net you around $300k all in starting and have a 3-0 teaching load (three classes one semester).
COL adjustments basically do not exist in academia though. So you will get paid the same in a LCOL midwest college town as you will in NYC, LA and DC
I am in California. The pensions are not going away anytime soon. Both sides love pensions in California (Dems and GOP). Teachers (leans liberal), fire fighter (leans GOP), cops (lends hard GOP). All of these major groups (with a lot of political power) love pensions! In addition, I have both 403b and 457 plan available to me (not true for all civil servants)
I am locked into my particular pension calculation. In my time, newer professors/teachers have a slightly (worse) pension calculation. The main difference being a later retirement age (I can retire at 55. Newer professors can retire at 60). Also, my pension is based on my highest year. Newer professors the pension is based upon the average of highest three years.
As far as COL, my college has a scale. You get a 3% or so increase every year for the first 13 or so years. After that the increases are 3% every three years. There is a cap, but I will probably retire before I hit that cap. Also, the union does a decent job negotiating the pay raises (at least so far).
Community college professors can do $200kish in California if they hustle - summer/winter, extra classes.
I'm a student, I'm stuck between Data Analytics, Accounting and Statistics. Still got 2 years to choose tho (in community college for accounting right now) Would be so much easier if I could just land internships in all 3 of those fields lol
I’m a CPA who is a data analyst AMA
YES! What was your parkour like ? Did you double major accounting with Data Analytics or did you learn it on the side and found a way to display those analytic skills on interviews / jobs ? If you learned it outside of a university, how ?
Looking back, would you still get your CPA or go bullish on Data Analytics, pay wise and your personal experience ?
Is there specific opportunities out there that require or at the very least would prefer someone with both Data Analytics and Accounting skills ?
Did you get internships in both fields or being a CPA already made the route easier to land job offers ?
Would you say the skills you learned in Data Analytics helped you a better accountant ?
Lastly, any advice or other skills one should add to his package ? I have at least 6 years in front of me before getting my CPA, I am quite young at the moment but I like having a clear path when I commit to things.
Thank you for your time !
If you have your masters you can be an adjunct.
I switched from working in accounting to being an accounting teacher. I will say that being a professor is significantly different than teaching k-12. If you have a masters, you can teach undergrads.
I have teachers in my family and I'm not jealous at all. Tbf they're not jealous of me either but I can afford to live by myself in a HCOL city and vacation whereever I want. And still save money
I never wanted to teach, but I taught for 10 years full time at a CC. I started after I received my Master's degree.
I was in the process of becoming a teacher. Shadowing teachers is what put an end to that. Kids are the worst, education system is trash, parents aren't held accountable, and "equitable" teaching requirements just means the class is held to the standard of the lowest person in the class
HARD pass
no! best choice.
I originally majored in linguistics, and my plan after a while was to teach English as a foreign language. I interned as a TEFL teaching assistant for two years toward that end.
The money was shit, but the actual reason I quit doing it was the guilt. There's no time of day that you can't lesson plan, cuz plans are just stored in your brain. So I'd be playing a game or whatever and my conscience would butt in to say Hey. You could be helping kids right now. Why aren't you? And that made me feel like shit all the time.
So I went back to school for accounting so that I could get work that I could leave at work. It's been...half-successful? I work in tax and enjoy it, so I still think about tax off the clock, but I don't feel guilty if I don't.
The money is also much better, of course.
My parents were both teachers and it can be a difficult job. Certainly not a job I’d want. I think teacher pay has improved with roles around 70k in cities. My Mom was almost clearing six figures as a fifth grade teacher when she retired. She had a Masters in English Lit and obv that was after many years of teaching. But you can definitely earn a living wage if you’re strategic about it. There’s a Ramsey institute factoid that makes the rounds online about careers most likely to make millionaires: teachers and accountants are both on there. If you go the university route teaching accounting with a PhD you’ll clear 200-250 pretty much immediately. Do your own research ofc but lots of options for either career.
I disagree with Dave Ramsey’s logic on that one. He claims that teachers are more likely to become millionaires because they marry higher net worth individuals, which shouldn’t count and instead should be based solely on individual merit.
Oh interesting. Yes that makes sense
200 to 250 straight out for an accounting professor is extremely rare. Most are going to start much lower and then work up from there. The national average is $140,000 with a range of $100k to $230k.
Teachers can get a pension (and retire at 55?). Maybe they earn more money in the end.
I'd rather make my own with higher pay and 401k's. Pensions outside of a few States are pretty underwhelming. The good pensions aren't being doled out anymore. An accountant who earns 50%-100% more and just shovels that all into the market can retire by 50 easy. It's only lifestyle inflation that prevents that.
Well I entered college wanting to be a high school history teacher, because they were my favorite teacher in school. But as I got into it I realized quickly that I didn't have the personality/desire to do it, so I changed my major. I was going to go into business analytics but the school I went to didn't offer it, so I thought accounting was close enough. I don't regret it, but I do feel bad for the teaching profession and wish I could help in some way.
Never.
