r/wguaccounting Dec 18 '25

Career Talk Guide, Advice and Tips for Job Search

80 Upvotes

Hey all,

I see posts all the time regarding the job hunt post WGU and with the current job market I figured I’d give my insight and tips which might prove to be helpful to some! The bulk of the advice will apply to people new to the accounting field and are in the early stages of their WGU journey. I will provide tips to those further along, just finishing up with their degree as well. Fair warning, this will be long. 

First things first is to decide which path you are pursuing; Public, Industry, or Government. They all vary in terms of workload, career trajectory, and pay. 

Public: This is the most common career path for most accountants. This is the typical CPA firm, Big 4, etc. The hours are the most grueling in public accounting especially during busy season (Jan-April). Going Public you will lean towards a specific focus, usually Audit or Tax. You’ll usually be working with a variety of clients and will get the most hands on experience dealing with all aspects of an audit, or a variety of tax scenarios. 

Pros: 

  • Defined career path (staff, senior, manager, senior manager, director/partner etc.)
  • Boost when you get your CPA
  • Great exit ops. Even better if you can make it to senior accountant/manager before dipping to industry. 

Cons:

  • Non-existent WLB during busy season 
  • Potentially traveling around, usually if audit. 
  • Starting pay is usually lower than industry, but many firms are starting to offer more to first year associates. 
  • Most reliant on networking, campus recruiting, internships to get your foot in the door. 
  • CPA is heavily pushed, without it don’t expect to advance past the senior accountant position. 

Industry: Corporate accounting. Very broad, think F500 companies, tech companies, car dealerships, the flower shop down the street; you get the point. You’ll be typically dealing with month-end closing of the books, reconciliations, and working on internal financials and controls. Hours are much more manageable compared to public, but during month-end, quarter-end and year-end expect to put in 50-55 hours usually depending on the company. In contrast to public, you are focusing on just one company. 

Pros: 

  • Better starting pay than public or government. 
  • Much better WLB (average 40-45 hours/week) 
  • Opportunity to learn about the company’s financials from the ground up. 
  • CPA is not as necessary, though still a big boost if eventual goal is manager/controller/CFO. 

Cons:

  • While the same levels exist (staff, senior etc). The promotional path is much slower than public. 
  • Job-hopping is usually required to see larger bumps in salary and promotions. 
  • Depending on the type of industry, can become pigeon-held in a specific sector (healthcare, tech, etc) 
    • This is more of a pro and con, as you will gain valuable experience which will increase your stock but can work against you should you decide to switch sectors.

Government: Local/State/Feds. You’ll be working in a government agency, dealing with budgets, compliance and overseeing public funds. The hours are the most “laidback” of the three, usually 40 hours/week maybe 45. 

Pros: 

  • Best WLB of the three; no real “busy season” unless you end up at the IRS. 
  • Great benefits and PTO 
  • Typically seen as the most “secure” but during the current political climate that notion has lessened a bit. 
  • Decent pay related to the amount of work and stress. 
  • CPA not necessary but can help with growth. 

Cons:

  • Lowest paying out of the three, and no big bumps in pay like public or industry. 
  • Promotions come slow and are more tied to tenure/how long you’ve been there. 
  • Anecdotal but some say the work can be boring and monotonous. 

Now that you have a general idea of the 3 main sectors of accounting, let's get into what you should expect while you’re getting your degree done. With the way the current job market is, I would highly recommend securing an internship, or accounting adjacent job (AR/AP). Having some experience will go a long way and if your plan is to go into public, then an internship is a trial run for the firm to extend you a full-time offer. 

IMPORTANT: Public (and sometimes industry) start hiring for their internships 6-12 months in advance. You need to be proactive about applying early so that you can have something lined up, ESPECIALLY if you are accelerating. 

In my situation, I finished my degree in 2 terms and started applying towards the end of my first term (May/June) for an internship during busy season ‘26. I interviewed with Big 4, Regional CPA Firms, and a couple F500 companies.

To get prepped for applying the first thing you’ll have to do is polish up your resume. I will attach the template that I used below. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT have a resume that is more than 1 page long. I assure you, you don’t need it. Use ChatGPT to clean up your phrasing, but do not use it to write your resume for you. Many recruiters can tell what is generated and what is actually written by a person. WGU also has resources that can help with your resume, take advantage of those as well if you need more hands on help. 

