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Being forced into accounting. I hate it.

aaquib

aaquib

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 11, 2007
1,496
1
Toronto, Canada
So my parents are absolutely forcing me to go into accounting. My brother is a Chartered Accountant making over $100 000 a year and my sister is well on her way as well. The problem is, that my brother and sister both aren't exactly my role models. My brother is lazy, ignorant and is only an accountant for the money. My sister tells me she hates it and doesn't care for the actual job at all but "needs to survive"

So, after constant pressure from my parents, I decided to take it in grade 11. It sucks! The whole concept it around counting other people's money. My philosophy around that is that I don't want to count other people's money. I want to count my own.It's absolute basic, simple math. It's a f*cking joke. I could do this stuff in grade 3.

My interests land in either business, law, or mathematics. My parents think business is useless because there are many people who take business and don't become more than open a little furniture store on the corner. After much discussion, my mom finally said that there is no way my parents can afford $10K a semester for me to go into business with no assurance I could pay them back. See, my brother and sister went into co-op accounting programs, and by the time they finished university, they were 100% debt free.

So business, my parents think are useless. Math, my parents say takes a lot of "brains" and they don't believe anyone needs mathematicians because of computers. And again, there are no co-op programs for math. And law? Law school in Canada requires you to get an under-graduate degree in any other field and then take the "BAR" exam.

Really, after an extensive conversation with my parents today, it's clear to me that neither my Dad nor Mom actually believe I have what it takes to take a risk and succeed with business. My grades are in their 80's and I could probably get a scholarship, but it would probably only be about $4000/$16000 of my tuition. My mom is a bank clerk and my Dad is a computer programmar. Neither like their jobs, neither has taken a single risk in their life.

Now, what do I do?? I absolutely hate accounting, but money is a huge issue and my parents are being absolute dicks about it. They told me pretty much the only thing I could do is take a year off school and earn the money myself. My parents are fairly wealthy, and have more than enough money saved up, and I know $10000 a year is not the slightest issue for them. What they are trying to get me to do though, is go into accounting because they know I'm good at math and it's basically an easy way to get money. Everyone needs accountants. But what they don't understand is that not everyone wants to be an accountant...
 
If you are into helping new businesses launch and want to get onto the ground floor with these start ups...

Accounting is the way to go, it is usually one seriously overlooked class to take when people are looking at grabbing the skills in college they need before they drop out to become the next billionaires with their new idea.

If you get stuck in the grind in a big company, or go into an accounting/tax firm it may not be fun.

But a simple job as a bookkeeper in a startup as they blow through millions might be easy enough to tackle, while still being in on the rest.
 
From what you describe, sounds like your brother is a CA (financial) type chartered accountant. My wife is a chartered accountant but isn't CA. You can also get management accountants who look more at budgeting, forecasting, law and how to run a business rather than financial who IMHO crunch the numbers. Have a look at ACCA or CIMA (or whatever their New World equivalents are.) Could be a nice fit with what you want to do.

Apologies for the quick answer but I really need to get to bed, it's 12.30am.;)
 
aaquib said:
The problem is, that my brother and sister both aren't exactly my role models. My brother is lazy, ignorant and is only an accountant for the money. My sister tells me she hates it and doesn't care for the actual job at all but "needs to survive"
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1. Accounting isn't basic maths. Far from it. Bookkeepers do the basic maths. You actually need to understand laws and standards to be a CA, assess cases and business practices, and after watching what your brother and sister go through all the exams, I can't believe you think it's just basic maths.

2. Just because you graduate from accounting and earn your CGA/CMA/CA, does not mean you need to practice accounting. That degree can get you MANY other jobs in business. It'll be like a business degree.....but more specialised. Heck, do you think all law graduates become practicing lawyers?

3. You didn't need to mention most of it, because, to put it bluntly, nobody dreams of growing up and becoming a chartered accountant. :p All accountants do it for the money, and I don't mean all accountants are greedy. Far from it. They just want to work in a job that will give them both job and financial security. They treat a job as exactly that...... a means to survive and provide for their family. Again, they do what they need to do. No need to say any more than that.

4. Don't become an accountant. ;) It's not for you. I guess can take a year off, which is VERY normal outside of North America, and not so much in Canada. Just work, save some money, buy some cool stuff along the way, and pay for some of it that way.

Also, you can take out a student loan.

5. Here's a question: Assuming you're going to a Canadian university, which uni charges $10,000 per semester in Canada? If they have co-op, it sounds like perhaps they went to Waterloo or something, where most of their courses/degrees have co-op. Just curious. :confused:
 
I think you're underestimating what an accounting degree sets you up for. With an accounting degree you can go into almost any area of business, I know people with bachelors in accounting that work as VP's of Human Resources, its kind of a do it all degree because the concepts are applicable to all areas in a business. You say one of your area of interest is business, well, you take a large number of business courses in obtaining an accounting degree. I've taken Organizational Behavior, Finance, Marketing, IT, Business Law, Economics, Statistics, and many math courses as an accounting major. Really, an accounting degree is at most colleges, a business degree with more required accounting, tax, and auditing courses.

