CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Hi, should I try to become a geologist or an accountant ? At the moment I put things on the shelf and sweep floors. > : l Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Lol. How do I know? What are your strong sides and weaknesses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigris Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Syrix is right, we need a lot more information before we'll be able to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Yes, you do, but you are lazy to figure out. What would be your dream job? What you hate?How many time or money you have for education? How about checking up some sites about how to choose education? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 So weird you ask this...my boyfriend is an accountant, but he's really into geology, science, electronics... basically, "how things work." His true passion is music, as he's a drummer in a band, but he wishes that his daytime paycheck came from something he actually liked doing. I keep telling him to pursue geology or some kind of science job. Captain, it seems to me you're in a point in your life where you can actually make some choices regarding which direction you want to pursue. My advice is to follow your heart on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 I'm not at college I work nightfill at bunnings warehouse. Scout, i'm thinking accounting is more practical and secure than a science field, particularily in Australia. I was tossing up the idea of engineering but I don't really care about how mechanical things work. Geology because I like the outdoors and it took my interest as a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agent1607307371 Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Honestly, I would go with what you love. Making more money is no reward for hating your job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Scout, i'm thinking accounting is more practical and secure than a science field, particularily in Australia. I'd do some serious research on both fields before I came to that conclusion, if I was you. Because, a LOT of people probably think the same thing, thus, there is likely no shortage of accountants. Whereas, well-trained people in certain science fields might be at a real premium. I wanted to major in film when I was in college, but felt a business degree would be more "practical." So, I got one in marketing. Well, the market is glutted with marketers! Luckily, I left my field to become a freelance copywriter, so that's not an issue for me. But, there was a point when I was looking for a marketing job and it took a while because there were so many applicants. As for practicality...accountants spend a great deal of time hunched over a computer crunching numbers and data. Can you imagine eight hours or more of that a day, five days a week...fifty two weeks a year...I would imagine headaches, tense muscles, and general irritability start to ensue. All for a job your heart never really wanted. How practical does the decision look then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 We're in a rescource boom, and there is a shortage of accountants. But that is irrelevant in my book, all things boom and bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 all things boom and bust. Yes, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 I'm not sure what the market is like for a geologist. My friend's father is a geologist, but he does independent contract work in Nigeria. He makes millions. But I think that has more to do with being a smart business person. The job market for accountants is incredible. Just look online at some job searches and you will see that, if you have an accounting designation, you will have no shortage of job opportunities. That might not seem very important to you right now, because you are thinking, "either way, I'll find something. It's no big deal". But it is a big deal when you're one of those great, hardworking students who has finished their degree 2 years ago and still can't find a decent job. It's pretty depressing. Also, accounting may be boring in the beginning (or not, depending on what position you get and which company you work for). But as you get more experience, you can do some really fun, technical, hard stuff. Accountants also tend to work alot of overtime, especially around certain times of the year, like when a company is making their budget. I know personally that's not something I could handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Don't choose economy just because it is practical. It can be awfully boring if it's not something you're really good at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Don't choose economy just because it is practical. It can be awfully boring if it's not something you're really good at. Accounting is a whole different world than economics. I absolutely love economics with a passion and can't imagine doing anything else. I find my job sooo exciting and I enjoyed studying it. I love the fact that everything is a puzzle waiting to be solved, and there's no right or wrong answers - just good ideas. Syrix, do you not enjoy being an economist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 HHHMMM accounting is clearly a better choice. But there is still conflict in my mind, which leads me to think that I probably really do want to do geology. Why did you mention two years specifically ? will companies not hire you more than two years after graduation ? Accounting really is the better thing to do but I really want to study geology. Its probably only because it seems like something new and exciting possibly novel. There are reasons I want to study geology but I am sure those reasons are not unique to me. Like scouts boyfriend, who loves science yet is an accountant. If I do accounting and I hate it, it will still be a tone better than working as a nightfiller. If I do geology and I hate it, it won't be, I'll be stuck in a remote location away from friends and family in a job I cannot stand. A major in geology and accounting will take 4.5 years. Thats far too long, I am 23 now, i'd be almost 28 by the time i finished that course. I need to choose one or the other, and I think it is a very big decision because I am deciding how I am going to spend the next three years and $15,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Accounting is a whole different world than economics. I absolutely love economics with a passion and can't imagine doing anything else. I find my job sooo exciting and I enjoyed studying it. I love the fact that everything is a puzzle waiting to be solved, and there's no right or wrong answers - just good ideas. Syrix, do you not enjoy being an economist? Well I wanted to warn him not to make a decison based only on what is practical but without thinking what is his interest. I wasn't saying how economy is boring, but that it can be boring if you're not interested enough. It applies to any other profession too. So, Captain Planet - The fact is only when you are interested you can be good at your job. And when you are good at your job you are actually wanted as a worker. And if you can get a job in the profession you love (if it is not completely impossible to find one) go for it. it is not important if you're going to have a lot of money, it