I've been working on Great Plains as a software developer for about 5 years in the capacity of developing an eCommerce website for our clients that does about a million in revenue per year, and also by supporting the installation and configuration of the Great Plains itself.
My inspiration now though is that I would like to take my work and understanding of it to a much higher level by obtaining some formal schooling in accounting and am perhaps considering the pursuit of a CPA or CMA over the next few years which I understand is nothing to take lightly and am deeply considering the implications of doing this. With a degree in Computer Science this is all well and good, but I notice that in my state (Maryland) one's bachelor's degree must be in one of a handful of specific disciplines such as Accounting, Econ, or Business Management in order to get a CPA. Has anyone here that's majored in a non-business major gone back to get their accounting degree so they could get a CPA? I'm assuming that as long as you go to the same school, the electives you took for your first degree should generally transfer to your second degree much like they would if you had double majored to begin with.
I want to improve my accounting skills for 2 reasons, to obtain a level of competence in working the product above and beyond what I already have, and to obtain the credibility I need when I speak to clients and internal finance staff about our Great Plains implementation. In that vein, are there any other formally recognized accounting programs that might fall short of a CPA or a Bachelors in Accounting for someone like me, that would still deliver:
1) a reasonable level of competence in accounting principles 2) the credibility I need to help us get the most out of our system regardless of whether I take the long term plunge to go for a CPA or CMA?Thanks.