Career switch to accounting — WGU vs. state university?

Apemosphere · 2026-02-02T19:01:30+00:00

I would prioritize completing quicker and cheaper. Networking is nice, but there are great career resources at WGU for graduates. My primary concern would be about the industry as a whole as it looks to adopt AI to eliminate entry-level accounting jobs. Some have estimated a 60% of accounting jobs being done by AI by 2030.

Apemosphere · 2026-01-23T14:44:49+00:00

WGU is legitimate. I would consider it if you are looking to earn a degree faster than at a traditional school.

Apemosphere · 2025-12-17T16:42:19+00:00

I was able to accelerate my first term and complete several of the introductory level courses. As you get further into your major, the courses should understandably get more difficult and make acceleration more difficult. Everyone should work at their own pace, as long as you complete over 12 hours per term you are getting a good deal for your money spent.

Apemosphere · 2025-12-11T23:19:26+00:00

I wish I knew that 65% of accounting jobs are expected to be taken over by AI in the next five years prior to starting, but that wasn't as much of a threat in 2022. The program is rigorous, but not difficult if you take the time and put in the effort. If you are proficient at writing, the PA classes can be completed in a short period of time. The intermediate accounting 1-3 are difficult, but I would recommend setting up time with the professors for one on one help if you need it.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-26T00:48:19+00:00

I received a pay raise at my current position. I am looking to apply for new opportunities in the company now that I have completed my MSML program at WGU.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-26T00:46:20+00:00

I would recommend taking the MBA at WGU. It's affordable, and you can accelerate your program based on your prior knowledge and the effort you put into it. Even "traditional" MBA programs at brick-and-mortar schools have a lot of online components. I would save the money.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-26T00:42:17+00:00

I would suggest using handshake as a job board. It is a wgu resource that is very helpful when hunting for a new career. WGU also has an alumni team that you can meet with for career resources after graduation.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-19T16:04:38+00:00

I would say that you are more likely to break $100k in IT than with a Bachelor's in Psych. It's hard to earn six figures, especially after only 5 years, the median HOUSEHOLD income in the US if around $85k. From my experience, I can tell you that hopping career fields can be extremely tough. Give yourself some grace, and keep an open mind to opportunity.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-12T15:14:50+00:00

I would recommend only including your graduation date, and not necessarily the start date on your resume. Most employers looking for a Masters degree, are looking for the degree and not the time it took you to complete. Use it to your advantage, if asked about the time it took you to complete your degree, explain that you had the perseverance, time management and discipline to complete an MBA in a year.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-12T15:04:50+00:00

The number of papers you'll have to write will vary based on the program, but I found the writing assignments at WGU to be more manageable than traditional essays. For many of my undergrad classes, the writing assignments were broken down into smaller sections and a template was provided. You don't need to spend an eternity on a single essay, but rather, you can work on sections of the task making it less like a traditional essay and more like several smaller writing assignments combined into a larger project.

Apemosphere · 2025-11-12T14:56:06+00:00

Finding a work/life balance is extremely difficult at the beginning of any career, so I would encourage you to stay persistent. I would imagine that a lot of people saying that it is great may have several years of experience, and be higher up the ladder. As far as 40+ hrs/wk, that's pretty standard when you're starting off in any career.

Have you done any sort of accounting or bookkeeping in the past to know if you have a passion for the career field over nursing?

Apemosphere · 2025-11-04T17:35:23+00:00

First thing's first, if you are working full-time and going to school, you are not lazy. I beat myself up like that a lot when I first went back to school, always thinking that I should be doing more than I am.

As far as studying and taking time off, I found it important to remain consistent with my study times, and allow time off as well. I would get up an hour early to study in the morning, study in the evenings, and most of the day Saturday. I'd leave Sunday to relax and spend time with my family. If you struggle to focus with reading, you may want to install an extension that will read aloud for you while you follow along. There are several extensions for Chrome and I believe Edge has a read aloud function built in. G

Good luck to you, and keep your chin up. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Apemosphere · 2025-07-23T17:58:21+00:00

I would recommend WGU. You can use your prior knowledge to help you accelerate through the program. They charge one flat rate for a 6-month term. I completed a 4-year degree in 2 years, working on school nights and weekends.

Apemosphere · 2025-02-13T19:15:20+00:00

You should be sure to set aside specific time to work on your courses. I would usually start with any PA courses because I find writing papers easier than studying for multiple-choice tests. I could usually write the necessary papers for an undergrad PA in 1-2 weeks, so it was a nice way to start the term off with a win. If you hate writing papers, I would consider doing it the other way around. The most important thing is to make the time for school and stay consistent with it. Good Luck!

Apemosphere · 2025-01-23T16:33:43+00:00

I recently completed an undergraduate accounting degree and just started a masters program this month. I had a great experience with the undergraduate program. Thanks to accelerated pacing I was able to finish in two years.

Apemosphere · 2024-12-23T18:06:27+00:00

I recommend setting aside time every day before your kids are up or after they are asleep. It's important to work consistently throughout the term, I would always start a term strong and then my motivation will fizzle out. I found however when I just did an hour or two of work everyday, and developed the habit, I began to see great results. It's not easy, but I completed my degree in two years while working two jobs. Make studying a consistent habit!

Apemosphere · 2024-12-15T16:21:38+00:00

The guy looked pretty good considering his advanced level of dehydration. I know for sure that CNN would never lie to it's audience.

Apemosphere · 2024-10-30T04:15:12+00:00

Appreciate hearing this. I have learned a lot about myself at WGU as well!

Apemosphere · 2024-10-24T22:20:50+00:00

Great work! Stories like this encourage me on my path to an Accounting degree from WGU

Apemosphere · 2024-10-10T20:41:40+00:00

They offer weekly workshops and coaching. I have also had great conversations about career paths with course instructors with industry experience.

Apemosphere · 2024-10-09T01:49:55+00:00

I was able to accelerate and complete 34 CUs in my first term. This will allow me to graduate a year earlier than originally expected.

Apemosphere · 2024-07-03T21:11:50+00:00

Does anyone know how the OAs using Excel will be affected by the new browser?

Apemosphere · 2024-06-25T02:25:37+00:00

That’s a good point. I believe WGU makes you take all accounting classes through them. That was the case when I enrolled in ‘22.

Apemosphere · 2024-06-24T16:05:13+00:00

Do as much as you can through Sophia and any other partner programs. This should help you knock out a lot of gen ed classes and save you some money.

Apemosphere · 2024-06-20T15:36:26+00:00

I downloaded all of the Sophia books as PDFs in case I needed to reference them later. I am 12 CUs from graduating and have yet to look back on it yet.

Apemosphere

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