More employers are looking for employees who have specialized knowledge or experience. With this in mind, more job-seekers are looking for ways to gain that specialization that can help them stand out. This is true in the world of accounting. Job-seekers who want to work for one of the big four accounting firms might be perfectly fine with their general accounting degree. A person who wants to go into the world of finance might be looking for something very different. This brings about the critical question of whether it is possible to get an investment accounting degree rather than a general accounting degree. The answer is that there is not a specialized investment accounting degree program out there. though accountants can pursue this specialization later.
You should know first that investment accounting undergraduate programs do not exist. The reasons for this should be relatively easy to understand. General accounting degree programs offer their students the foundational education that they will need in order to do other things in the world of numbers. Without that foundation, a student would have a difficult time trying to apply accounting skills in an investment setting. The good news is that you don’t have to have a specialized degree program at the start in order to gain these skills. You can work with a general accounting degree in the beginning without losing out on much.
Pursuing an Investment Focus With Your General Accounting Degree
Many accountants are able to further their careers by picking up specializations after the fact. You can go further in your education, earning a number of distinctions that show your ability to analyze figures in the investment setting. This is a good backup option for a person who is not able to find the investment accounting degree that he has been looking for. If you are serious about working in private equity, venture capital, or investment banking, then this is something that you have to consider.
Getting an Investment Job with an Accounting Degree
The very good news for job-seeking accountants is that you do not necessarily need this focus in order to get a job in the financial world. Many people are able to work in investment banks with just an accounting degree. If you have the smarts to make it in finance, then your accounting degree might just be good enough. Because of the lack of a specialized degree program, many accountants will choose to supplement their education with an MBA from a reputable school. This can help you show potential employers that you are capable of moving from the accounting side of the aisle to the investment side. Though this approach does come with some expense, it could be just the thing that you need in order to get a job with one of the most successful financial institutions in the world.
An investment accounting degree might not be out there. This should not stop you from pursuing a general accounting degree. If you are smart and motivated, you can pursue specializations and make it in accounting without the investment accounting degree.
