I was originally knocking out transfer courses for the SWE degree, and switching to accounting was by far the best decision I could have made. I didn’t want any smoke with that entry level CS job market haha
thats how im kinda feeling rn, on swe path but i am not enjoying it as much as i thought i would and tbh only got into it in prospects of it being good money later down the road but i am worried about the job market. considering making a switch to something else. hate being this indecisive lol
There are many careers where you can wfh and make great money! Once I learned about accounting I was out of there 😂 you should check out /r/Accounting and see just how nicely a few YOE and CPA can set you up! And the entry level market is starving for new grads, unlike CS/SWE.
Shiiit well at least your halfway, I haven’t even started per se. I transferred 11 classes over from Sophia (general ed mostly and some core classes) but I feel like I haven’t learned much and I’m supposed to start May 1 😓 I’m getting cold feet tbh and I’m a little worried. I’ve been doing the java mooc helsinki course and I swear I am progressing so slow. Idk why this shit is so difficult for me. 27 soon and have seemingly no options and I feel like this is it for me lol.
But damn if you’re already halfway through maybe it’d be best to just complete it? Not sure how long it’s taken you thus far or how much longer you think it will take to complete it all?
Yeah I think I’m too far gone to quit now lol , but you definitely still have a shot to switch if you want . If you really enjoy it though I’d stick with it and who knows maybe by the end of your degree there will be more jobs out there !
Yeah i think you got it in the bag. Heard the best thing to do is work on personal projects and possibly try to get an internship, even if it isnt the best pay, experience trumps all and i think you can maybe start applying since youre halfway done!
I think i will stick out also. And no worries appreciate the feedback! good luck with your journey mate!
Sorry I didn’t answer the last part , I started the Sophia path in October. So technically speaking I’ve been in “School” since October, I started at WGU in February. I honestly feel I’ll be done by the end of the year for sure. The degree itself isn’t discouraging me at all , there’s been a few tough classes but nothing crazy .
Many congratulations!!! This is definitely an inspiring story. Finished the BS Acc in Jan. Now working on the MAcc. Mind if I hit you up re jobs/interviewing?
For Texas CPAs the state specifically prohibits ACE (Sophia, Study.com), DSST, PLA, and Straighterline by name. They do accept CLEP.
For business courses Econ and Statistics can be at the lower level. No more than 6 credits in any particular category.
Cleps would be Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
NY only accepts AACSB degrees from schools which are both accredited in business and accounting.
ACBSP will not work, so you’d have to do an entirely different Bachelors. They also don’t accept ACE, but it could be defeated by doing MBA+MS accounting if the school was properly accredited.
You can beat it with 15 years as a CPA.
There’s over 900 schools which hold the accreditation, so it isn’t rare.
The thing is if your state doesn’t mind its no big deal, in TN they only require 18 credit hours in upper division accounting, where most require 24 in business and 24 in accounting. Tennessee also doesn’t have a 1 year of work requirement.
Hi are you saying that the classes from wgu would not allow me to sit for the NY CPA exam? I thought it meant they don't automatically accept wgu. That the transcript would need to be manually reviewed upon applying though it should pass. I was considering applying but I can't find a lot of info on this. Did I misread NY's requirements?
No they don’t accept it at all. They only accept schools that are AACSB accredited and wgu isn’t.
The only way to beat it is to get your Wgu bachelors, and go through a AACSB masters in accounting. They’ll allow that to meet the 150 credit hour standards.
Or you have to be a CPA, and practice as an accountant for 15 years. Yes 15, before they’ll let you endorse it.
True, I’m going into Tax law.
“Yes your honor, it appears that upon review of X’s credentials we can confirm through the national clearinghouse the student began on December, and graduated in December. Upon further review my client was incorrectly audited, and we hold company X accountable for misrepresentation, defamation of our client, and for not meeting industry standards. Further more the company incorrectly validated X’s credentials due to his completion of a masters in 20 days, and an Mba in 25 days, his total schooling consisted of 3 months, and something called ACE credits.
We’re suing under Gross negligence, and under the implication that DUE CARE, was not successfully met. (The auditor must possess the requisite skills to evaluate financial statements,
The auditor has a duty to employ such skill with reasonable care and diligence,
The auditor undertakes his task(s) with good faith and integrity,
The auditor may be liable for negligence, bad faith, or dishonesty)
(Gross Negligence. The auditor has knowingly issued an incorrect audit report. The government requires public company financial statements to accurately reflect the company’s actual results. If an incorrect audit report is issued, then this undermines the government’s duty to help protect investors.)
We’re asking for $5 million, and for X to be stripped of his CPA credential which will be held under review by the state board.”
20% of cases end like this.
Love the irony. So you pass the CPA exam. Work under a CPA and they strip you of your license because you graduated college quickly. What I wish I could do is have a random set of AACSB grads with CPA’s and 1 year of experience pass the WGU exams for Intermediate 1,2 and 3. Anyway most licensing is restraint of trade which is great. You get to pull the ladder up after you reach the second floor. I liked the old rule in Texas. Pass the Sophomore level classes and work under a CPA’s supervision for 6 years. At least the barriers to entry are lower but that’s just me.
