My situation

[Docklands]

Hi guys,

Just a bit of background, i finished with an enter of 90.55 this year - with a 30 in further( pre scale)

Im currently deciding what course to do, but ive found myself pretty unsure as to what to do - so i thought i'd ask the friendly bunch on VN.

I'm considering one of the following -

banking and finance/ accounting @ monash

banking and finance/ arts @ monash

environments @ melb

My only concern is, coming out of uni with a 'common' degree, that is , where i finish my degree - and find myself being no different from the guy next to me. I know that sounds a little shallow, but the current economic slowdown has sort of showed me that that career path isnt too safe.

Thats my main reason for considering arts, do you think i would be better to do a language as opposed to doing accounting?

If i was to do environments, i'd major in construction - my only problem is, the fact that i'd have to do maths at uni - which evidently, i struggle with. Additionally, the pre req for doing the maths i need to do at uni is 1/2 methods - whereas ive only completed unit 1

I kinda see environments as a course which would make me a bit of a rare comodity, not only because its a new course, but because of the environmental knowledge which one can gain doing the course. Not only that! but im also a fan of the new melbourne model, which would allow me to start  undertaking a language which im pretty keen on.

Having said that, ive always been keen on a more business themed career, and my study scores reflect that.

Sorry for the long post but i just wanted some comments regarding my situation

thanks in advance

adam

[xox.happy1.xox]

Hey Adam,

Well, if I were in your situation, I would choose Banking finance/Arts at Monash.

Here is my reasoning:

Unfortunately, you cannot do Environments at Melbourne, given that you haven't achieved the prerequisites set out in the VTAC guide. It's annoying, but there are many other VNers also in this situation.

I think Accountants are very common in Australia, and therefore, it may be a little more difficult to get a job at an accounting firm (unless you achieve spectacular results), and it would be almost a pity to take up a subject, when there are so many risks involved. However, I do believe that being an Accountant is very rewarding (I know of a guy who started as an Accountant, started in the baking business for 3 years, and went back to accounting after that). So it will get you coming back to it.

I think it is reputable that you would like to do a language. I mean, my language was the death of me in VCE, but that doesn't mean you won't learn from it. (What language are you thinking of taking up out of curiosity?) I think it would be great in choice of career paths, and means you can bring something different to the table than those who had just studied one plain degree.

Think your options over, you're bound to find the one that suits you the best.

[brendan]

Thats my main reason for considering arts, do you think i would be better to do a language as opposed to doing accounting?

Depends on what your goal is. If your goal is to maximize your chances of being employed by a big 4 accounting firm i'd suggesting you do accounting rather arts.

[Docklands]

thanks for the replies!


i'm considering mandarin! i know it would be really really difficult, but i think i'd be willing to put in the hours.

Brendan ,

Would you say there is an oversupply of uni graduates compared to job vacancies as of now?

[Eriny]

My mum, who is an accountant, says that there's a bit of an aging problem in accounting. Most accountants are old and are going to retire soon. In other words, I think accounting is quite a 'safe' career, unless you're going for a really competitive place at one of the big firms. It depends what you want out of it. Maths is not that much of a worry in accounting, as far as I know, as long as you can apply formulas and do arithmetic - it's more the in-degree maths which you'd have to investigate.

But yeah, if you want to make a career out of accounting, you should probably do an accounting degree. If not, and you're really interested in doing a language, then arts is the way to go. I think being able to speak Mandarin well will be a valuable skill in a few years time if you're working with a company that has an international focus.

I think you can also do a Diploma of Modern Languages at Monash. It would add an extra year on to your degree (I think), but you could end up with the banking and finance/ accounting double and a good knowledge of Mandarin. I think you apply for this after you enroll at Monash, but you'd have to look into it.

[excal]

My mum, who is an accountant, says that there's a bit of an aging problem in accounting. Most accountants are old and are going to retire soon. In other words, I think accounting is quite a 'safe' career, unless you're going for a really competitive place at one of the big firms. It depends what you want out of it. Maths is not that much of a worry in accounting, as far as I know, as long as you can apply formulas and do arithmetic - it's more the in-degree maths which you'd have to investigate.

But yeah, if you want to make a career out of accounting, you should probably do an accounting degree. If not, and you're really interested in doing a language, then arts is the way to go. I think being able to speak Mandarin well will be a valuable skill in a few years time if you're working with a company that has an international focus.

I think you can also do a Diploma of Modern Languages at Monash. It would add an extra year on to your degree (I think), but you could end up with the banking and finance/ accounting double and a good knowledge of Mandarin. I think you apply for this after you enroll at Monash, but you'd have to look into it.

That is correct - you apply for it after you've started studying.

[fanta888]

dont bother studying mandarin...i have seen the chinese education systems firsthand and they put a huge emphasis on studying english (its complusory), so basically they have an extremely advanced grasp of english by the end of their studies, rendering your intermeadiate mandarin obsolete.

