Secondary Education is to a career what cake is to birthday party, needed. College has become more than a normality but also somewhat of a requirement. Almost 20% of college students have a major in business administration, which I do not find surprising at all
Going into college I was unsure of not only what I wanted to do but the whole college thing in general. Not for any other reason then not wanting to waste time and money. Student loans mean years of debt for a young adult just starting out and I was unsure I wanted that debt. But just like many recent high school grads I took the plunge.
There is no handbook, no guidelines for how to best select a career but that is what every new batch of freshmen are to do. First choosing a teaching career and switching to business with a concentration in accounting was how I spent my four years at Millersville University in Central Pennsylvania.
Accounting is a professions that has been around for awhile, has a job market and is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Whether it is abiding SEC regulations or trying to get new investors financial statements come in handy especially when your talking the stock market. Most careers have a certification, test or some sort of extra degree, for accounting that is the CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
A CPA comes with many benefits. After passing all four parts of the CPA (Financial (FAR), Business (BEC), Auditing (AUD), and Regulation (REG)) in 18 months and based on the state regulations you are awarded you CPA certificate. Most states require a certain amount of credits and/or working hours in accounting. The NASBA was kind enough to put a top 5 reasons to become a CPA.
Not sure why Money & Benefits is #5, I would assume it is closer to the top in most candidates mind.
Either way, being a graduate with a degree in accounting obtaining a CPA is a current goal and mission of mine as I write this.
Nothing short of exposure to business was in my upbringing. Whether it was a balloon business or a malt shop turned into full food and drink concessions business decisions and opportunities were at my finger tips. Helping out at a young age the exposure was just that. But the exposure I was able to have when in high school I was able to have my own money and stake in the game really opens your eyes to everything, and I mean everything.
Talking to many peers in there late teens early tweeties the dream is always to be an entrepreneur. Our vision of this foreseen business is always success. The misconception that if “you” were at the helm decisions would be easy to make. Social Media posts aren’t filled with business that almost made it, or ones that could have made it if they had a break. No, its filled with success story after success story, or at least that is what we are to believe. In fact many, many more businesses fail then actually succeed. As much as I did not see failure, I did not experience success so you can be the judge of that.
Experience teaches one more than any book or certification will ever. That is not to say that learning the book and getting degrees does not have value, but there is a gap in any situation that only experience can fill. Experiencing failure is like nothing else. It molds who you are and puts a fork in the road as future decisions will always be made with those previous experiences in hindsight.
Having a career is just that, I do not believe it is something that defines one but helps tell a story, a chapter per say. For myself I can say there is so much more that goes into who I am and what matters to me. As this site and blog develops, those other interests will
I write this to say it’s all a journey, never knowing where the next opportunity lies or which investment has the golden ticket written on it. All a mix of timing, awareness and wisdom to act on what lays in front of you.
As experiences happen, I hope to provide insight and tidbits into what I experience and all that goes with that. Whether its business, accounting, books, or something technology, there is no scope and definitely no ceiling. So please buckle up and lets see where this ride takes up
Yours truly
J. Sirro
J.Sirro 