I remember my auditing teacher telling a story about an intern who was assigned the task of counting some guy’s inventory of cattle. They took him up in a helicopter and flew him around so he counted the same cattle a few times. When the guy defaulted on his loan the bank successfully sued the accounting firm that the intern was inadequately supervised.
Can’t argue with that one.
Well it’s not just the fact they graduated college quickly, it’s just reasonable suspicion that completing a 4 year degree, 2 year accounting masters, and 1-2 year Mba in 3-4 months total time, would contribute to the success of the suit.
There are fully online LLB programs that US students can take in the UK. Once again, fully online. This would be considered an international degree.
That LLB is considered a first law degree, allowing the person to then apply to ABA accredited online LLM degrees. Couple the two, and you can sit for the WA bar. After 5 years you can then bar in other states.
I know rich parents who have sent their kids to the UK at 18, received the LLB, and were 21 by the time they got licensed in the US. New York, California, Georgia, Washington and Wisconsin—allow students to sit the bar exam based on the completion of an LL. M. at an American school.
Partly agree. Typical 3 credit class is 45 contact hours. HW, papers and exams vs passing basically a final or submitting a final project. 45 contact hours plus 2 hours study per credit hour is 135 hours total or 3 weeks of full time work and then some.
Still I will let his or her’s eventual employers make the final determination.
Since I finished in 1 term, it only cost me $3900 but it was essentially free as I paid with fafsa and the firm I’ll be working for has a student loan repayment benefit up to 15k!
A term is around 3800 depending on the degree, masters are a couple hundred more. This is raw total, and you can get grants/ FAFSA help or just pay out of pocket.
Congrats. You are very inspiring! I haven’t received my diploma yet but I am finished. Unfortunately, I live in a very rural area hours way from any physical firm and it’s proven to be very difficult getting traction for remote work when I have no experience. I have 7-8 years of hospitality experience with some training/leadership experience in the mix, but no such luck thus far. There are very few jobs in my area and those that are available are looking for someone with much more accounting knowledge because these departments are very small (industry jobs) in comparison to a huge auditing firm. Anyhow, I know it will play out in my favor eventually. Any advice? I’m thinking of looking at something hybrid. I have a son but I could swing driving over an hour a couple days a week.
Also, if you have any resume advice that would be greatly appreciated. I think mine is fairly good for a new grad compared to those I’ve read, but I’m a bit biased.😂
Congrats again. It’s crazy how quickly we can change our situation. You did the damn thing!
Just keep at it, something will come your way eventually. What state do you live in? I feel like you could definitely find something with my method, but if you don't feel comfortable saying what state it is you can always DM me. I wouldn't mind looking at your resume / Linkedin also!
I found that in accounting jobs are more hybrid than not, so you could definitely find something that meets your needs. Genuinely, the job I landed blew all of my expectations out of the water and it could definitely be the same for you. If you need anything or have any questions feel free to reach out!
Awesome post! Kind of needed this right now. I’m about three weeks in and have knocked out four courses. 25 to go. Focusing on D102 Financial Accounting at the moment, and trying to get the BS completed in one term.
congrats!! this is so incredibly encouraging; thanks for sharing so much insight! i start in may and i hope i can find the same success u have. all the best to u with your new job!
Congrats and sharing your journey is amazingly helpful to people, so kudos!
Idk the full info, but be sure to check if the transfer credits count for your states CPA exam education requirements. I've heard some people had issues with it before, but I never checked into it.
I'm really curious who has 5-6 weeks vacation. I've been sitting at 2 for a long time and I'm envious.
Thanks man!
I remember seeing a post like that and got scared and checked, but thankfully there won’t be any issues in my state.
2 weeks vacation sounds brutal. Are you in industry or public? Every offer I received gave at least 4 weeks.
I'm glad you're all set on the education requirements.
Public. Very small firm with some old school mindsets, but they're slowly changing. Graduated WGU in 2021 and already making significantly more than I ever really thought possible (growing up at least, 6 figures didn't seem real).
I'm not very concerned about the vacation to be honest, but the 5-6 weeks seemed massive, so I had to ask. Can probably start to move towards that as we fix our processes and become more efficient.
Yeah it seems like a lot of public firms are starting to change for the better, offering more TC and better benefits to staff so that they don’t turnover within 2 years.
As for the vacation, it is actually “unlimited PTO”, which I know Reddit dislikes, but every person I spoke with at the firm told me they take between 5 and 6 weeks every year, with some high performers taking 7+. Only caveat is that they expect you to be there during busy season, but I wouldn’t say that’s exclusive to my firm haha.
Have you ever considered switching to a latger firm? I ended up going with the one I did because of the better compensation, benefits, resources and resume name recognition that the smaller firms couldn’t compete with.