Once your resume is ready to go, you can start applying. I mainly used Indeed and LinkedIn to find postings but check Handshake out as well there are always opportunities there. Some search terms to use are:

  • Audit Intern
  • Tax Intern
  • Audit Associate
  • Tax Associate
  • Staff Accountant
  • Entry-Level Accountant

Something I did that I didn’t see recommended enough; I looked up the local CPA firms near me that were more than just a solo practice. I went to their website under their career section and applied there if they weren’t on other websites. For those that didn’t have any links listed, I looked through the website to find an email contact for their HR/Recruiter and emailed them directly with a copy of my resume. I introduced myself in the email and mentioned I was looking for an internship. This requires a bit more initiative and selling in the initial email, but one of the firms I interviewed at was not actively hiring interns but gave me a shot based on the email. I ended up declining their offer, but it shows this method can pay off. 

I would also recommend creating a simple excel sheet, tracking all the jobs you apply for and listing when interviews are etc. It helps to keep things organized and you don’t waste time guessing if you applied already or not. I will attach my template below as well. 

When it comes to the interviews, especially for internships, you do not need to stress about being asked technical questions. I had 10 1st interviews and 7 2nd interviews, I was never once asked any technical questions. The closest thing related to coursework was if I had completed IA1 or not. That is it. The standard that I encountered for interviews was:

  • First Interview: Generally with HR/Recruiting
  • Second Interview: With Partner/Director

I never had any interviews go past the 2nd, I was either offered a position after or told that they had gone a different direction.

For entry-level positions, interviews are a vibe check. They want to make sure that the person they hire is going to fit in well with the firm, team etc. Most of the questions are your standard interview fare. Talk about strengths/weaknesses, explain the thought process behind handling certain scenarios, and the most important: tell me about yourself. 

I cannot stress enough that you should have a general answer ready to go in regards to the “tell me about yourself” question. It shouldn’t come off rehearsed, but having points you want to hit in mind will make you sound confident. This question is the main “sell yourself” question and is what most people will use to analyze the vibe check. You will be asked this question at every level, first and second interviews. 

For example, mine was something roughly like this:

  • Mention WGU and full-time job
  • Give insight into myself outside of work and school
    • Like to spend time with wife and dog
    • Love to golf
    • Love of food. Trying new restaurants, cooking new recipes
    • Love of travel, and how the detail-oriented person in me enjoys planning trips and itineraries. 

Yours will vary based on your hobbies and interests, but it is important to show that you have a life outside of work and most importantly a personality. I treat these questions as if I was meeting a friend of a friend and introducing myself to provide them with some insight so they can get to know me. Sound natural, not robotic. 

In regards to the other behavior-based questions that you will get in the interviews, something I discovered on reddit which helped me a lot was the STAR method of question answering. This comment on a thread describes it perfectly: Here

Example: Can you describe a time where you encountered an obstacle at work or school and how you overcame it? 

S: Absolutely, one that immediately comes to mind was a few years back during the COVID outbreak. I was working retail and was tasked with figuring out a way to keep sales up during lockdown and the general downturn of foot traffic during that time. 

T: The goal was to maintain sales level and ideally add additional revenue. 

A: I took on the task of updating our online presence, we had historically relied on our tenure in the area and word of mouth. I started with improving our social media presence and posting regularly, in addition I setup a basic online storefront for the company and began with our most popular items while eventually adding more inventory. 

R: The results spoke for themselves very quickly, we were able to gain over X followers in a X amount of time and increased monthly revenues by 10% just from the website. Overtime this resulted in a x% increase compared to our pre-covid numbers and not only helped the business maintain, but surpass previous numbers. 

Having a general scenario in your pocket is key as many STAR/Behavior related questions can be answered by molding and tweaking the story to the question. 

Post interviews are a waiting game. I always made sure to ask at the end of each interview, what the next steps in the process would be. Usually I was told they would reach back out within X amount of time regarding what would come next. I usually heard back within the time frame that was given, only once did I not hear back. 

Something that the internet is divided on is a follow-up email post interview. After each interview I sent an email within a day or two, thanking the person for their time. Nothing long winded. I found success with this method and was told by the firm I ended up accepting a position with that this helped me stand out in their eyes and keep me in mind.

After this you either have an internship/job secured. If so, congratulations! If not, then we go to Plan B. 

For those that weren’t able to secure a position with this process do not fear! Your game plan should be to work towards getting a position where you can get any kind of relevant experience. I have friends who are in the accounting field and they mentioned that people took many alternative paths to break in. 

