I am currently enrolled in university with about 1 year left short of getting my B.Comm (majoring in Accounting). I am a college graduate (3 year diploma from Seneca.. Accounting and Finance) and decided earlier this year that I might as well get my B.Comm ASAP since A) I would eventually need a degree to get my designation B) I wasn't getting alot of calls from employers cause of the bad rep that a "diploma is just a diploma.. not a degree". I have worked as a Staff Accountant for 8 months during my time between when I graduated from college and enrolled in university, but I was grossly being underpaid and was generally not happy with the little "respect" I was getting being in the accounting/finance field and the preception that college graduates aren't up to par.
So anyway. I am re-thinking of what I want to do starting this April when I write my exams and have the summer off. I am thinking of possibly going back to work on a fulltime basis. Now I got a call today for an investment fund accountant position, I was asked for a salary range and told them I was looking for around 33,000 to 35,000.. I know that range isn't that high, but it is an ENTRY level position in which I think there is tremendous growth with the company itself and perhaps the job itself. That isn't including the benefits included (not just health/dental.. but having them pay for courses).
Would you guys recommend that I go ahead and jump back into the workforce? I got a taste of university for 1 year, and was NOT impressed at all with any of the stuff I am re-learning. Unfortunatley alot of the courses I have taken to complete my 3rd and the upcoming 4th year I have already done or have experience in from college (Business Taxation, Advanced Auditing, Intercorporate Accounting). I feel like I am just pushing myself to get this B.Comm without really learning anything more or new. Here is some pros and cons I can think of.
Pros: Going back to work fulltime and studying part-time
1) Work experience is HUGE on a resume. I don't want to have this gap where I worked as a Staff Accountant for 8 months, and then decided to go back to school for a B.Comm for 2 years. I don't want to go through the same mess and trouble after graduating university trying to look for work.. the last thing I want is to get back into the same positon I was in before where I barely covered 25,000 with no benefits and a 1+ hour commute each way.2) Salary isn't great. But I am confident that with my skills and work ethic that I can move up. So I can possibly get out of that 33,000 to 35,000 salary range into perhaps a 38,000 to 40,000 range.
3) Work is what I enjoy. I enjoy the stress (yea I know its kinda stupid.. but I have experience and know the accounting/finance field is hectic and stressful)Cons: Going back to work fulltime and studying part-time
1) This will delay me getting my B.Comm. I will have to switch into a part-time student curiculum in which I will only have 3.5 years to get 11 credits. I originally moved and have rented this apartment in Toronto specifically to get my B.Comm. The university is VERY strict on the time it takes you to earn those 11 credits left, so I can't take more then 3.5 years.2) The job will entail ALOT of overtime (from what the person told me over the phone), meaning that trying to juggle a fulltime job while going to school parttime will be really hard. I will probably only be able to take 1 credit per semester, meaning I will go over that 3.5 year limit with the university. I also need to maintain a somewhat decent GPA or grade limit for each course (need a minimum of atleast C+ in each course for CMA enrollement)
3) I am 24 years old. I SHOULD have my B.Comm by now and be on my way to working and being more serious. I guess you can say I made the mistake of doing 3 years of college, but I obviously can't go back and change things. I did get an excellent education and believe it is up to par with university standards (others will tell you otherwise though).What do you guys think? I am honestly leaning towards perhaps NOT taking this position during the summer, and perhaps enrolling in some summer/spring courses and just finishing off that one year to get my B.Comm. This is assuming all my courses I take go well and as planned. I DO however have a Diploma so it isn't like I am "dropping out" with nothing on paper, but again I moved here to Toronto specifically to go to university.
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