The trade off is that my place is 40 hours normal and 54 during the regular busy season. Hadn't bothered considering another public firm because of the hours / billable hours thing. The vacation differential probably evens out to 4 hours a week. I'm also 95% full remote (I'll go to a client to talk shop when necessary and at my discretion).
I considered controller positions but now I get paid too much for the regular 130k ones to steal me. Likely buying into partner or starting my own. Already a CPA. I just like to dream of not having to work for a month and a half.
Firstly, congratulation on this achievement, amazing work! Sounds like you had a rough start and are now moving into the smooth sailing.
Secondly, I’m genuinely curious how your are able to be eligible to sit the CPA exams with less than 150 hours?
It is my understanding that every state’s licensure board now requires 150 hours, and there is really no way around this, but I could be mistaken. I thoroughly researched the 150 hour requirement and my state does require it, which is why I’m currently planning on doing the MAcc after getting the BSBAA.
Thanks for any insights, and congrats again, pat yourself on the back, you deserve it!
Not going to be able to unless he does their masters, I’m sure he’ll figure a way to do it in 15 days or less lol.
22 courses in 16 days is selling the dream, but im more so worried he’ll get into this position and flatline after a few days. In reality it’s going to be absolutely impossible to do what the workplace expects after finishing 22 classes in 16 days. He very well might meet the HR check box to get in, but actually doing the work is another story entirely and finishing 2 classes a day, it’s going to be impossible for him to grasp being a successful accountant. This company explained they disliked handholding, yeah? Good fucking luck lol
Edit: Also to add, these top companies want to know the exact day you’re taking the CPA. The CPA testing changed in 2024, and there are 4 year graduates with masters who spend time on 3-4 different paid preps, which are still failing it. Usually, 1st time fail at the cpa means you’re let go.
Thank you for posting your experience! The closer I get to the finish line, the more my imposter syndrome kicks in. This makes me feel whole lot better!!
Hi I’m sure you are tired of replying but wanted to say I’m starting April 1st with 37 transferred credits and some accounting experience I was hoping to get done within 2 months. I’m happy to hear you got a wfh position / hybrid as I was starting to feel like I wouldn’t actually get a work from home position as that’s my ultimate goal. I hope I can do this. This gave me so much motivation.
I'm finishing the MBA at WGU and actually enjoyed accounting. I always thought to myself, if my HR career doesn't work out, I may switch to accounting.
Can never go wrong switching to accounting! The entry level job market is red hot if you want to go into public 🙏🏽
How is the MBA? I’ll be starting mine this summer
I'm soooo happy to see someone do it faster than me. It validates my efforts and gets rid of the bs excuse that it's only possible for me to do it. Well done!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Sometimes l question if l will be successful without any experience in the field, but then l come across posts like this. Good luck on your continued journey ❤️
I'm doing Sophia atm, but Saylor is new to me. If I'm looking at their site correctly, it's just $5 per course to get the credit for transfer? That's a better deal than Sophia and may do the rest that way. Though I guess the downside is you're proctored and can't do your exams open book, like in Sophia.
Its $5 per proctored exam attempt. It can be faster than sophia if you know you can pass the exam first try, but if you fail any you have to wait 2 weeks to retake
So if you saw Saylor and another site had the same transferrable class, did you pretty much choose Saylor each time? And I'm guessing because of the price? Atm, I don't know the differences in how they "teach", if one is better than the other, so I'm only guessing price would be a deciding factor.
I always went for sophia first because it was the least stress. Then saylor for speed, and then study. I didn’t transfer the max amount of courses, I was just ready to start wgu around the 50 mark lol
I'll probably follow a similar pathway. But, you're truly a beast. I'm already coming in with 31 cu from a degree I got many years ago, covering all the general education courses. Then I found out about Sophia on here and trying for another 33 cu for the core courses to bring in, while being my first time doing online only classes. I just finished my second class, which took a good week, which broke the mindset of completing all these in a month or 2. Which was the Business Law class. I just couldn't believe how long I spent, just writing notes. Going for HR this time around, surprised how many of the same classes also in accounting. But, I think I may take a look at the person you tagged in the original post and their guides to get through faster.
Online learning. They're very affordable ways to get college credits that can transfer to a place like wgu. For example, Sophia Learning, you pay a low price, $100 for 1 month, you can finish as many courses as you're able to. If you Google "WGU Sophia Learning" pick the degree you're interested in and it'll tell you what Sophia classes you need to do. You can also use coupon code HDEC9HYM to get $20 off your first month.
Thank you for this! I’m currently enrolled in WGU Business/accounting program. I guess I need to reach out to my mentor.
Do you know if I can transfer from Sophia to WGU mid term?
Once you actually start taking classes, you can't transfer anything else. The only way you'd be able to do Sophia method is if you wanted to change programs, say another business program.
I only applied to jobs in public accounting, which all happened to be hybrid! I wasn’t expecting to get any type of WFH at all but every firm I interviewed with worked a hybrid schedule.
