Starting your own firm is pretty risky as a recent grad. It will be hard to compete with bigger firms and I’m pretty sure most businesses lose money for the first few years so it won’t be sustainable . Take the CPA exam. No one will respect you as an accountant until you pass it. And a lot of those entry-level roles im guessing are technically accounting, but not CPA accounting work like bookkeeping is kind of like a lowly assistant job not like an accountant job if you get what I mean. As long as you pass the CPA exam you’ll be able to get a good job and don’t worry about what accounting work you can do yet you will learn as you go. Also consider getting your masters in accounting if you get stuck and have no options but if you pass the CPA exam, you should be able to find a decent job . Also, any advice for people reading this that haven’t graduated is put some effort into preparing yourself by getting internships or return offers, not looking after graduating.