Ahhhh, finally Spring is upon us. Besides losing an hour of sleep and those dreaded inch worms that plague the streets, Spring is one of the best times of year. For college students, however, this time of year may not be so gleeful. By now, you are realizing that you may need to get an A on the final and do extra credit, just to pass the class. Maybe you’re questioning why you decided to major in accounting in the first place. With those add/drop dates lurking around the corner- now is the time to decide if you should quit or keep going.
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you may have easily guessed that my suggestion would be to keep going. If you started as an accounting major by choice and it is your goal to become an accountant, then the level of difficulty should not be a deciding factor. If you are failing classes and struggling to grasp the concepts, then it is time to do a self assessment.
First of all, how bad are things really? Withdrawing from a course late in the semester or changing your major would be a huge set back. Do the math to determine if you can possibly still pass the course. If you determine that you can still pass the course then definitely keep going. If you determine that it would be mathematically impossible to turn things around for this course, consider retaking it next semester.
Next, take a look at your overall accounting GPA. Have you performed poorly in all of your accounting courses? If so, what have you done to change this? The difficulty in the self assessment is being honest with yourself about what role you’ve played in all of this. The reality is that accounting is rough for many of us. However, that alone cannot be enough to keep you from succeeding in it.
Adopt the identity of a successful accounting student and show up as that person each day. Pay close attention to what they are doing. If they sit in the front row, you sit in the front row. If they show up early to class and review right after, you do the same.
You will need to put forth the effort to bring your grades up. It is important to determine what specific things you are struggling with. You should be able to identify the exact part of an equation where you stop understanding. Determine what your weaknesses are and then work to overcome them. Go to office hours to meet with your professors. Walk through the concepts with them to make sure you reach full understanding.
Utilize your resources. Online resources like YouTube, Quizlet, and other accounting blogs are all great tools. Do not hesitate to ask for help. There is a world of accountants out there that are more than willing to help you reach the level of success that you are capable of, so speak up.
The key to my success as an accounting major was my belief that I would graduate with my degree in accounting. I struggled to pass my intermediate accounting course and had to work feverishly to earn my degree-but I always knew that it would happen. Even after receiving a discouraging email from the accounting department (seen in the cover photo), I knew that giving up was never an option. I was certain that I was in accounting for a reason. I harassed my accounting professors, I studied with groups of other accounting students, and I refused to accept that an assortment of numbers and words could defeat me.
I went on the graduate Cum Laude with my accounting degree and a full time job offer in public accounting. If you truly want to be an accountant, there is nothing and no one that can stand in your way.