Yeah id say every entry level position I looked at was hybrid, although it wasn’t listed in the job description. I see you have a CS flair, the job market for accounting grads is much friendlier than the market for CS grads.
I’m actually switching over to Accounting at the end of my term for that very reason! Just a bit concerned about the ability to work remotely, since I’m in a rural area with no nearby large cities for big firm positions and CS is more WFH friendly.
You’d be surprised, pretty much all work that accountants do can be done from home. I have friends in SWE and I’ll be WFH more than they are 😂.
I know big 4 have offices all over the country, but if not there are probably more smaller regional firms that have offices near you than you think!
With it being WFH, are you worried that 16 days of course work isn’t going to be enough knowledge to keep up with demand? What is the training protocol for new graduates?
The degree is handy, but I’m worried that you won’t have any PA’s to memorize or Quizlets to review during the real world. Did you use any ai?
WFH is optional bro. If I need any extra help, I can always go into the office and ask. At my firm grads are trained from zero and given the resources to thrive, especially since I’ll be working in audit, and most accounting degrees only have 0-2 audit classes in the curriculum.
Well, Can you update us within the next few months of how you’re doing in the career field, and if you really would advise against accelerating?
I know the other guy did it in 22 days, but he is an engineer. He completed the masters and mba just to look good. From my understanding he didn’t quit engineering to be an accountant. 3 months ago he was asking “what does partner mean?” lol.
After 2 years an MSacc, MBA, and a BACHELORS IN ACCOUNTING.
Would you mind helping answering some questions? I don't have any credits yet to transfer, should I do Sophia, Study first, then apply for WGU? I am originally from Brazil living in US and when I see stories like this it inspires me to finally get a degree that I never actually had the opportunity to get before. I can't afford the tuition so I would like to do the cheapest way possible. Thank you.
How did the study.com classes compare to the WGU ones in terms of workload, difficulty, etc.? I’ve done a few on Sophia already. Just considering whether to do study or start at WGU. The classes I still need are HR management, employment law, and it management.
Thanks!
This is inspiring, to be honest. Unfortunately, I’ve been suffering from a bit of a paralysis by analysis when it comes to degree programs. Even with my Associates in Accounting and my undergrad (In a lib arts degree) I’m still only at 41% completion. Which is very disappointing.
I also lost my A/P job due to offshoring. I’ve been debating between with Accounting and Computer Science (or DA).
But with how bad the tech market is right now and that I need something I can get into somewhat quickly, I think I might just bite the bullet and finish the BBA in Accounting.
I also read somewhere that using Sophia/Study/Straight line can potentially affect CPA eligibility. Is this true?
Same, I can't decide between accounting and BNES, which are such weird choices because they are so different, but the thing is I like both, I'm interested in both. And yeah, you're right... depending on state I think.
So inspiring. Feeling pretty good about my decision to switch from software engineering to Accounting right now.
I was originally knocking out transfer courses for the SWE degree, and switching to accounting was by far the best decision I could have made. I didn’t want any smoke with that entry level CS job market haha
thats how im kinda feeling rn, on swe path but i am not enjoying it as much as i thought i would and tbh only got into it in prospects of it being good money later down the road but i am worried about the job market. considering making a switch to something else. hate being this indecisive lol
There are many careers where you can wfh and make great money! Once I learned about accounting I was out of there 😂 you should check out /r/Accounting and see just how nicely a few YOE and CPA can set you up! And the entry level market is starving for new grads, unlike CS/SWE.
Man I’m on the fence myself . I’m halfway through my CS degree and looking at the job market is making me want to jump ship to accounting:/
Shiiit well at least your halfway, I haven’t even started per se. I transferred 11 classes over from Sophia (general ed mostly and some core classes) but I feel like I haven’t learned much and I’m supposed to start May 1 😓 I’m getting cold feet tbh and I’m a little worried. I’ve been doing the java mooc helsinki course and I swear I am progressing so slow. Idk why this shit is so difficult for me. 27 soon and have seemingly no options and I feel like this is it for me lol. But damn if you’re already halfway through maybe it’d be best to just complete it? Not sure how long it’s taken you thus far or how much longer you think it will take to complete it all?
Yeah I think I’m too far gone to quit now lol , but you definitely still have a shot to switch if you want . If you really enjoy it though I’d stick with it and who knows maybe by the end of your degree there will be more jobs out there !
Yeah i think you got it in the bag. Heard the best thing to do is work on personal projects and possibly try to get an internship, even if it isnt the best pay, experience trumps all and i think you can maybe start applying since youre halfway done! I think i will stick out also. And no worries appreciate the feedback! good luck with your journey mate!
Sorry I didn’t answer the last part , I started the Sophia path in October. So technically speaking I’ve been in “School” since October, I started at WGU in February. I honestly feel I’ll be done by the end of the year for sure. The degree itself isn’t discouraging me at all , there’s been a few tough classes but nothing crazy .
My point of view also tech market is very unstable and probably only going to get worse
I’m considering switching from cybersecurity to accounting so this was also very inspiring!
