Entry #4 Changing Majors

Before starting college, I remember being told that most college students change their major a few times before they graduate. Of course, my response was, "I won't be changing my major because I'm sure that I want to be an accountant." What I didn't realize is that there are a few different programs offered for accounting.

When I first enrolled at Phoenix College I chose to major in Accounting-CCL; which is a certificate of completion in accounting. I chose this major because I wanted to get out of school as soon as possible and start making money. I figured that since a certificate of completion only takes about 23-26 credits to complete, I would be out of school in no-time and I could just jump into my career. Once I took some time to research the requirements for most entry-level accounting positions, I noticed that I was expected to already have some experience in cash handling and account managing. What stuck out to me the most wasn't the job experience, it was the fact that most of them required at least an associates degree. 

At my earliest convenience, I went down to the enrollment center and changed my major to AAS in Accounting; I now wanted to earn my associates in applied science.

After two semesters at Phoenix College, I decided to move out of my parents house and move further up north. As a result, I transferred to Glendale Community College. 

In my first semester at GCC I  decided to take my first accounting course, ACC111 Intro to Accounting. I loved it. I had an amazing professor that gave the class lots of advise on which path to take in order to become a Certified Public Accountant. He informed us of the ASU pathway program that is designed for GCC students that would like to transfer to Arizona State University to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting. He also showed us a statistic stating that 61% of students that graduate from ASU with their Bachelor's of Science in Accountancy receive a job in that field right out of college in 2013-2014. That is pretty high compared to other majors. 

Once I looked into this a little more myself I discovered that the average salary for a CPA is between $50,000-$75,000; which isn't too bad at all. 

As you might expect, my next step was enrolling in the ASU Pathway transfer program. I am now focused on finishing my associates and general transfer requirements at GCC as soon and effectively as possible, in order to get started at ASU with my bachelor's degree. 

I can't wait to see where this journey takes me. I'm determined to stick to my major; I think this is the one.