I’m briefly jealous of spring break, summer break, fall break, and winter break. However, kids suck and teacher pay sucks.
Originally i wanted to be a teacher. Two semesters of teaching disabused me of that notion.
No regrets
I 100% regret it but also have no idea how I would pay my student loans back on a teacher salary. Also the education system is under attack.
You can get your student loans forgiven if you teach a certain number of years.
You do still have to pay on them for those 10 years
I am not sure of the details on the loan forgiveness, but that sounds correct. I have some colleagues in another departments who had 6 figures of debt wiped out. I guess it depends on the amount owed. $20k of debt will probably be paid off quickly. $220K of debt might still have a balance after 10 years. But, I have very limited knowledge on this. I do know that some professors have had their debt cancelled.
recently explored the idea of getting my masters so i could teach as an end game and when i saw how much it would cost vs what the reward would be I decided hell no i'll never be a teacher
I make more as a finance systems analyst than a principal of a decent size high school
You will always regret every choice you make in your life if you think deeply enough. Because every choice you make requires grieving the lives we could have led with other choices. Don't focus on the regret. It's always going to be there. Focus on the growth and the future.
That being said... What you really want to hear is an answer to the question "should I follow my dreams or line up and follow orders"
Always follow your dreams....IF you're resilient enough to deal with the outcome when it goes badly. It's always about balance. The more balance you find within yourself the less need you'll feel to ask strangers on the internet for advice. You're looking for authority elsewhere, when no one really knows. We're all just guessing. Be your own authority.
Also I'm on an eighth of magic mushrooms and feeling very anti-authority right now lol
I had a break due to getting a chronic illness in college. The best thing I did afterwards was substitute teach. I learned that K-12 is awful and I pursued accounting.
I didn't end up getting my CPA (I have the 150 credit hours to sit) or Master's degree, but I ended up working at a community college. I am a staff accountant and I see a lot more of everything running through the college.
There is no financial incentive to get my CPA (or other certifications) or my Master's as the pay would not increase, nor would CPE be reimbursed. I get state benefits and a pension.
In order to teach at a community college you need a Master's degree in the subject or a Master's degree in any subject with 18 graduate level credit hours in the subject you will be teaching.
I would substitute teach prior to pursuing a degree in education if you want to teach K-12.
I think you can still get into teaching if you do well enough to retire early, or are ok with teaching when you’re old, or taking a pay cut and maybe some instability. To be a accounting professor with a pension you’d need a PhD, but a CPA and a masters is all you need to be an adjunct I’m pretty sure. My tax prof was a retired PwC partner zooming in from his house in Florida.
I taught in China for a few years and loved it. Sometimes the kids were unruly, but the respect for teachers was way higher there than it is in the US. If the culture around teaching was better, I'd have done it in the US. But it's just not.
You can pull a Hannah Montana and get the best of both worlds by becoming an accounting teacher
And then there is me. Planning to be the most unemployed accounting professor once the pipeline collapses
I am a director and do a lot of teaching - leading a global team. I love it. Periodically I have been invited to give guest lectures at local colleges. You have to have enough industry experience to teach, but there will be ample opportunities for you once you do.
I also have the opportunity to teach interns, which is another form of giving back.
No, but I do webinars and write articles to help my sense of supporting education.
I was a teacher. It was easily the most difficult job I have ever had. I left it wanting to be able to sit down at a desk and work on a project. I can’t overstate how exhausting it was to get up and talk in front of children for hours on end.
Tbh, I wasn’t good at teaching. It wasn’t the right career path for me. I didn’t know how to discipline children, and I wasn’t mentally fit to have to deal with societal problems that are much, much bigger than me or the kids I was teaching.
All the time. Waking up with less than 50% chance I have to work would be great.
not in the slightest. was considering teaching and was going to get credentialed. did some after-school tutoring at a middle school and realized there was no way i'd ever want to do that for the rest of my life. i'm very happy with my accounting career.
10 years ago my wife left her accounting firm to teach accounting classes at a college. She is still a CPA.
She is very happy with her transition.
Try your hand as a substitute teacher. It was eye opening for me.
I switched from teaching to public accounting. Clients cry more than my students did. And not in a joking way. Clients will tell you that their spouse passed away or something awful that happened to them or start talking about a lawsuit they are involved in. One time a client told me her husband was murdered and told me what happened to him. Very sad. Teaching is sad but some of the kids don’t really know how bad their situation is or are used to it. That can also be why it is hard to know if a child is being abused.
Started college as an elementary ed major. Graduated as an accountant, got my CPA, did 2 years in public and now have 5 YOE and work as a data analyst for an internal audit shop. I make more now than I would in 30 years as a teacher.
Now don’t get me wrong my passion is still working with kids. Fortunately I’ve found an outlet for that that I think I love more than I ever would have loved teaching (I’m a small group leader at my church). I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to invest and shape kids - doing what I do now checks that box without any of the negatives of teaching. And I get to foster those relationships in a much deeper way than if I was a teacher - I hang out with my high schoolers ALL THE TIME, like several times a week, and it’s my favorite thing about my life. Watching them grow into men/women rewards me more than my career ever will, and I still get to make bank and not deal with all the BS teachers do.
