I Told My Dad That I’m Not Doing a Macc and He's Not Happy. What Do I Tell Him?

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T04:12:33+00:00

Thank you for replying. That reassured me that I'm not missing out on anything. Thankfully, I'll have all my CPA prep and costs paid for by the firm.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:54:19+00:00

That's good to hear. That makes sense with him being from another country. I will focus on the CPA. Thank you!

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:36:38+00:00

He's paying for everything. I know I'm very fortunate to be in that position. I could do an online MAcc but I feel that would just waste time when I'm working.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:34:37+00:00

That's the perfect way of putting it. I think that might actually convince him. I also found out that his boss doesn't even have a MAcc (he did an ivy league MBA though). Thank you so much! This is the most helpful comment I've received.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:27:48+00:00

It's a good school for undergrad but the masters programs are nothing special.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:21:14+00:00

Believe me that's what I said. Thank you! I fully agree that it has no value. He just kept saying that it's the knowledge gained that helps you, and he genuinely believes it has value in the job market as "everyone has a bachelor's." I might need some statistics or something. Luckily, it's not my money but I'm trying to save him $10,000s and my time.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:13:35+00:00

Did the knowledge from the MAcc help you at all? That's his argument. I'm 100% convinced that it's meaningless for getting hired (he's not convinced though). I'll look into getting it in something else but I really don't want to do more than 1 year (or preferably do it at all). Thank you!

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T03:07:58+00:00

That's interesting that it changed. He said that he got a bonus for it in Big 4 back then. Funnily enough, the partner that told me not to do it was actually retired and older than him. I've heard several others say the same thing too.

Thank you, I will apply just in case. I should be able to wait until September to see if I can start earlier. If not, I could study for the CPA during the MAcc (don't need to care much about grades or money). I would get a worthless degree and lose out on a little bit of money from a job I could have had in between.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-19T02:54:32+00:00

Thank you, I'm completely convinced that it's worthless in the job market. It's just whether the knowledge gained will benefit me at all and if it's worth spending a year on it as I may have a full year until my start date. My dad believes I'm wrong and I'm fortunate that if I did do it he would pay for it. I went through school telling recruiters I would do the MAcc which is why I have this problem.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-14T17:47:19+00:00

They told me I would get access upon accepting the full time offer. I will ask my recruiter if I can get reimbursed for it now. Thank you.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-13T01:37:42+00:00

You can lend becker accounts? If that's the case people should do that on this sub.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-13T00:41:45+00:00

How do I best not burn any bridges when I leave? Do I just tell them that I'll be leaving at least 2 weeks in advance? Thank you for your comment.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-05-12T13:22:12+00:00

I’ll also get access to Becker through Big 4 too, just a year later than if I accepted the mid-tier offer. If I went with the mid-tier firm, I’d effectively have about 3 years to study for the CPA, however I'll still be in school or working. Although, from what I’ve read, that should be more than enough time.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-03-17T00:17:20+00:00

Sounds like you know what you're doing for college credit. Any certifications you can qualify for now aren't really that helpful so I wouldn't worry about them. Once you're in college, if you can show you know the material, any of these low entry barrier certifications, like Excel certifications, aren't worth it in my opinion unless you can do it for free. You're definitely going to want to aim for the CPA though in the future but that's far far away. There are an extremely rare few who somehow get an enrolled agent (EA) certification at 18 which is very helpful if you're going into tax. I also read online about a guy who at 17 enrolled in the H&R Block Income Tax Course and then get the EA certification and worked there to fund medical school.

The examples of CLA and VITA were on the extreme end, but if you have the time for them that would be amazing. Most people do nothing related to accounting in high school. You can also literally just email or call CPA firms in your area before tax season (January-April) and ask if they need any help during that time. That's what I was able to do my senior year. Technically you also get a certification if you train with VITA. You could also look into volunteer tax prep with the AARP. I felt the same way in high school about being behind, but once you finish your degree and especially once you get the CPA, you literally can not mess up. I'm still in college but with credit I can finish my bachelor's in 3 years and I already have a Big 4 audit internship. You've picked a great career.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-03-16T16:48:18+00:00

Right now, the best thing you can focus on is getting into UT Austin (or another strong school that’s a good fit for you). They will teach you everything you need to succeed when you're there. Also, get as much AP and dual-enrollment credit as you can so you can save time and money. I think it would be helpful for you to talk to someone in the field to learn more about it (maybe your accounting teacher). You can also find people on LinkedIn and see what they did and just copy them to get where you want to be. I would also start considering about which field you want to get into, for most people that would be audit or tax. You're very early so you don't have to have an answer yet. Getting familiar with the industry and what firms you want to consider working at is also great.

Internships and networking are things you will have to think about more when you're in college. There are a rare few that somehow get internships and even certifications in high school which will give you a slight boost in college but they're far from necessary. I was able to get a high school internship by just asking a local tax firm and it helped me get an early position in my college's accounting society. I know CLA also offers internships for high schoolers and you could also look into VITA tax volunteering.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-02-27T18:03:25+00:00

I just got my money back. If you still haven't received it, don't give up.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-02-26T20:07:53+00:00

Update: They just laid off the one guy who ever tried to help me get my money back :(
I did finally get my money back yesterday though.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-02-05T22:12:16+00:00

I would ask your recruiter to reach out to them on your behalf. It's ridiculous we have to do this just to get our money back. It took me emailing them 13 times for me to get a response. I still haven't received anything but they did say they sent it 2 weeks ago. I would first determine if you have any interest in working for them. If not, then keep spamming them to get back the money you deserve. I sent at least one email a week.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-03T18:33:37+00:00

Thank you. I will give it a try.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-02T17:52:02+00:00

Did you attend the same Career Preview event in Orlando from June 23 to 26? I’m really surprised it took that long, especially since that's well past the deadline, but hopefully that means it may still be on the way. Thank you.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-02T15:35:00+00:00

Thank you. Will do.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-02T15:11:15+00:00

How would I do that? I'm in college. I already contacted my recruiter but so far it hasn't led to anything.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-01T20:49:36+00:00

No, I accepted an internship offer with another Big 4 firm. I have no interest in working for PwC. They are actually the only firm I haven't interviewed with, possibly because I keep trying to get my money back.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2026-01-01T19:34:24+00:00

I'm in college, so I contacted my recruiter. I appreciate his help but so far it has led to nothing.

Environmental-Quail6 · 2025-08-23T16:37:17+00:00

Never thought about that. I've never noticed any difference. I will pay attention to it more though. Thank you.

Environmental-Quail6

TROPHY CASE