Software Developer vs Chartered Accountant

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Horsekit

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If given the choice between choosing these 2 career options, which one would you choose? And which factors would play a role in making you decide?
 
CA .... software developing seems saturated
 
Well you're asking on an IT forum so you'll get some seriously biased opinions.

They both have merit. Its very much a situation of what you make of it.

It also depends on what matters to you. Stress, money, work-life balance, job satisfaction etc. Both have serious pros and cons.

Also keep in mind that these fluctuate heavily as time goes by.

I had to make a call between those exact two options. Looking back I miss some of the benefits of the other choice and yet am thankful for the benefits of my current choice.

There is no "right" answer in my opinion - except...do what feels right to you. I made that call on raw gut instinct and I'd suggest you do the same. Asking other is of limited value and might do more harm than good.

If you pick CA...prepare for a rough ride my friend.
 
HavocXphere said:
If you pick CA...prepare for a rough ride my friend.
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What makes you say that? Why is this any more different to working hard for any other degree?

It really depends on what you want in life. They are two very different degrees. I am a chartered accountant and am happy with my choice simply because it's allowed me to travel. I've been to places for work I would never have gone voluntarily eg British Virgin Islands and many other Caribbean places.

It's hard work but you get rewarded both financially and with work results.

Can't say anything for IT though as I know nothing.
 
IceDreama said:
It's hard work but you get rewarded both financially and with work results.

Can't say anything for IT though as I know nothing.
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The only answer in IT is YMMV. I should add that it doesn't bode well that the OP is on the fence about SD vs CA - all the better SDs I've known have either known without question that SD is for them, or have been on the fence for something more scientific like applied maths or engineering.
 
RiaX said:
CA .... software developing seems saturated
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Yeah, that explains the massive job market.


Can't speak for CA as I am a SD. It is an odd profession which you are either going to really love and do your best to excel or you are going to hate it and regret it for the rest of your life.

I assume the CA has the potential to make more money and it sounds way better telling chicks that you are a CA than a SD. Software Developers are the blue collar workers of the white collars :p

I suppose the biggest difference is this:
* if you see a CA wearing shorts and flip flops, run
* if you see a SD wearing a suit, run
 
If you like mathematics, but not necessarily arithmetic and are competent in language use, then I'd say Software Dev. is the way to go.
Purely in my opinion, the more creative and flexible minds will fit into Dev.

It may come as a surprise, but facility in language bodes well for programming.

Note: I have no experience of CA and have, admittedly, not such a high opinion of the field.
I'm probably going to get yelled at now, but Accountancy seems more like arithmetic than Maths to me.
 
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My suggestion in making your choice is to decide what you want to DO, not how much money you want to make.

If you go the CA route, be prepared to make HUGE sacrifices as it is extremely tough to qualify. Be prepared to earn next to nothing for at least 3 years of doing articles before qualifying.

It definitely does open up opportunities and makes an enormous difference in your salary when you have the qualification (I earn 50% more than my colleague who is on the same level as me just because of my qualification).

BUT - money isn't everything and you HAVE to enjoy what you do on a daily basis otherwise you are going to be miserable. Make your career something you will enjoy doing and you will automatically progress to making good money.
 
Go CA (if you like numbers etc).

I'm a software dev (making good money). But in dev you'll always be the plep, non management in most cases. Outsourcing to cheap countries kills good contracts. IT is most companies are seen as cost centre even if you save them million buck per year. Very little recognition in some cases.

But software dev is fun.

A friend of mine's his father-in-law is CA. Huge amount of dolla. These guys roll in the money. My brother is an accountant too (own practice).. mega money. He doesn't kill himself with work...

Like the other say, money is not everything.. you must enjoy your job.

Or do even sales... these guys making a freaking killing, get company cars, expenses paid trips overseas for making targets...
 
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I'm (almost) a qualified CA. I've finished my articles and I am currently working as a group financial manager for a division of a listed company.

It's hard work. I average 10 hours a day and I never take a lunch (I nom at my desk). I work at home in the evenings quite often and the job has tough deadlines. It's a stressful job. The pay however, is something I cannot complain about.

Honestly, if I could choose again I wouldn't do CA. It has its perks, and there's a lot of them but it doesn't exactly add balance to your life.

That being said, I know some well paid CAs who start at 9 and end at 4. I guess it all depends where you end up.
 
Hey if you like numbers and want to earn a really nice salary then go for CA. Second highest earning career in SA if I'm not mistaken, behind Doctors?
 
CarsinemiA said:
I'm (almost) a qualified CA. I've finished my articles and I am currently working as a group financial manager for a division of a listed company.

It's hard work. I average 10 hours a day and I never take a lunch (I nom at my desk). I work at home in the evenings quite often and the job has tough deadlines. It's a stressful job. The pay however, is something I cannot complain about.

Honestly, if I could choose again I wouldn't do CA. It has its perks, and there's a lot of them but it doesn't exactly add balance to your life.

That being said, I know some well paid CAs who start at 9 and end at 4. I guess it all depends where you end up.
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You can replace all the CA's in this paragraph with SD and it will still ring true.
 
What about business analyst? You can do a BCom Informatics - accounting/business with software development.
 
CA.. SD = ok now but u will always be competing with outsourcing and everyone who can code(non-degree'd). CA, MbChb, LLb only protected professions, rest have tech/diploma folk hot on heels for less cost with same perceived output. i'd say get it while the getting is good because it wont last forever.. look at engineering with gov's attempt to increase eng numbers.. profession is no longer worth the cost studying a degree if u ask me
 
Somebody posted a similar question a while ago, so I'm just going to quote my response if you dont mind.

Ancalagon said:
Law and AS are two very different subjects - can I assume you do not know what you really want to do?

Join the club. It takes people years to figure out. What I can tell you, is dont go after a career purely for the money. Go after a career that is closest to the way you think, and closest to the things you are interested in.

I would probably go as far as to recommend that you take a generic BCom first year in which you do Ecos 1, Maths 1, Law 1 and Stats 1. Maybe even add Management 1 or Philosophy 1 to that, if you can cope with 5 subjects. That will let you experience the subjects first hand, and you can then decide which route you want to go.

Sadly, you dont cover much stats at all in Matric, so I would think it would be difficult to decide whether it is something you are interested in. And you probably have little exposure to finance, too.

What I've realized over the years is that, personality and interests are actually more important in your career choices than your intelligence - much more important than you might think. Think about it - you are smart enough that you would be accepted into everything from Art to Statistics and everything in between. But what interests you? Do people interest you? Does debating interest you? Does business interest you? Does engineering and logical problems interest you?

If your career choice is aligned with the way you think and your personality, you will do well. If you choose something that is not aligned with the way you think and your personality, no matter your intelligence, it will always be an uphill struggle for you.

If you have no personality, Accounting is for you!
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I'd go CA and learn development on the side.

Then you can take the best of both of these options and create a business of your own.

But if you don't have a driving passion for either of them, you will stay mediocre at whatever you choose, which will limit your success going forward.
 
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