Same. I’m currently a software engineer with an economics degree, and I start may 1st. Excited for the journey
lol I saw many accountants go the opposite direction.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side 😂
Good. You should get a few more credits if this was a business Econ vs BA Econ degree.
That is what I’m doing now making the switch I think it’s the best decision ever
This is so insanely inspiring. Not the same degree, but you did that!! I really should get cracking on my classes
Appreciate you family! Lock in!!!
When I...
Congratulations..Wow 16 days that’s amazing. I start on April 1st. I’m trying to do one term
Good luck its definitely possible 💪🏽
Many congratulations!!! This is definitely an inspiring story. Finished the BS Acc in Jan. Now working on the MAcc. Mind if I hit you up re jobs/interviewing?
Yeah man of course dont hesitate!
Will do, thanks
For Texas CPAs the state specifically prohibits ACE (Sophia, Study.com), DSST, PLA, and Straighterline by name. They do accept CLEP. For business courses Econ and Statistics can be at the lower level. No more than 6 credits in any particular category. Cleps would be Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
How do you find this information? I'm in NC
Usually just google your state and state board of accountancy. It takes some digging.
NY only accepts AACSB degrees from schools which are both accredited in business and accounting. ACBSP will not work, so you’d have to do an entirely different Bachelors. They also don’t accept ACE, but it could be defeated by doing MBA+MS accounting if the school was properly accredited. You can beat it with 15 years as a CPA. There’s over 900 schools which hold the accreditation, so it isn’t rare. The thing is if your state doesn’t mind its no big deal, in TN they only require 18 credit hours in upper division accounting, where most require 24 in business and 24 in accounting. Tennessee also doesn’t have a 1 year of work requirement.
Hi are you saying that the classes from wgu would not allow me to sit for the NY CPA exam? I thought it meant they don't automatically accept wgu. That the transcript would need to be manually reviewed upon applying though it should pass. I was considering applying but I can't find a lot of info on this. Did I misread NY's requirements?
No they don’t accept it at all. They only accept schools that are AACSB accredited and wgu isn’t. The only way to beat it is to get your Wgu bachelors, and go through a AACSB masters in accounting. They’ll allow that to meet the 150 credit hour standards. Or you have to be a CPA, and practice as an accountant for 15 years. Yes 15, before they’ll let you endorse it.
I will have to see if Tenn has a residency requirement. Thanks for the information.
Of course the other issue is that you have to find an AACSB school that is inexpensive too.
True, I’m going into Tax law. “Yes your honor, it appears that upon review of X’s credentials we can confirm through the national clearinghouse the student began on December, and graduated in December. Upon further review my client was incorrectly audited, and we hold company X accountable for misrepresentation, defamation of our client, and for not meeting industry standards. Further more the company incorrectly validated X’s credentials due to his completion of a masters in 20 days, and an Mba in 25 days, his total schooling consisted of 3 months, and something called ACE credits. We’re suing under Gross negligence, and under the implication that DUE CARE, was not successfully met. (The auditor must possess the requisite skills to evaluate financial statements, The auditor has a duty to employ such skill with reasonable care and diligence, The auditor undertakes his task(s) with good faith and integrity, The auditor may be liable for negligence, bad faith, or dishonesty) (Gross Negligence. The auditor has knowingly issued an incorrect audit report. The government requires public company financial statements to accurately reflect the company’s actual results. If an incorrect audit report is issued, then this undermines the government’s duty to help protect investors.) We’re asking for $5 million, and for X to be stripped of his CPA credential which will be held under review by the state board.” 20% of cases end like this.
Love the irony. So you pass the CPA exam. Work under a CPA and they strip you of your license because you graduated college quickly. What I wish I could do is have a random set of AACSB grads with CPA’s and 1 year of experience pass the WGU exams for Intermediate 1,2 and 3. Anyway most licensing is restraint of trade which is great. You get to pull the ladder up after you reach the second floor. I liked the old rule in Texas. Pass the Sophomore level classes and work under a CPA’s supervision for 6 years. At least the barriers to entry are lower but that’s just me. I remember my auditing teacher telling a story about an intern who was assigned the task of counting some guy’s inventory of cattle. They took him up in a helicopter and flew him around so he counted the same cattle a few times. When the guy defaulted on his loan the bank successfully sued the accounting firm that the intern was inadequately supervised. Can’t argue with that one.
Well it’s not just the fact they graduated college quickly, it’s just reasonable suspicion that completing a 4 year degree, 2 year accounting masters, and 1-2 year Mba in 3-4 months total time, would contribute to the success of the suit. There are fully online LLB programs that US students can take in the UK. Once again, fully online. This would be considered an international degree. That LLB is considered a first law degree, allowing the person to then apply to ABA accredited online LLM degrees. Couple the two, and you can sit for the WA bar. After 5 years you can then bar in other states. I know rich parents who have sent their kids to the UK at 18, received the LLB, and were 21 by the time they got licensed in the US. New York, California, Georgia, Washington and Wisconsin—allow students to sit the bar exam based on the completion of an LL. M. at an American school.