If you want to make a difference in kids lives, go do it - that is SO needed, and you can definitely fit it into your life. You do not have to be a teacher.
I don't regret it. Changed my mind in college after volunteering with highschool kids over a summer. I mistve lost my cool and flipped out on those kids at least half a dozen times. I remember after one blowout, the director found me outside having a cigarette in the rain and calmly said, "you know, i think we should try to stop cursing out the kids." Those kids really know how to test your patience, and I realized that I liked the idea of teaching more than actually doing it.
A few years ago, when I was still in PA, we had a high school program come to the firm and they asked for volunteers to talk/give presentations about what we did. My wife is a teacher so I asked her about how to structure a lesson plan and I put some effort into a "class." The students fucking loved it and the teachers that ran the program tried to convince me to go into teaching. It's really fun to come up with a banger lesson plan as some outside speaker, but doing that shit day in and day out gets old for the kids and they start to fuck with you. I still have aspirations of becoming an adjunct later in life, but right now, I couldn't be happier with the decision. It sounds crass, but the money is way better. More importantly, though, I'm at a point in my career where I take the jobs I want and have a good amount of autonomy with my schedule. Realistically, the work still needs to get done, but I have a good amount of discretion as to how it gets done. Also, I can always say no to shitbag clients and PITA projects that aren't worth the hassle.
People love to bitch about thos "career" like there's one path. It's what you make it. If you like teaching, you can always teach accounting. If you have a need/desire to impart wisdom or guidance, you can absolutely do that without being a career. If you network right, you can always be a guest speaker/presenter if you just have that "itch" to be the cool/fun teacher.
I was a teacher for 4 years in Florida. With zero accounting experience, I went back to school and got my masters. Best thing I ever did. Started at B4 at almost the same salary I’d have after 30 years of teaching. I wake up every day grateful to not be a teacher anymore. I miss the kids, even though I was in a rough school, but I literally don’t miss anything else. Been 5 years since I retired from teaching and I have not regretted it for a second.
No, never - I try to use my position as an opportunity to teach those around me though. A lot of my clients are younger (early 20s), so when I notice they have any interest at all I lean into it and try to impart a little accounting/tax knowledge.
I went into college with my major being “undeclared.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and after 2 years I told the guidance counselor ok I’m between child development and something in finance and she said “do you want to be poor” with a straight face and I’ll never forget it. Shallow but she was right 😬 Never looked back ✌🏼
I double majored in math and education because I had a passion for it. I spent the first 3 years of my career in education; I taught math for grades 4-8 and did SPED intervention during STAAR testing. While I loved what I did in the beginning, there was a high burnout rate that didn’t seem to be getting better for me.
During my final summer of teaching, I applied to accounting jobs to test the waters of what else I could do with my degree/resume. I only intended it to be temporary but have been in industry accounting for 8 year now and love what I do. I now make more money than I could ever have dreamed of as a teacher and have a schedule thats more consistent.
Aw man, this post is for me. I have two degrees. My first is in Child Development and I wanted to be a teacher. I went back to school to be an accountant because the pay was terrible. I don't regret it at all. I have two kids and that is enough. I do watch and follow K-2nd grade teachers on YouTube. I just find it fascinating.
I couldn't be happier that I went from education to accounting as a major.
I actually was a mathematics major for teacher education a few years ago. I tried it out taking on paraprofessional role & the complaints from the teachers who were already established with degrees often mentioned working second jobs or not making enough money. I instantly went searching for a better major. I graduated in may & I’ve already been offered at 72k position with a 10% bonus. I think I made the right choice and I’m 24. I hope this puts your mind at ease.
Yes , I’m one of those people, and no I don’t regret it . You will always be have a job whether it’s with a small company or a big one . You can also start your own business.
Had a 2 week break down the next to last semester in college that I needed to get out of accounting and into education. Didn’t because “it was too late” and 4 years into my career I don’t know if I made the right choice yet.
Probably doesn’t help that I am currently being paid teacher salary for a much stressful work environment. Teachers are respected but if I was making this and getting my summers off I wouldn’t give a damn.
I'm the exact opposite. I have a degree in accounting and became a public school teacher. I never missed my child's games or events. I never worked 12 months in a row. My stress level is low. I'm about to retire and draw half my salary.
Granted I didn't make near the money I would have made as an accountant. But now I'm actually considering getting a job in business to challenge myself.
Still not really considering accounting based on the horror stories I read on this subreddit.
Nope
I thought about being a chef or a baker. But my palette sucks and I dislike a lot of common stuff. So accounting it is lol
Never become a teacher. Those that can do it are already doing it, those that can't teach. Just like everything else. Teachers are people that failed to make a career out of their studies in the private industry.
I never set out to be a teacher, but as an accountant I spend an enormous percentage of my time training adults. I encourage you not to think of this as an either/or choice, just a different format.
ETA: with a better paycheck, and no phone calls from anyone's parent.