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I just graduated from College 2 weeks ago with an Accounting Degree and I am one of the students who graduated without a job lined up, I had a solid 3.4 GPA in college but no relevant work experience in accounting. Now the search for a job has started but it seems every entry level job in Accounting requires some sort of experience and unfortunately no one is willing to train anyone from scratch. Right now i am looking at doing the following:
1) Internships
2)Training/Development programs
3) CPA license
4) Grad School in fall 2013
I had some similar problems with my field (engineering). Apparently the world has changed a lot! Engineering and accounting are more similar than I thought about 3 weeks ago. In the 2000's, companies lost a lot. They were also frustrated with their training programs, so they cut them.
You know most people work for accounting firms as an "apprentice" type job and then leave for a higher wage? So companies stopped losing money on training people, and started hiring the guy at the competitors job to fill the slot.
This make a fresh graduate feel like his degree is useless. (It also makes his parents wonder what's wrong with him bc he doesn't have a job, or is taking a crappy one) That's how I felt.
You've got to do one of to things. Either think big, and find a company with a lot of resources (ie. training program). Or, think small. Like a small town, or maybe your home town. Or lower level position (intern, co-op, or even something worse ) . Something that will give you soft skills, and a little experience. BTW it hurt a lot when I heard those words.
It's a tough world right now. There are more experienced candidates that you could ever imagine. As much as it hurts to take an internship, that's what I did 4 months ago. Thanks to that, I have a few employers after me. It was one of the best things I did because I got to expand my relevant skill set. I would like to say I got to hang out until the economy got better, but it just tanked even more. I would also like to add; it will be tough to stay in the same geographic location. Apply EVERYWHERE. If you get 2 offers and one is in a place you like and the other isn't you can choose. If not, you can take the one in the place you don't want and pay for your education.
FYI: THE BEST TIME TO APPLY IS NOW. That's because all of the companies have done their accounting and they know how much money (how many ppl) they can afford. Some fiscal calendars end in October/September, others in Dec. You should take advantage and apply your heart out. even if you get hired by a company and laid off quickly (stupid company) you have that bit of experience from being there.
You should also look into government jobs. www.usajobs.gov is a good site to start with. Many government agencies have paid internship opportunities as well as developmental training programs where you can earn a decent salary in a training position GS 7/9 and after a couple of years of training move up to a leadership/management position GS 11/12/13
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I am at a public agency and we have an opening now for an accountant, 6 years experience required, and it's the lowest level Accounting job we have. I would suggest trying to find some part-time work at one or more small "mom & pop" businesses, if you cannot find anything else, to get some experience. An advanced degree won't help if you don't have experience, and until the economy gets a lot better, there are plenty of experienced accountants available to fill the jobs.
Pretty easy solution. Apply to similar positions to get some experience. Accounting should be pretty easy. Look for a job in purchasing or as a book keeper if you cant find anything in accounting. Give it a year then upgrade to the job you want
Pretty easy solution. Apply to similar positions to get some experience. Accounting should be pretty easy. Look for a job in purchasing or as a book keeper if you cant find anything in accounting. Give it a year then upgrade to the job you want
Its not as easy as you say, the jobs you listed have extraordinarily requirements too, maybe its just in ATL i may consider relocating if i don't get anything by March 2013.
I am at a public agency and we have an opening now for an accountant, 6 years experience required, and it's the lowest level Accounting job we have. I would suggest trying to find some part-time work at one or more small "mom & pop" businesses, if you cannot find anything else, to get some experience. An advanced degree won't help if you don't have experience, and until the economy gets a lot better, there are plenty of experienced accountants available to fill the jobs.
You are right the market is so saturated with degrees that it is difficult to compete. If none of the big firms pick you early, you pretty much left to fight it out with the hundreds of Accountants who have be out of work since 2008. But am keeping my fingers crossed and am applying to mostly development programs and internships just to get my foot in the door and step on from there.
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) . Something that will give you soft skills, and a little experience. BTW it hurt a lot when I heard those words.
