re: College student seeking advice

I graduated undergrad with a BS in Accounting in 2010 and completed the masters program in 2011. If your plan is to sit for the CPA (meaning you'll need the extra 30 hours) I would recommend that if your financial situation allows for another year of school. Can't say that anyone in the professional world has asked me if I have a masters yet or if anyone cares once you have CPA behind your name, but I learned a lot in the program and didn't find it much harder than undergrad other than you have to go to class. Shouldn't be a problem by that point in your academic career.

As far as avenues you can go, I did not go work for one of the big 4 like 90% of my graduating class. There are good smaller companies in Baton Rouge or elsewhere that are looking for qualified, ambitious young people. Don't let the LSU department brainwash you into thinking you absolutely have to be an auditor and MUST go work for the big 4. Any time I told them I was going work for a firm with 10 CPAs and mostly working on small businesses you would have thought I told them I was going teach 1st graders how to add with my masters. Joke is on them, I have a much less stressful job than the 90% of my classmates and make almost what they make and will surely surpass them in a few years.

The CPA is the key in all of that education though. Don't go through it and not seal it with a CPA. Once you have those credentials your possibilities are limitless.