The Girls' Mom Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I am currently in college myself, majoring in Accounting. While I'm good at it, I'm not in love with Accounting. It is something to get me a decent job that I can stand to do..lol. That said, I've started looking at the Business Analytics major, and it seems like something I would enjoy a lot more than Accounting. The field also seems to be growing at a rapid rate. Our area isn't over-saturated with qualified people in the field yet either. Does anyone here have any experience with the field? Is it crazy for a computer savvy 40 year old to try to get into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 (edited) I would think you could get an analytics job with an accounting degree. I have a masters in taxation and have done very little tax. I've done audit, financial reporting, Sarbanes Oxley implementation, and non-profit business administrator. You pretty much get to choose. [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited February 21, 2017 by SamanthaCarter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 (edited) I would think you could get an analytics job with an accounting degree. I have a masters in taxation and have done very little tax. I've done audit, financial reporting, Sarbanes Oxley implementation, and non-profit business administrator. You pretty much get to choose. [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The certifications are different though? The program I'm looking is much more computer intensive, and has a focus on information systems. It leans more into data analysis and such. http://catalog.utk.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=20&poid=8609 ETA: Switching at this point would not cause credit issues. The first two years of both of these degrees are the same courses. Edited February 21, 2017 by The Girls' Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I am currently in college myself, majoring in Accounting. While I'm good at it, I'm not in love with Accounting. It is something to get me a decent job that I can stand to do..lol. That said, I've started looking at the Business Analytics major, and it seems like something I would enjoy a lot more than Accounting. The field also seems to be growing at a rapid rate. Our area isn't over-saturated with qualified people in the field yet either. Does anyone here have any experience with the field? Is it crazy for a computer savvy 40 year old to try to get into? I popped in on the other thread and mentioned that my dh is in this. I know from previous threads that you and I are in the same part of the state. My dh made this career change two years ago. He had dabbled in it some in various jobs and has a background in the business side of tech companies but now he is in analysis full time. He has a good job and believes he could find another if need be. He is basically really really good with Excel he tells people. He is currently working in HR analysis but could move to different departments with his skills. My dh believes what sets him apart from his peers is the ability to not only run the data but to present it and explain it creatively. I am not sure how that impacts what direction you would take but the analysts that are really all numbers are limited. He is good with creating visualizations and communicating the analysis to the people that are not so comfortable with the numbers. He is encouraging our boys to look at the field as a career or major. My oldest ds is a freshman business major at a school in Atlanta. He is in a business analytics class right now and the prof keeps telling them that this is the "sexy" new career area. He is interested but I don't believe it is offered as a major at his school. He might do accounting and create his own emphasis in analytics. My dh doesn't have a degree in any kind of business. He has degrees in physics and education and his career path just kind of led him here. It might be strategic to major in accounting and develop the analytic and data visualization skills as well. Sorry I don't have better info but I want to tell you that I don't think it is crazy and my dh just got into the field full time at age 40. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 I popped in on the other thread and mentioned that my dh is in this. I know from previous threads that you and I are in the same part of the state. My dh made this career change two years ago. He had dabbled in it some in various jobs and has a background in the business side of tech companies but now he is in analysis full time. He has a good job and believes he could find another if need be. He is basically really really good with Excel he tells people. He is currently working in HR analysis but could move to different departments with his skills. My dh believes what sets him apart from his peers is the ability to not only run the data but to present it and explain it creatively. I am not sure how that impacts what direction you would take but the analysts that are really all numbers are limited. He is good with creating visualizations and communicating the analysis to the people that are not so comfortable with the numbers. He is encouraging our boys to look at the field as a career or major. My oldest ds is a freshman business major at a school in Atlanta. He is in a business analytics class right now and the prof keeps telling them that this is the "sexy" new career area. He is interested but I don't believe it is offered as a major at his school. He might do accounting and create his own emphasis in analytics. My dh doesn't have a degree in any kind of business. He has degrees in physics and education and his career path just kind of led him here. It might be strategic to major in accounting and develop the analytic and data visualization skills as well. Sorry I don't have better info but I want to tell you that I don't think it is crazy and my dh just got into the field full time at age 40. Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I actually started off as an art major, and still consider "artist" my part-time profession. So, the creative edge is definitely there for me. The more I learn about this, the more it appeals to me. I love the software/computer aspect of pretty much anything. (Dh and I have been tech dabblers since the days of Atari and TI Computers!) I hated the format of my Statistics class, but really liked the meat of it. My "day" jobs have always been business or computer related. The idea of getting into a newer field with the experience of age appeals to me. I just didn't want to invest the time and money in this if the doors were shut to 40+ year old women. I'm glad to hear that your dh was able to step into it with no age issues. Our area is really growing, business-wise, so the more I look into this, the more sense it makes to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I read your link. That sounds like an interesting field! Tickles MY brain at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I actually started off as an art major, and still consider "artist" my part-time profession. So, the creative edge is definitely there for me. The more I learn about this, the more it appeals to me. I love the software/computer aspect of pretty much anything. (Dh and I have been tech dabblers since the days of Atari and TI Computers!) I hated the format of my Statistics class, but really liked the meat of it. My "day" jobs have always been business or computer related. The idea of getting into a newer field with the experience of age appeals to me. I just didn't want to invest the time and money in this if the doors were shut to 40+ year old women. I'm glad to hear that your dh was able to step into it with no age issues. Our area is really growing, business-wise, so the more I look into this, the more sense it makes to me. Sounds like a good fit for you. My dh has always created a niche for himself in every job he has had by being the guy who could understand the tech and communicate it effectively to the "normal" people :001_smile: So, a variety of experiences and interests probably really helps out with that. There actually is alot of creativity that goes into it. That keeps it interesting and should really appeal to the artist in you. Just to note- my dh works in an analytics group of 4 and he is the only male. His boss and her boss are female. At least in his experience it is not a male dominated field at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 When you say "business analytics", are you talking Data Analysis or Financial Planning & Analysis? Or something else? Data Analysis will be much more CS-heavy while FP&A will be more finance-heavy. My DH is currently working in FP&A with a MBA & Chartered Financial Analyst certification plus past experience in investment banking, equity research, and investor relations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 DH did financial dashboards within the federal government for about five years, and our son is majoring in accounting with a minor in business analytics. It's a very hot field in our area. The classes DS will take (he's a sophomore) have prerequisites in IT and mathematics, so be prepared for that if it's a similar program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted February 21, 2017 Author Share Posted February 21, 2017 When you say "business analytics", are you talking Data Analysis or Financial Planning & Analysis? Or something else? Data Analysis will be much more CS-heavy while FP&A will be more finance-heavy. My DH is currently working in FP&A with a MBA & Chartered Financial Analyst certification plus past experience in investment banking, equity research, and investor relations. More data analysis. If I were to lean finance, I'd probably just stick with the Accounting major. But the data side is more appealing to me. Part of the description from my university: "Business analytics involves the use of data analysis and computer models to make better business decisions. Organizations use business analytics to answer strategic questions such as (1) which products and services that we provide are most profitable (2) who are our most profitable customers and (3) where should we locate our retail outlets and our distribution centers. Business analytics are also used for tactical decisions in optimizing an organization's day-to-day operations, marketing, purchasing and pricing decisions." I would do an Information Systems concentration, which helps focus more on the IT side, and also deals more with social media and e-commerce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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