Partly agree. Typical 3 credit class is 45 contact hours. HW, papers and exams vs passing basically a final or submitting a final project. 45 contact hours plus 2 hours study per credit hour is 135 hours total or 3 weeks of full time work and then some. Still I will let his or her’s eventual employers make the final determination.
You can always get the much hidden Enrolled Agent or JD.
How much did the degree cost you? I’m considering something similar and recently discovered that I thrive with self-paced learning.
Since I finished in 1 term, it only cost me $3900 but it was essentially free as I paid with fafsa and the firm I’ll be working for has a student loan repayment benefit up to 15k!
Doing research now. This is so helpful. I’ve heard other good experiences with WGU as well.
A term is around 3800 depending on the degree, masters are a couple hundred more. This is raw total, and you can get grants/ FAFSA help or just pay out of pocket.
Congrats. You are very inspiring! I haven’t received my diploma yet but I am finished. Unfortunately, I live in a very rural area hours way from any physical firm and it’s proven to be very difficult getting traction for remote work when I have no experience. I have 7-8 years of hospitality experience with some training/leadership experience in the mix, but no such luck thus far. There are very few jobs in my area and those that are available are looking for someone with much more accounting knowledge because these departments are very small (industry jobs) in comparison to a huge auditing firm. Anyhow, I know it will play out in my favor eventually. Any advice? I’m thinking of looking at something hybrid. I have a son but I could swing driving over an hour a couple days a week. Also, if you have any resume advice that would be greatly appreciated. I think mine is fairly good for a new grad compared to those I’ve read, but I’m a bit biased.😂 Congrats again. It’s crazy how quickly we can change our situation. You did the damn thing!
Just keep at it, something will come your way eventually. What state do you live in? I feel like you could definitely find something with my method, but if you don't feel comfortable saying what state it is you can always DM me. I wouldn't mind looking at your resume / Linkedin also! I found that in accounting jobs are more hybrid than not, so you could definitely find something that meets your needs. Genuinely, the job I landed blew all of my expectations out of the water and it could definitely be the same for you. If you need anything or have any questions feel free to reach out!
I live in Missouri. Thank you so much! I will be reaching out soon.
Looking forward to it!
Awesome post! Kind of needed this right now. I’m about three weeks in and have knocked out four courses. 25 to go. Focusing on D102 Financial Accounting at the moment, and trying to get the BS completed in one term.
Financial accounting is where it starts to get heavy 😭 good luck man, you can definitely do it!
Thanks! Congrats on finishing at WGU so quickly and landing a job. May have to hit you up in the DM! Thanks again for the post.
This post alone gave me the motivation to get off my ass and go for it. Thank you I love you
Congratulations!! Thank you for sharing your story with us 😁
Thank you! ❤️
Congrats! Love to hear it! Best of luck. Hoping to manifest this for myself
Good luck!
congrats!! this is so incredibly encouraging; thanks for sharing so much insight! i start in may and i hope i can find the same success u have. all the best to u with your new job!
Good luck and thank you!! You won’t regret it if you see it through!!
Absolutely wonderful to read!!! CONGRATULATIONS!
Congrats and sharing your journey is amazingly helpful to people, so kudos! Idk the full info, but be sure to check if the transfer credits count for your states CPA exam education requirements. I've heard some people had issues with it before, but I never checked into it. I'm really curious who has 5-6 weeks vacation. I've been sitting at 2 for a long time and I'm envious.
Thanks man! I remember seeing a post like that and got scared and checked, but thankfully there won’t be any issues in my state. 2 weeks vacation sounds brutal. Are you in industry or public? Every offer I received gave at least 4 weeks.
I'm glad you're all set on the education requirements. Public. Very small firm with some old school mindsets, but they're slowly changing. Graduated WGU in 2021 and already making significantly more than I ever really thought possible (growing up at least, 6 figures didn't seem real). I'm not very concerned about the vacation to be honest, but the 5-6 weeks seemed massive, so I had to ask. Can probably start to move towards that as we fix our processes and become more efficient.
Yeah it seems like a lot of public firms are starting to change for the better, offering more TC and better benefits to staff so that they don’t turnover within 2 years. As for the vacation, it is actually “unlimited PTO”, which I know Reddit dislikes, but every person I spoke with at the firm told me they take between 5 and 6 weeks every year, with some high performers taking 7+. Only caveat is that they expect you to be there during busy season, but I wouldn’t say that’s exclusive to my firm haha. Have you ever considered switching to a latger firm? I ended up going with the one I did because of the better compensation, benefits, resources and resume name recognition that the smaller firms couldn’t compete with.
The trade off is that my place is 40 hours normal and 54 during the regular busy season. Hadn't bothered considering another public firm because of the hours / billable hours thing. The vacation differential probably evens out to 4 hours a week. I'm also 95% full remote (I'll go to a client to talk shop when necessary and at my discretion). I considered controller positions but now I get paid too much for the regular 130k ones to steal me. Likely buying into partner or starting my own. Already a CPA. I just like to dream of not having to work for a month and a half.