[Ken]

^ unless they get you to translate english to chinese which is fine by me.

[xox.happy1.xox]

^ unless they get you to translate english to chinese which is fine by me.

Babelfish FTW!

[brendan]

Brendan ,
Would you say there is an oversupply of uni graduates compared to job vacancies as of now?

At least for accounting, i would say there are a lot of uni grads vying for few spots.

You might hear a lot that there is a "shortage" of accounting grads, but that probably isn't true. What employers mean by that is that there is a shortage of suitable accounting grads with all the skills that they want.

[AppleXY]

Yep. Structural. However, doing B+F can be math intensive although.

Accountants are actually very respectable, and not what they portrayed in the media [boring] (GTFO). Although, it may seem bland at first, in later stages it becomes very exciting.

[humph]

Yep. Structural. However, doing B+F can be math intensive although.

Accountants are actually very respectable, and not what they portrayed in the media [boring] (GTFO). Although, it may seem bland at first, in later stages it becomes very exciting.

Nah, accounting is always boring. Pure maths, on the other hand...

[gemgem49]

My mum, who is an accountant, says that there's a bit of an aging problem in accounting. Most accountants are old and are going to retire soon. In other words, I think accounting is quite a 'safe' career, unless you're going for a really competitive place at one of the big firms. It depends what you want out of it. Maths is not that much of a worry in accounting, as far as I know, as long as you can apply formulas and do arithmetic - it's more the in-degree maths which you'd have to investigate.

But yeah, if you want to make a career out of accounting, you should probably do an accounting degree. If not, and you're really interested in doing a language, then arts is the way to go. I think being able to speak Mandarin well will be a valuable skill in a few years time if you're working with a company that has an international focus.

I think you can also do a Diploma of Modern Languages at Monash. It would add an extra year on to your degree (I think), but you could end up with the banking and finance/ accounting double and a good knowledge of Mandarin. I think you apply for this after you enroll at Monash, but you'd have to look into it.

That is correct - you apply for it after you've started studying.

Can you apply for the diploma of languages during your first year?
And do you have to be majoring in a language?
I'm going to be learning two languages but one will be my minor and the other will be a first year sequence, as in my course I have to major in International Studies
But I still really want to do a dip in languages

[excal]

My mum, who is an accountant, says that there's a bit of an aging problem in accounting. Most accountants are old and are going to retire soon. In other words, I think accounting is quite a 'safe' career, unless you're going for a really competitive place at one of the big firms. It depends what you want out of it. Maths is not that much of a worry in accounting, as far as I know, as long as you can apply formulas and do arithmetic - it's more the in-degree maths which you'd have to investigate.

But yeah, if you want to make a career out of accounting, you should probably do an accounting degree. If not, and you're really interested in doing a language, then arts is the way to go. I think being able to speak Mandarin well will be a valuable skill in a few years time if you're working with a company that has an international focus.

I think you can also do a Diploma of Modern Languages at Monash. It would add an extra year on to your degree (I think), but you could end up with the banking and finance/ accounting double and a good knowledge of Mandarin. I think you apply for this after you enroll at Monash, but you'd have to look into it.

That is correct - you apply for it after you've started studying.

Can you apply for the diploma of languages during your first year?
And do you have to be majoring in a language?
I'm going to be learning two languages but one will be my minor and the other will be a first year sequence, as in my course I have to major in International Studies
But I still really want to do a dip in languages

At Monash:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. I believe you can do one language as part of your Diploma of Languages. This is additional to whatever you're doing in your (presumed) BA.

[gemgem49]

My mum, who is an accountant, says that there's a bit of an aging problem in accounting. Most accountants are old and are going to retire soon. In other words, I think accounting is quite a 'safe' career, unless you're going for a really competitive place at one of the big firms. It depends what you want out of it. Maths is not that much of a worry in accounting, as far as I know, as long as you can apply formulas and do arithmetic - it's more the in-degree maths which you'd have to investigate.

But yeah, if you want to make a career out of accounting, you should probably do an accounting degree. If not, and you're really interested in doing a language, then arts is the way to go. I think being able to speak Mandarin well will be a valuable skill in a few years time if you're working with a company that has an international focus.

I think you can also do a Diploma of Modern Languages at Monash. It would add an extra year on to your degree (I think), but you could end up with the banking and finance/ accounting double and a good knowledge of Mandarin. I think you apply for this after you enroll at Monash, but you'd have to look into it.

That is correct - you apply for it after you've started studying.

Can you apply for the diploma of languages during your first year?
And do you have to be majoring in a language?
I'm going to be learning two languages but one will be my minor and the other will be a first year sequence, as in my course I have to major in International Studies
But I still really want to do a dip in languages

At Monash:

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. I believe you can do one language as part of your Diploma of Languages. This is additional to whatever you're doing in your (presumed) BA.

Ahhh thanks for that
How do I apply?
And will it add an extra year?
So many questions haha