Despite any jokes you might hear to the contrary, deciding to become an accountant can lead you on the path to a steady and important career. Choosing the right degree program is important in any career and a career as an accountant is no different. But, should you get your B.S. or B.A.? Although some would argue that it doesn’t matter, there are surprising benefits to getting your Bachelor of Arts in accounting.
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Liberal Arts Concentration
When you get a B.A. as an accountant, you will not just be crunching numbers all the time. Now, for some, this may not seem like a benefit at the outset, but it is. Being able to crunch numbers is, of course, crucial to being an accountant, but having a broad view of other subjects will also help you help the company you for which you want to work. What if you end up working in a law firm? Having an understanding of their type of work will be essential to your – and their – success.
Broader Career Goals
Having a Bachelor of Arts as an accountant as opposed to a B.S. will enable you to further your career in different ways. Oftentimes, according to Forbes, a company might look at an accountant as strictly the tax person, but having a Bachelor of Arts can lead to more. Because of the broader education you receive in liberal arts, you will be able to contribute more to the overall success of the company, understanding the company’s financial and growth needs.
Diversity of Education
Of course, your potential employer will expect you to have the right kind of experience and training in actual number-crunching, but having more credits in business, communications, and social sciences could actually give your boost over your competitors. While some companies might just want a number-cruncher, a company with foresight will want to see that you took classes in marketing, speaking, and history, so that you can see the whole picture when it comes to the company’s outlook.
Career Outlook
Becoming an accountant means you will be in a growing industry. Career growth, in this case, is tied directly to the growth of the economy at large, whether on a local or global scale. It is important, then, to obtain your Bachelor of Arts degree so that you can be flexible no matter what the economy is like. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, has forecasted accounting to grow as a career by 11 percent from 2014 to 2024, so the potential is there.
Boring People No Longer Need Apply
In the past, accountants were thought of as boring number-crunchers, huddle up with their spreadsheets and ledgers. Of course, the spreadsheets aren’t likely to go anywhere any time soon, but being an accountant is far from the boring enterprise it once was. Having the B.A. in accounting means you not only have the ability to calculate, but you have the skills in other areas that can be a launching pad for a career as a finance officer, loan officer, financial planner or even a CEO of your company someday.