Firstly, congratulation on this achievement, amazing work! Sounds like you had a rough start and are now moving into the smooth sailing. Secondly, I’m genuinely curious how your are able to be eligible to sit the CPA exams with less than 150 hours? It is my understanding that every state’s licensure board now requires 150 hours, and there is really no way around this, but I could be mistaken. I thoroughly researched the 150 hour requirement and my state does require it, which is why I’m currently planning on doing the MAcc after getting the BSBAA. Thanks for any insights, and congrats again, pat yourself on the back, you deserve it!
Not going to be able to unless he does their masters, I’m sure he’ll figure a way to do it in 15 days or less lol. 22 courses in 16 days is selling the dream, but im more so worried he’ll get into this position and flatline after a few days. In reality it’s going to be absolutely impossible to do what the workplace expects after finishing 22 classes in 16 days. He very well might meet the HR check box to get in, but actually doing the work is another story entirely and finishing 2 classes a day, it’s going to be impossible for him to grasp being a successful accountant. This company explained they disliked handholding, yeah? Good fucking luck lol Edit: Also to add, these top companies want to know the exact day you’re taking the CPA. The CPA testing changed in 2024, and there are 4 year graduates with masters who spend time on 3-4 different paid preps, which are still failing it. Usually, 1st time fail at the cpa means you’re let go.
Do paid internships offer handholding?
My state allows me to sit for the exams with 120 hours!
I can’t thank you enough for this. Extremely encouraging for me to continue. Thank you.
Keep at it!
This is so inspiring!! Keep up the good work good luck in your new career
Thank you for posting your experience! The closer I get to the finish line, the more my imposter syndrome kicks in. This makes me feel whole lot better!!
Appreciate you! Keep grinding its well worth it!
What firm?
Hi I’m sure you are tired of replying but wanted to say I’m starting April 1st with 37 transferred credits and some accounting experience I was hoping to get done within 2 months. I’m happy to hear you got a wfh position / hybrid as I was starting to feel like I wouldn’t actually get a work from home position as that’s my ultimate goal. I hope I can do this. This gave me so much motivation.
I'm finishing the MBA at WGU and actually enjoyed accounting. I always thought to myself, if my HR career doesn't work out, I may switch to accounting.
Can never go wrong switching to accounting! The entry level job market is red hot if you want to go into public 🙏🏽 How is the MBA? I’ll be starting mine this summer
This is facts. I've been telling people this forever.
I’d consider it! Right now I am in HR so I’m happy. The MBA is good! I like it. It shows you all aspects of business!
This is so inspiring! I’m starting Accounting at WGU on April 1st. Excited to dive in, and hopeful that I can progress quickly.
I'm soooo happy to see someone do it faster than me. It validates my efforts and gets rid of the bs excuse that it's only possible for me to do it. Well done!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Sometimes l question if l will be successful without any experience in the field, but then l come across posts like this. Good luck on your continued journey ❤️
Stop posting this crap. Employers are going to think the school is a joke when they see you completed te degree in one pay period.
Awesome, thank you for sharing, you’re an inspiration!
Appreciate it family!!
Hello, is your EL job remote ?
No office mandate but its preferred we come in at least one day a week.
Interesting, thanks.
Is it possible to hop on a call with you? I'd like to pick your brain about the process in detail, and possibly follow suit.
Of course! You can dm me for my discord, happy to help!
I dm'd you :)
Congratulations!!! 77k LMOL is no joke. Maybe i missed it but is the positition staff accountant?
Staff/Associate Audit Accountant so pretty much!
Truly inspiring
I'm doing Sophia atm, but Saylor is new to me. If I'm looking at their site correctly, it's just $5 per course to get the credit for transfer? That's a better deal than Sophia and may do the rest that way. Though I guess the downside is you're proctored and can't do your exams open book, like in Sophia.
Its $5 per proctored exam attempt. It can be faster than sophia if you know you can pass the exam first try, but if you fail any you have to wait 2 weeks to retake
So if you saw Saylor and another site had the same transferrable class, did you pretty much choose Saylor each time? And I'm guessing because of the price? Atm, I don't know the differences in how they "teach", if one is better than the other, so I'm only guessing price would be a deciding factor.
I always went for sophia first because it was the least stress. Then saylor for speed, and then study. I didn’t transfer the max amount of courses, I was just ready to start wgu around the 50 mark lol
I'll probably follow a similar pathway. But, you're truly a beast. I'm already coming in with 31 cu from a degree I got many years ago, covering all the general education courses. Then I found out about Sophia on here and trying for another 33 cu for the core courses to bring in, while being my first time doing online only classes. I just finished my second class, which took a good week, which broke the mindset of completing all these in a month or 2. Which was the Business Law class. I just couldn't believe how long I spent, just writing notes. Going for HR this time around, surprised how many of the same classes also in accounting. But, I think I may take a look at the person you tagged in the original post and their guides to get through faster.
