USA Pursuing a Certificate v.s. A.A.S

[waylon101]

Hello. I am currently 22 years old. After working toward a counseling degree the last three years, I have decided to change my degree. I came to this conclusion for three reasons.

1. I am confident that the school I am currently attending will be losing its accreditation within the next 2 years

2. Because I had an unusual counseling degree, Christian Counseling, I have to either move or find an online degree program to finish.

3. Not confident in the available job market of that field.

This has led me to look at other long-term career options. I decided to look at the financial/business market because it seems to have a good amount of employment opportunities compared to other degree fields. I have taken almost of all my general education classes except for a history class . I don’t want to invest too much more money and time into a degree (another 4+ years). I have been looking at specific “certificates” that can be obtained through the local community college. Can these actually be used to successfully acquire an entry level accounting job? Some say yes and some say no from other forums and articles I’ve read.

There are two main degrees that I can obtain through the community college. The faster degree would be an Accounting and Business Management Certificate (33 hours not exempting class I’ve already taken) and Accounting and Business Management (A.A.S.) (65 credit hours). Would either of these degrees be helpful to obtain an accounting job if assumed I finished them with a high GPA? Would going for the A.A.S. be worth taking 2 times the amount of credit hours compared to the Certificate? Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[Romany]

I am getting ready to graduate from UAB with my BAcc degree. It has been my experience when searching for employment that most firms hiring for accounting job are looking for a Bachelor degree or higher. Best wishes in which ever field you decide to purse.

 

[Tempe Tony]

My advice? If you plan a CAREER in accounting and the like, go for the AAS. The 2 year degree is a bare essential that most employers look for.

However, you can always get the certificate first, then start working in an accounting or accounting like position part or full time, and then continue schooling to get the AAS.

I myself had no luck trying to get an accounting job in 2016, and that is despite the following:

1. I live in a city of low unemployment
2. I already worked in AR and AP jobs for 16 years from 1999 to 2015.
3. I had a AA degree.


I just finished my bachelor's degree 3 months ago and interviews are easier to land.