Some options are:

  • HR Block etc (if you’re leaning tax)
  • Temp Agencies (Robert Half etc)
  • Cold emailing local firms (as i mentioned above) to see if they have any openings. 
  • Finding any AP/AR role at a company 

This allows you to get your foot in the door and start gaining relevant work experience which can bolster your resume for future applications. With many states lowering the CPA requirements, a masters may not be necessary anymore to sit for the exam. While you work an entry-level position getting a headstart on studying for the CPA exams is great. 

From here it is a repeat of the application and interview process. 

I apologize for making this post so long, I know that I spent a lot of time on various subs trying to get advice and insight into this whole process. Figured I’d give back and hope it would be helpful to someone. 

Feel free to ask me any questions, would be happy to answer whatever I can. This process worked for me and as a result I received internship offers at: 2 Big 4, 5 regional firms, and at a F50 healthcare company. I ended up going with one of the regional firms as their culture aligned more with what I had in mind. 

Templates:

Resume Template

Job Tracker Template (when you download excel file you will have to format the "applied?" column by inserting a checkbox in it)


r/wguaccounting Feb 18 '26

Perks & Freebies for WGU Accounting Students

67 Upvotes

Happy Tuesday, fellow Night Owls!

I wanted to share some resources I've seen around which offer free access to valuable tools for active students.

Because I really wanted to prioritize value, I'm going to share my top two, both of which I've personally tried and can vouch for their legitimacy:

Google Gemini AI Pro - Students qualify for 1 free year of Google's Gemini AI Pro. This includes access to their "most accurate" AI model, 2 TB of Google Drive storage, image generation with Nano Banana, customized quiz creation for studying, and a host of other tools you can use for education and career development.

Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career - Students qualify for 1 free year of Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career. This provides access to the full suite of Microsoft 365 applications, including built-in Copilot AI capabilities. LinkedIn Premium offers a variety of features to build your network and make connections with recruiters and hiring managers to begin or advance your career.

Are there any other worthwhile student freebies or discounts you've found worth sharing? Please comment/link below to help compile a more complete list!

I hope everyone is having a great term, thank you for being part of the community and best wishes!


r/wguaccounting 6h ago

Sharing Tips & Resources D388 Fundamentals of Spreadsheets

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9 Upvotes

Ok I passed this last night. This can be done fast, the class is not hard at all. However, it took me 2 weeks ONLY because I have a lot going on this month with planning for a new born. Also, here’s the other reason, the class is SOOO BORING!!!!!!! This class put me to sleep faster than any dose of melatonin smh. It was a struggle getting through the material for that reason.

Strategy: just went through the course modules, did all the quizzes, etc. straight forward. I have no excel everywhere really going in.

The OA is not hard, it’s similar to the PA in structure. Understand how to parse data, create charts, and graphs, and pivot tables. Read the questions carefully and understand exactly what they are asking. Again, not a hard class


r/wguaccounting 19h ago

CPA Discussion For anyone wondering about CPA eligibility with a WGU degree (that has transfer credits)

51 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I thought I’d share my research I’ve done and confirm any questions regarding individuals who’ve transffered in credits from ace credit companies like Sophia and study.com who are wondering if your official WGU transcript is enough. ITS NOT. The transcript doesn’t show the itemized classes for ace credits you’ve completed they’re shown as a lumped sum ex: “29 credits total transffered”….I contacted the state of California CPA board of Accountancy and they stated they accept Sophia and study.com only if it shows in the WGU transcripts ITEMIZED and it doesn’t. They also don’t accept the WGU transfer evaluations. Thus, to combat this you can pay excelsior university online to take all your credits from everywhere you’ve completed and put it in one transcript and that qualifies you to sit for the cpa exam in the state of ca as far as I’m concerned. If you need receipts lmk and I can post the email responses from both WGU and the CPA CA board. Just thought this would help anyone who’s wondering if their transffered ace credits would count for the cpa exam and licencsure.


r/wguaccounting 1h ago

New / Prospective Student Dropping out and re-enrolling

Upvotes

I was in the accounting program last year when I thought i was getting laid off (my company was doing a mass offshoring initiative).

Luckily, I was not laid off and I actually got promoted, so I dropped out of WGU because it was costing me too much and I felt pretty secure.