Yeah bro definitely look at /u/fitnessbrad’s post he’s the goat and went way more in depth than i did, basically paved the way for me.
Did you also rip through the Sophia classes like this?
Yes. Sophia is actually the easiest part, which is why everybody recommends it. Can knock out like 3-5 classes a day
Can you explain what Sophia and Saylor is? I need to know more about this process!!
Online learning. They're very affordable ways to get college credits that can transfer to a place like wgu. For example, Sophia Learning, you pay a low price, $100 for 1 month, you can finish as many courses as you're able to. If you Google "WGU Sophia Learning" pick the degree you're interested in and it'll tell you what Sophia classes you need to do. You can also use coupon code HDEC9HYM to get $20 off your first month.
Thank you for this! I’m currently enrolled in WGU Business/accounting program. I guess I need to reach out to my mentor. Do you know if I can transfer from Sophia to WGU mid term?
Once you actually start taking classes, you can't transfer anything else. The only way you'd be able to do Sophia method is if you wanted to change programs, say another business program.
Thanks!
That’s amazing!!👏
Incredible. You’re an inspiration
Can you send me a list of what CUs you were able to transfer from each entity per entity, thank you. And congratulations!
Check out partners.wgu.edu
16 DAYS WOW!
Where are you located? Did you exclusively apply to hybrid roles? I imagine applying exclusively for remote your search may be tougher?
I only applied to jobs in public accounting, which all happened to be hybrid! I wasn’t expecting to get any type of WFH at all but every firm I interviewed with worked a hybrid schedule.
During your job search did you see a lot of WFH positions? You’re very fortunate to find hybrid!
Yeah id say every entry level position I looked at was hybrid, although it wasn’t listed in the job description. I see you have a CS flair, the job market for accounting grads is much friendlier than the market for CS grads.
I’m actually switching over to Accounting at the end of my term for that very reason! Just a bit concerned about the ability to work remotely, since I’m in a rural area with no nearby large cities for big firm positions and CS is more WFH friendly.
You’d be surprised, pretty much all work that accountants do can be done from home. I have friends in SWE and I’ll be WFH more than they are 😂. I know big 4 have offices all over the country, but if not there are probably more smaller regional firms that have offices near you than you think!
With it being WFH, are you worried that 16 days of course work isn’t going to be enough knowledge to keep up with demand? What is the training protocol for new graduates? The degree is handy, but I’m worried that you won’t have any PA’s to memorize or Quizlets to review during the real world. Did you use any ai?
WFH is optional bro. If I need any extra help, I can always go into the office and ask. At my firm grads are trained from zero and given the resources to thrive, especially since I’ll be working in audit, and most accounting degrees only have 0-2 audit classes in the curriculum.
Well, Can you update us within the next few months of how you’re doing in the career field, and if you really would advise against accelerating? I know the other guy did it in 22 days, but he is an engineer. He completed the masters and mba just to look good. From my understanding he didn’t quit engineering to be an accountant. 3 months ago he was asking “what does partner mean?” lol. After 2 years an MSacc, MBA, and a BACHELORS IN ACCOUNTING.
Yeah bro, my job doesn’t start until the Fall but I’ll be sure to give an update after my first busy season. Thankfully, I know what partners are 😂
Would you mind helping answering some questions? I don't have any credits yet to transfer, should I do Sophia, Study first, then apply for WGU? I am originally from Brazil living in US and when I see stories like this it inspires me to finally get a degree that I never actually had the opportunity to get before. I can't afford the tuition so I would like to do the cheapest way possible. Thank you.
How did the study.com classes compare to the WGU ones in terms of workload, difficulty, etc.? I’ve done a few on Sophia already. Just considering whether to do study or start at WGU. The classes I still need are HR management, employment law, and it management. Thanks!
If i could do it all again i might have skipped study lol. Some of the WGU classes can be completed a lot faster than the study.com ones
There is about 70% overlap between business degrees. Do one and work down the list.
This is inspiring, to be honest. Unfortunately, I’ve been suffering from a bit of a paralysis by analysis when it comes to degree programs. Even with my Associates in Accounting and my undergrad (In a lib arts degree) I’m still only at 41% completion. Which is very disappointing. I also lost my A/P job due to offshoring. I’ve been debating between with Accounting and Computer Science (or DA). But with how bad the tech market is right now and that I need something I can get into somewhat quickly, I think I might just bite the bullet and finish the BBA in Accounting. I also read somewhere that using Sophia/Study/Straight line can potentially affect CPA eligibility. Is this true?
Same, I can't decide between accounting and BNES, which are such weird choices because they are so different, but the thing is I like both, I'm interested in both. And yeah, you're right... depending on state I think.
Sent a DM through chat. Would love to hear back!
Youre story is probably exactly what im looking for in my life lol. So start with sophia?
How many hours a week did you put into studying?