The CA certification process is as follows:
-finishing 51 credit hours of CA required courses during your undergraduate degree (will consume most of your electives)
-writing the CKE (a multiple choice exam) after you graduate
-going to the SOA (more schooling from 8:30-4:30 and then case studies in the evening for a month or so) after you graduate
-writing the UFE (for the lack of a better phrase, it's a super hard case exam) after you graduate
The last three points require prep and take place after graduation when you're (ideally) working fulltime already
-The CA route is generally more secure in that a job can be had a bit easier than marketing.
-Pay-wise at a big 4 auditing firm, you start off after school at 45k/year, this increases to about 75k in 3-4 years (from what I remember) along with some pretty good benefits.
-CA is a great degree to have if you wish to start your own business. In fact, many CAs start their own accounting practices after a few years working for a big 4. Generally speaking, a CA teaches you the necessary financial/accounting skills to successfully run a business.
For the marketing route:
-finish your undergraduate degree
-look for a job in brandmanagement, general marketing, public relations etc.
-From what I understand, there is no recognized degree for marketing. It is also less secure in that it is a more competitive field (according to my girlfriend who's in marketing).
-Pay-wise, marketing salaries can range from 35k after graduation all the way up to 65k. Companeis such as General Mills, P&G, Pepsi (the CPG companies) pay really well for marketing but they are EXTREMELY competitive.
-For running a business, you always need marketing. However, not having a financial background will require some training or at least catching up on accounting.
In the end though, it boils down to what you would like to do in the future. Trust me, if you do not like your job, nothing else will make a difference (unless you're getting paid way too much to say no
). Hope this helps.
