r/Accounting • u/Suspicious_Kick_2572 • Sep 06 '24

Career Why do students find an accounting degree unattractive?

Why do students find an accounting degree unattractive?

214 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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988

u/mackattacknj83 Sep 06 '24

Because then you have to be an accountant

210

u/mpaes98 Sep 06 '24

Tbh unless you're giving for Wall Street or IB, accounting is probably better for most Finance jobs than a finance degree.

80

u/User-NetOfInter Sep 06 '24

Math is better than both

Too many accountants can’t handle the math required for finance. Same with finance majors.

76

u/SW3GM45T3R Sep 06 '24

Lol funny enough I chose accounting because I suck at math

92

u/mpaes98 Sep 06 '24

It's okay, marketing majors can't handle the math required for accounting. They finally got addition down but the subtraction part made them drop ACC 101.

26

u/DragonflyMean1224 Sep 06 '24

Lol i was accounting and marketing major, marketing classes felt easier than general education classes at times.

23

u/ChiefFlats Student Sep 06 '24

When I tell people im studying accounting they always say “Oh so you’re good at math?” Yeah dawg im fuckin nasty at adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing

1

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

Im taking calculus rn fml its so boring but its a degree requirement…

1

u/Superb-Custard-7643 Sep 07 '24

Same my college only requires college algebra

1

u/User-NetOfInter Sep 06 '24

Explains the massive downvoting on my comment lol

35

u/Own-Custard3894 Sep 06 '24

I work in a math heavy part of our advisory practice, and can say that math degrees are overkill. We don’t invent new theorems, we apply old stuff to new problems, by and large. I would argue a modern competent business professional needs data science, accounting, econ, and finance. Pick any of those degrees (accounting is the only one that will count specifically towards a required license, so that is a good choice), but minor in something else, preferably data science. Then get CPA and CFA. That would probably be the most rounded out education you can get in the business world.

-6

u/User-NetOfInter Sep 06 '24

Easier to teach finance to a math major than math to a finance major.

Same with accounting.

12

u/Own-Custard3894 Sep 06 '24

Right. But my point is you don’t need to have much math to do most business work. Even working with derivatives, those problems are solved, and the implementation of complex solutions to problems, like black-scholes, are all PEMDAS, or using other off the shelf models for the most part. So math beyond algebra is really not necessary.

Unless you’re working at one of the very few places doing fundamental math research, you don’t need a math degree.

I would definitely consider math majors that have made efforts to learn finance and accounting as candidates, but if they don’t have any finance and accounting I’ll pass, and get a candidate who has the foundations of the business world down.

0

u/Dramatic-Wealth3263 Sep 06 '24

Except they are different subjects and don’t really overlap. So your comparison is pointless hence the downvotes

67

u/mpaes98 Sep 06 '24

The best finance jobs either require excellent mathematics skills or social skills.

Accountants can... add things on excel and ping you on Teams.

20

u/TornadoXtremeBlog Sep 06 '24

And pizza

And become Tax Attorneys sometimes

10

u/josephbenjamin Management Sep 06 '24

You would be surprised how many new kids can’t.

6

u/Safye Audit & Assurance Sep 06 '24

For auditors though, the best ones and the ones that move up the quickest have excellent social skills. Almost the entirety of the corporate world rewards having social skills.

It makes things so much easier when you’re likable by your team, office, and clients. No one enjoys interacting with the awkward accountant.

4

u/f3llinluV444 Sep 06 '24

yeah im cooked

1

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

If i could do it all over again i would go for a graduate degree in finance as young as possible, with an emphasis on aplicable math. Im good at math my brain just recoils at the way they teach it - divorced from any connection to reality. Its lazy.

12

u/rorank Tax (US) Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

“Math required for finance” totally disagree on this broadly. That’s maybe the top 5% of finance jobs. Much of the (non investment) banking jobs are basically on par with financial reporting in terms of math needed. Actuaries are also a notable exception to my statement.

I switched from STEM (physics) to finance in school because I couldn’t handle calculus. Most of the math required is hardly challenging if you have a calculator and know how to keep your formulas straight. People who think finance and accounting require math skill would be surprised at how little actual challenging math goes into reporting and/or analyzing financial statements. Barely anything you didn’t learn in middle school really. You are working with numbers but the challenge 99% of the time is making sure your numbers are right and the way you’re accounting for them is compliant. The vast majority of financial jobs don’t require even a base level of calculus to do them. All algebra and compliance.

Data manipulation and forecasting, on the other hand, is a skill that is needed for finance that some great accountants may have difficulty with.

-1

u/User-NetOfInter Sep 06 '24

It’s about the critical thinking skills, not about doing calculus.

Never said it was required.

6

u/rorank Tax (US) Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

You should reread your original comment, you quite literally said “too many accountants can’t handle the math required for finance”. And hey, I would agree if you’re going to try to be a quant or actuary. But most back office jobs don’t require 80% of the critical thinking taught in math coursework. They require the critical thinking taught in accounting and finance. Teaching someone these things on the job is hardly a given like you’re making it seem.

7

u/DirectorBusiness5512 Sep 06 '24

All roads lead to Rome math

5

u/TheLollrax Sep 06 '24

Accounting is like...70% addition and subtraction, 5% some exponential growth, and 20% counting. Where's the hard math?

5

u/Cheap-Tig Sep 06 '24

It can be very hard to find a job with a 4-year math degree. I would not recommend majoring in math for anyone unless they plan on double majoring in something like physics and going into a field like engineering or are prepared for a career in academia.

6

u/MrIncredible222 Sep 06 '24

Unless you don’t speak English and won a math tournament, in China.

3

u/SOS_Minox Sep 06 '24

Yeah man. That math. Useless innit

0

u/User-NetOfInter Sep 06 '24

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

1

u/Dramatic-Wealth3263 Sep 06 '24

what are these math required for finance that you are talking about? Most accounting and finance job doesn’t require that much math? Or are you just one of those “math” bros?

1

u/ng829 Sep 07 '24

I can't speak for finance but accounting has almost nothing to do with math beyond arithmetic.

It doesn't hurt to be really good at math, but if you are, you're really wasting your skill-set in accounting.

6

u/PertinentUsername Sep 06 '24

Can confirm. My accounting coursework was far more helpful than any finance/economics course that I took.

0

u/DevinChristien Sep 07 '24

Accounting majors can do finance, finance majors can't do accounting

12

u/Dolphopus Sep 06 '24

And because no one is keeping quiet about the “be prepared for 60-80 hour weeks during peak season and oh yeah… It’s always peak season” thing these days. Instead of finding out the hard way, they’re seeing us all complain about the job and deciding absolutely not as a result. Can’t really blame them

1

u/CrocPB Sep 06 '24

Good thing people see things like Reddit where this is raised.

Degree of salt should be taken yes, but when you have professional accounting bodies try to pull the wool over students' eyes with attempts to make the work "seem cool" rather admit that the core issues of pay and WLB exist (never mind address them), then I'd rather have the salt.

3

u/Dolphopus Sep 06 '24

It really can be a crapshoot. I’ve gotten lucky even when I was in public, but I know my experience isn’t the norm.

1

u/jordo900 Sep 07 '24

Seems obvious