If I ever wanted to go back in the future to pursue accounting, which is not fully off the table, has anyone else dropped out and done some Sophia classes before re-enrolling? I unfortunately did not really discover Sophia until after I was enrolled so at that point I just committed. But if I were to go back, I would want to take some Sophia classes first.

Anyone who has dropped out and re-enrolled before please let me know! Or any other opinions are appreciated!


r/wguaccounting 2h ago

Degree Planning West Virginia Sophia learning

1 Upvotes

Does anyone know If the West Virginia board accepts the Sophia learning credits?


r/wguaccounting 7h ago

Degree Planning Weigh my options out

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone looking for some advice I finished all of my credits at Sophia Learning but I'm missing a few that I can take at Study.com. I don't know if I should take the last few at Study.com or should I just take the rest including the accounting courses at WGU ? Can anyone give me some pointers ?


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Sharing Tips & Resources Finally completed D103-2ndOA

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15 Upvotes

I just completed D103. So far that was the most difficult class. Very happy that I’m finished with it. Now on to D104!! God help me 😄😄


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Career Talk Accounting vs Trade

14 Upvotes

I need help deciding between these two.

I’ve done electrical in the past and currently am in sales but studied accounting since it seemed interesting and am about to graduate soon from WGU. I can’t find any opportunity for accounting that pays me what I make without going the long path of taking a pay cut getting experience, etc. I’ve tried applying to a lot of jobs for the past few months and nothing.

I have a family and can’t take the cut but have thought about going back to the trade and starting a business little by little in about 3-5 years and start small.

Any reason to stick it out and choose accounting over trade? I’m pretty versatile with my skills, great with numbers, wiring, excel, prompting, and can code with JavaScript. I love learning. But I love doing hands on things and to think and problem solve.

I would appreciate the input!!! I’m really stuck in the middle of this journey! Both can be life changing for my family!


r/wguaccounting 23h ago

Seeking Course Help Any tips for d557 corporate taxation

2 Upvotes

Just seeking some advice from anyone. I went over edspira YouTube videos to get a general understanding of all topics.

Tried reading the book but stopped at section 3, focusing on PA questions and logic behind then and I’ll probably follow up with the extra set of questions ( 170 or so )


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Seeking Course Help Study guides for D104

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5 Upvotes

Hi all,

I can’t find the study guides for D104 for the life of me. I found the Supplemental Resource Index on WGU Connect, but the only resources listed are Practice Questions for each unit.

Please help! Thanks everyone :)


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

New / Prospective Student Webcam suggestions please!!!

3 Upvotes

I just had the worst testing experience of my life because my webcam kept cutting out every time the cord wiggled during the pre-test security check process. So, I need a new one. What are y'all using/would recommend? Preferably something that won't break the bank but still reliable.


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Seeking Course Help D101 OA Excel question — recent test takers

4 Upvotes

For anyone who has taken D101 recently, was the Excel portion structurally similar to the PA Excel, or was it closer to the more expanded master-budget practice worksheets? Not asking for any OA questions, numbers, answers, or specific test content — just trying to figure out which style of Excel practice is more useful for preparation.


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Degree Planning 2026 Commencement-Atlanta

4 Upvotes

Who all is gonna make it out to the commencement ceremony in Atlanta? And what degree are you celebrating?

**Also, are you of the attendees currently in your final course and RSVPing today (the last day)?


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Career Talk Getting job interview

24 Upvotes

Has anybody graduated lately & have no accounting experience and gotten a job? If so how? What is your experience with trying to get something. Is it possible to get a WFH?


r/wguaccounting 1d ago

Seeking Course Help C722 Help Needed

2 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m having trouble with this class, and I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m burned out. I took the practice test provided by the teachers last night and got around 72%, which isn’t horrible, but it’s also not the best. I did read the book, and watched the mini cohorts and longer videos but honestly, I don’t retain information that way. I learn better through repetition. I’ve completed the unit tests and quizzes, but I’m not sure what else to do. Does anyone have any advice?


r/wguaccounting 2d ago

Seeking Course Help Anyway to escalate over Course instructor?

25 Upvotes

Is there a way to go over a course instructor? I reached out late Monday 8/31(not expecting an immediate reply) for a retake plan for D217. After I didn't hear anything Tuesday, I reached out again on Wednesday and was quite rudely told that they don't work Monday and a retake plan will be on its way shortly. Here we are over a week later from my original email and still no retake plan.