All I'm saying is that just because you get an accounting degree doesn't mean you have to be an accountant.

Look into managerial accounting, that might be more of your thing. It involves managing costs, budgeting, etc within a company and is not bound by rules like financial accounting is (there are no generally accepted accounting principles for managerial accounting).

And honestly man, a grade 11 accounting class is going to pale in difficulty when compared to accounting at the university level. High school accounting is a pretty big joke when compared to a tax course or an intermediate or advanced accounting course.

And if you really want to do business, couldn't you just get student loans?
 
Despite the positives of a accounting degree, make sure you understand the implications of graduating with an accounting degree, both bad and good, and then apply that to what you want. Once you do that, then decide what you want to do.

I was "pushed" into going to law school. Needless to say, I hate it, and have absolutely no wish to practice law. I'm one of those people with liberal arts degrees who saw law school as a way out "because I didn't know what else to do."

My parents pushed me into law school, and pushed me to stay. I'm now in my second year, and it's basically too late to just up and leave, so I'm sticking it out.

That's my problem, but as for you, don't fall into the trap that I fell into. Make sure you know what you want, and go do it. 99% of the time I'd tell you to respect your elders, but in this kind of case... **** what your parents thinks. It's your life, not theirs.
 
aaquib said:
The whole concept it around counting other people's money. My philosophy around that is that I don't want to count other people's money. I want to count my own.It's absolute basic, simple math. It's a f*cking joke. I could do this stuff in grade 3.
Click to expand...

If you truly believe this, then you don't understand "the whole concept" of accounting at all. You might be taking an intro-level course. Trust me, real accounting courses are about much, much more than counting money.

My interests land in either business, law, or mathematics.
Click to expand...

See above. You just described accounting in a nutshell.

After much discussion, my mom finally said that there is no way my parents can afford $10K a semester for me to go into business with no assurance I could pay them back. See, my brother and sister went into co-op accounting programs, and by the time they finished university, they were 100% debt free.
Click to expand...

I don't know where you live, but I can't imagine that spending $10,000 per semester is your best option. Look into other schools. It's very possible to finish school debt-free in virtually any major - with or without a co-op (which are available in virtually any major as well).

So business, my parents think are useless. Math, my parents say takes a lot of "brains" and they don't believe anyone needs mathematicians because of computers.
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My BS detector is twitching here. Are you being 100% truthful here? Because you're making your parents sound like complete imbeciles.

Law school in Canada requires you to get an under-graduate degree in any other field and then take the "BAR" exam.
Click to expand...

Hmm...an accounting degree and a license to practice law. Not a bad combination.


rhsgolfer33 said:
I think you're underestimating what an accounting degree sets you up for. With an accounting degree you can go into almost any area of business, I know people with bachelors in accounting that work as VP's of Human Resources, its kind of a do it all degree because the concepts are applicable to all areas in a business. You say one of your area of interest is business, well, you take a large number of business courses in obtaining an accounting degree. I've taken Organizational Behavior, Finance, Marketing, IT, Business Law, Economics, Statistics, and many math courses as an accounting major. Really, an accounting degree is at most colleges, a business degree with more required accounting, tax, and auditing courses.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely true - when I was getting my MBA, it was well-known that accounting was the "crown jewel" of the business college, and with an accounting degree your options were wide open.
 
Do what you like, if you don't, then you will not have a career, just a job, my dad always told me that you have to do something you love for a living, not something that makes big money, otherwise you will never go far. He followed that, and now he owns 3 companies, and makes some serious $$$. Like for myself, I am bad at stuff I am not interested in, like geography, but I have amazing marketing skills, and if I am interested I can take in all the info word for word of what I hear. If you go into accounting you won't be happy. I know this guy who worked 3 jobs and lived in his car to get into the computer engineering field, he loves it, but he said if you someone would have to do that or get stuff paid for that it isn't worth it. See if you can work something out with your parents, or take a year off and make some money for your tuition fees.
 
Put up and shut up. You'll have a degree, it's a lot more than most. Accounting degrees will open up loads of opportunities. Your parents are looking out for you and you should appreciate that. In high school accounting classes may seem like simple math, but it's much more than that when you get to college. Enjoy the ride. You won't have to go into accounting after graduation if you don't want to, but you have that piece of paper which opens up millions of opportunities, embrace it.
 
I'm not in business, nor medicine, nor accounting, I'm a mining Engineer, and love every bit of it, because I'm never desk bound. And hey the renumeration is very nice. I'm being forced to do budgeting and forecasts (that's ok,) but I hate all the other accounting ******** that is getting piled on me. Like end of months, and accruals... arrrrgh its all crap and that's what we pay accountants for.

Let me say this as plainly as I can:

So much good engineering has gone by the way side because of bad accounting

Accounting is a very negative business, always trying to save a buck for someone else (the person you're working for,) or cutting the budgets down of other departments.

Find something you like (whatever that is,) if you're truly committed to whatever that is, you'll succeed. Even if that means making some hard decisions now. There's nothing worse than being stuck doing a uni degree you hate (can I hear a vote for commerce) and then landing a job in a roll you'll come to hate.