is only important that you can make for a decent living. Also I am not saying that practicality shouldn't be considered when making such decision. For example you want to be an actor but you're not super talented for that profession. I think that it is very important to take into consideration the oposits of these two professions: beeing an accountant requires a lot of sitting in front of computer. It is a job that is not physically active and I was wandering why are you interested in those two professions that look pretty much different to me. Back to hazey amber: Well, beeing economist is a good thing, but unfortunatelly my current job is awfully boring and degrading, but luckly it ends at the end of november. I am so lucky my contract is ending, even tough I don't have another job. I studied International Relations-International economics and I had my final paper about foreign debt. Well macroeconomics, public economy and tax system was something that I enjoyed studying. My current job is economy work but it is not stimulative enough. Unfortunatelly in my country we have a big unemployment rate, so you can't choose - you just need to take what you can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 HHHMMM accounting is clearly a better choice. No, note necessarily. If you don't enjoy or you're not good at it, then it's a very bad choice. You will end up with a crappy job and go nowhere. It's always better to follow your heart and do something you enjoy. The question is: What do you enjoy? You are 23 so you should have some idea. Are you interested in businesses and the financial decisions that they make? Do you read the business section of the newspaper just for fun? If so, then accounting likely is a good choice. Both jobs require a strong math background, but the math used in geology is more creative. If you are passionate about the environment and you like working outdoors, then go for geology. Also keep in mind that to get a decent job in geology you will likely need a masters degree. And even with a masters degree, you are only going to start out making half as much as you would with an accounting degree. (geologist with a masters: US$25,000 undergrad accountant: US$50,000) But with accounting, you will also have to do post-graduate work. The difference is that you can be working in your field while you do this, and your company may even pay for it. An undergrad is not sufficient for either one. Why did you mention two years specifically ? will companies not hire you more than two years after graduation ? No, I just have some friends who did degrees they thought sounded really fun and they still haven't found jobs two years later. But I think that was more because they didn't have specific goals. They thought they would just get the degree first and then everything would work itself out. If you know exactly what you want to do and what you need to get yourself there, you will be successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Captain, another thing to consider is: what will you be using your professional skills to accomplish? For example, if you choose accounting...do you hope to land a job with a big company because you'll make a better salary, even if personally you don't believe in the ethics of what that company is producing/selling? Or, would you prefer to be an accountant/economist for a cause that serves the larger good? If you choose geology, will you use it to work for a mining company? Or, would you like to be a geologist for an environmental group, taking samples, doing studies, etc. that provide the science component of their research? Or, have you considered any of these questions yet... I know that when I went back to college, all of my reasoning and decisioning was based on what would be in my own self-interest, mostly from a time and financial point of view. I do wish I'd looked at the bigger picture. A few people tried to get me to do so, but their suggestions just didn't register with me at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 How much is US $25,000. I seriously have no idea of the value of money in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 How much is US $25,000. I seriously have no idea of the value of money in the US. You just gave yourself an answer whether you should be an accountant. If you were interested enough going on the web site of your National bank and looking at exchange rates would be Super Duper fun for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 You just gave yourself an answer whether you should be an accountant. If you were interested enough going on the web site of your National bank and looking at exchange rates would be Super Duper fun for you. Syrix...what an astute observation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocio Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 How much is US $25,000. I seriously have no idea of the value of money in the US. (AU$1.3=US$1) I don't think a direct conversion will tell you enough, because you are talking about 2 different markets. From what I can tell you might start out around $40,000 and your salary can go up to $125,000 by the time you are an expert with experience in Australia (in Australian dollars). That's not bad. Check out these links: link removed (good salary info) link removed link removed this guy is super goofy looking, but he has the coolest career! link removed link removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 Exchange rate doesn't tell me the cost of living. Thanks for the input I appreciate any other information people have. I have spoken to a field geologist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siriana Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Syrix...what an astute observation! Thanks and it also looks like I learned a new word: astute. Alt + right click in my mozzila browser makes wonders I didn't mean to offend you Captain planet. I just said something that is the truth. If you were interested in finance you would be more like hazey amber. She was thrilled to give you all the info and to give you all those web pages - Because she likes it. Having an interest in to some subject means reading about it even before you go to school to gain a diploma. Really. I am not saying that you should be thrilled by looking your National bank web page (I was just looking at it and to tell you the truth it looks great-it even has that currency converter where you don't have to do the simple math yourself.I really don't know why we don't have it on our National bank web page) Also be aware that the sallary in the US doesn't need to correspond with the one in Australia, so it is better to search your domestic info about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimthzz Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 $25K US is really low wages You should pursue something that brings in a lot more than that if you intend to raise a family--at least double, triple would be better. If you like geology and accounting, maybe you can combine your interests? Isn't there some kind of geology-related career that allows you to analyze cost benefits of a mining operation, for example? You mention being in Australia. I am sure there are jobs in the gems industry there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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