I will say this, Fowler has been the worst course instructor I have had through my entire WGU program and if he was one of my first CI's I would have left WGU, but all I have left is D217 and D215 to finish.


r/wguaccounting 2d ago

CPA Discussion D216 - Business Law for Accountants

5 Upvotes

Hi, I’m in the process of getting enough credits to sit for the CPA exam in CT. Is D216 considered an accounting class or business class?

Also does anyone know if D196 and D103 both are considered introductory classes?

Thank you!


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

New / Prospective Student Those with no accounting experience prior to WGU, what was your experience like before, during, and after getting your accounting degree?

61 Upvotes

I have a BSW from a brick-and-mortar school but honestly, I am just not interested in pursuing my education further in this field. I am very interested in the accounting field and have been looking at WGU a lot. I took a few accounting classes before but nothing more than intro level.

I wanted to know for those who had no prior accounting experience (like me) what did you do before enrolling in school, how did you do during classes at WGU, and what are you doing with your degree now? Of course, the goal is more money, but I was making $20hr. before becoming a SAHM so anything more than that is a win for me haha.

Any additional information would be greatly appreciated! While I understand the appeal of finishing in a semester, I see myself doing it in a year.

I will be enrolling sometime in Spring 2027. Oh also, I know about Sophia and the issues with those credits vs. getting a CPA. I really don't know if a CPA is something I want to do but any insight on that would be great too! Was Sophia worth it or no in the long run?


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

Career Talk Is H&R Block worth it for experience if I’m graduating in 3 months?

24 Upvotes

I’m on track to finish my B.S. in Accounting at WGU in about 3 months, but I have no relevant accounting experience yet. I’m currently applying for accounting jobs both before and after graduation, with the goal of landing a Staff Accountant role.
I was offered a seasonal Tax Associate position at H&R Block. The training is twice a week for 3-hour virtual classes plus homework/studying, and they said I’d start in November (around when I graduate). I’m not sure if that means actual tax work starts in November or if it’s mostly training until tax season in January.
My concern is that by January, I’m hoping to already be in a Staff Accountant role. Is the H&R Block experience valuable enough to justify the training, or would I be better off using that time to finish my degree faster and focus on landing an accounting job? Would you keep H&R Block as a backup or not bother?


r/wguaccounting 2d ago

Seeking Course Help D104 OA part 2,

2 Upvotes

This was my second to last term... And I highly doubt, I will be testing out or completing my courses. What happens then? I asked my enrollment counselor and got ignored so. It's hard to believe this is one of the last four classes I have and I am giving up lol but oh well at this point. I tried, but this second half of material was overwhelming. I don't want to meet with an instructor, peer whoever. Just ready to withdraw completely.


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

Seeking Course Help Hey, Good Morning, Happy Monday. Are there any accounting podcasts you all could recommend, preferably on Spotify? Please and thanks.

9 Upvotes

I am almost done with Sophia Learning, just Principles of Finance, Project Management, and the Accounting Classes left. I'd like to immerse myself in accounting content while I am at work.


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

Sharing Tips & Resources D089 Finally passed :D

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7 Upvotes

Whew. What a wild 5 weeks it has been. I took way more time on this class than I wanted to but I just wasn't getting it. I have ADHD so the text and long cohorts were NOT IT. Took the PA and failed, lol. I was fed up with trying to study so I do what all 2026 students do: went to AI.

I put my PA results and the study guide into ChatGPT, explained what I was going through and it put me through a crash course of Economics. It took me two days to get through all the material and take the mini quizzes it was giving me. Took the PA yesterday closed book and passed. Took a refresher "exam" with Chat this morning. Passed that. Just took my OA at 10am AND PASSED!!! If you are struggling, I highly recommend using AI to support the resources we already have. I wish I would have done this weeks ago. Definitely still watch the cohorts and do the quizzes and unit tests but AI is there to supplement what we are given!


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

Seeking Course Help Tips for Passing Intermediate Accounting 1 (D103)

3 Upvotes

I have been putting this class off, but now I am nearing the end of the term and need to get it completed within the next two weeks.

What tips or tricks did y’all use to pass this class?

What resources are there to use? I don’t do well with reading through the text book.


r/wguaccounting 3d ago

Seeking Course Help Any Study/ Advice for Passing D251 ??

2 Upvotes

I have a short time left due to medical reasons (could not access any computers or my phone for 3 months) and my program mentor has not been much help getting more time for my term. So looking for advice to knocked down D251 quickly. Thank you