Jimmy
 
Tell your parents to go **** themselves.

Seriously, letting them push you into a career you'll hate is messed up. It's your life ffs.
 
Try telling your parents this:

"Mom, dad, I know you think you are doing what's best for me, but in fact, what you are really doing is attempting to live vicariously through me. Behind your claims of noble parental deeds you are sucking out my individuality in the pursuit of your own selfish aim of proxy immortality. Thus, you will doom me to a life of amassing wealth, of capitalist avarice, worshipping the god mammon. A hollow existence where the purchasing of consumer follies attempts to fill the dark void within my very soul. And, in this futile horror of existential failure, I will, like you and Sisyphus before you, continue to roll the rock of pro-creation back up that nihilistic hill of humanity and curse my prodjeny with the same fate as mine in the great unending cycle of human existence.

Therefore, I put it to you, mother and father, that I shall become a Jazz poet! A master of the musical arts. A lyrical genius with an afro and the self effacing qualities of a buddhist monk communicating the wisdom of the great sages, in Jazz funk form.
I shall wear only a kaftan and live in the forest for a time. Honing my abilities, practising my slap bass by day and falling into the arms of numerous nubile feminine forms by night, drunk on psychedelic potions and writhing in ecstasy until the sun rises once more. A man, a free man. A Jazz funk man. An Übermensch in a pair of star spangled shades."

See how that goes.
 
Is there a one year foundation course that counts towards a degree? ->

Find out whether it is something you want to pursue/not,

Get some knowledge you can use down the line,

A nod to your parents,

It's only one year.


Degree - A chance to study something you enjoy, have a passion for, it doesn't have to be a direct link to the production line. You have time. Even if you 'just' do engineering/astronomy/physics ..., does that bar you from attempting to become an accountant, lawyer or whatever? It probably gives you more options.

It's your time and your decision. For my two cents, don't spend your life trying to please others.

Cheers,
OW
 
SpookTheHamster said:
Have you thought about engineering? It's maths, but with a purpose :p
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:D

my parents wanted me to go into accounting when i got into college. i took accounting 101/102, i hated that crap with conviction! no way.

became an engineer instead, remember engineers can put men on the moon: accountants, lawyers, politicians ...well, no comment ;)

seriously, do what makes you happy, that's all.
 
Chase as much money as you can get.

Most people would rather be bored of what they do for 40 hours a week and financially secure than enjoy 24 hours of every day and have a lower standard of lifestyle than they're truly capable of.

They don't call it "work" because it's supposed to be a laugh a minute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5aN0VmvFn4

I'd love to be "Bored" for 8 hours a day if I got $100,000 a year. If I'd being on that kind of money for my entire 20s, I would have a house fully paid for by now and could look at retiring by 35 or at least going part-time.

It might sound terrible when you're young and all you can think of is putting your hobbies and interests first but when you're older and have bills to pay, any decision you had any choice in making as a teenager or as someone who still lives with parents who at least ALLOW the option of further education or study affects everything.

I unfortunately got, "boo hoo, I'm a single parent now. You can get a job if you're going to university, I need board or you can move out... Well, I'm off on holiday for the 4th week this year at my boyfriends' expense... see ya in a week, make sure you feed the dog!"

I've had agoraphobia since an early age so COULDN'T move out and was equally frothing with stress and reaching for the beta blockers when I knew it was impossible either way because the only way I could manage it was Uni first, then TRY and find a part-time job to work round it but with a demanding parent wanting board out of thin air in the meantime, I thought it would have being too much to ask my dad to pay my board indefinitely till I got a part-time job to pay it with myself.

I'm sure I had a degree in anything, even if I didn't end up working in DTP for 9 years just from my own experience, I would have got into some stuffy government job at graduate level years ago and being on some cushty index linked wage by now for doing something with no more skill than finding the Microsoft Office help menu like most office drones. It wouldn't be anywhere near $100,000 but it would have being better than the wages I was getting at some of the advertising companies I worked at in my early 20s who gave the hogs share of the money to 13 a dozen tele-sales blaggers.

Doing something you enjoy is great to start with but MONEY is the only purpose of work or any kind. Of course, if you find the perfect balance, go for it! They'll shut up eventually when you're earning a decent wage from it.
 
acurafan said:
became an engineer instead, remember engineers can put men on the moon: accountants, lawyers, politicians ...well, no comment ;)

seriously, do what makes you happy, that's all.
Click to expand...

Only reason the engineers got to the moon, was because they were trying to avoid the later.

Of course the politicians got mad and conspired with the bean counters to take the funding away, and the lawyers swooped in and served them all with lawsuits (divorce, late payments, overdue library books etc.) Why else do you think we haven't been back?
 
Strike a deal with your folks. Take a year out and earn some dough and perhaps dabble in some small time business with friends to demonstrate you have decent business acumen. In return, ask your folks to pony up the difference if you can earn and save X amount of dollars within a set timeframe. There's no point going into a career if you're going to hate what you do... It'll stress you out and could affect your health in the longterm.
 
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