Can I get an accounting job with an unrelated degree?
Breaking into accounting with a non-business undergraduate degree often requires taking extra prerequisite courses or pursuing a specialized master's degree instead of a second bachelor's. Without these targeted credentials, applicants struggle to land entry-level or adjacent positions, leaving them questioning whether a pivot into the field is even possible.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1taking accounting classes during the final year of an unrelated undergraduate degree
- 2planning to complete remaining prerequisite professional education program courses post-graduation
- 3taking prerequisite classes at a community college
- 4consulting online forums and hiring perspectives on degree value
- 5Working a warehouse job that may not pay the bills long term
- 6Considering going back to school for business or finance
- 7Looking into working at the university level
- 8taking some introductory accounting courses
- 9looking into online MAcc programs
- 10looking for adjacent accounting roles like ERP implementation or IT audit
- 11continuing to apply for software engineering roles instead
- 12Pursuing an online MAcc program and graduate certificates to break into the field
- 13Considering specialized subfields like compliance or forensic accounting where previous background might overlap
- 14Spending another four years getting a bachelor's degree in education
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“what are the chances I get an entry level accounting or accounting adjacent job without the official undergrad.”source ↗
“Am I dreaming? Is this going to be impossible?”source ↗
“Should I complete a full associates and then bachelors in Accounting, or just finish my prereqs and complete the Masters.”source ↗
“I’m trying to figure out what direction makes the most sense without completely starting over professionally.”source ↗
“my biggest concern isn’t necessarily whether I can become a CPA—it’s whether doing so means essentially starting my career over at the bottom to get relevant experience.”source ↗
“having trouble identifying the paths where my existing federal/program/data/administrative experience would actually be an asset rather than irrelevant.”source ↗
“I was a sub last year and I wasn't good at it. I got exposure to public schools and the things teachers go through and it made me come to the conclusion that I don't want to be a teacher.”source ↗
“I'm working a warehouse job for now and I don't think this is paying my bills long term.”source ↗
“My dad says I have to because I have a degree in history so teaching is pretty much the only thing I can do with it.”source ↗
“I'm a recent CS graduate and I'm currently trying to keep accounting as a serious backup career option while I continue looking for software engineering roles.”source ↗
“My question is: what would you recommend someone in my position do over the next year to become a stronger accounting candidate?”source ↗
“I'm not necessarily looking for someone to tell me whether I should choose accounting over software engineering. I'm mainly trying to figure out how I can make myself genuinely more prepared and employable in accounting if I ultimately decide to pursue the MAcc.”source ↗
“I have a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and want to become a high school English teacher (7–12) in NYS. Would that be possible to do without spending another four years getting a bachelor’s degree in education?”source ↗