Guelph-Humber?/CA student salary?

[Demari]

hi, I have decent grades and am fairly confident I'll be able to get into guelph, uoftm, windsor, and some other 'average' universities. however, when i was looking at guelph i saw a program from 'guelph-humber' which gives a honours degree frmo guelph and a diploma from humber.. i'm just wndering if the diploma would be worth anything beneficial if i already have a degree?

also, anyone know roughly how much a CA student makes?

[Kwamz]

At the Big 4's or large medium size firms, CA students make about 39k-44k starting

[weedb0y]

hi, I have decent grades and am fairly confident I'll be able to get into guelph, uoftm, windsor, and some other 'average' universities. however, when i was looking at guelph i saw a program from 'guelph-humber' which gives a honours degree frmo guelph and a diploma from humber.. i'm just wndering if the diploma would be worth anything beneficial if i already have a degree?

also, anyone know roughly how much a CA student makes?


My wife is doing their CGA program like that. Degree + Diploma.

[Demari]

basically i'd like to know if is a degree + diploma program is better than a degree only program (if both can be finished in same amount of time)

[Canucklehead]

Degree is generally theory whereas Diploma is applied knowledge. Having the two will expose you to the concepts and allow you to test your understanding of them through "real-world" application.

The Guelph-Humber building is really nice/new - wireless access everywhere as well as wired ports. Lots of places to study and have private meetings.

[trusoulja2g]

1st year staff at a Big 4 firm is $45K in Toronto. Slightly less in surround cities.

BTW...since you mentioned them in the same thread...it would be difficult to get a CA position from Guelph-Humber.

[alysomji]

In big cities, a starting position at big 4 firms pays ~$45,000 including signing bonus.

In smaller cities, like Ottawa, a starting position at big 4 firms pays ~$41,000 including signing bonus.

Starting pay for accountants is relatively decent and you won't start making a relatively high salary until you get your CA (including all your hours).

[george benjamin]

im becoming really sick of accounting threads.

*goes in corner and takes medicine*

[onehair]

im a 4th year business major at Guelph-Humber right now, I must say, the school is excellent, the profs are all individuals with lots and lots of industry experience (its a combination of guelph and humber teachers). The profs know you by name, excellent setup in class. I really really recommend it.

If you are wondering which would be better.... ask yourself this instead.. how could an additional diploma while getting your degree NOT be better? you are getting the same education but 2 pieces of paper, its well worth it

[Demari]

1st year staff at a Big 4 firm is $45K in Toronto. Slightly less in surround cities.

BTW...since you mentioned them in the same thread...it would be difficult to get a CA position from Guelph-Humber.


why do you say that?? from what i read, you get a degree from Guelph, not Guelph-Humber, and Guelph isn't such a bad university

[george benjamin]

why do you say that?? from what i read, you get a degree from Guelph, not Guelph-Humber, and Guelph isn't such a bad university

Maybe becuase the BIg 4 dont recruit from there.

Im not sure what year are you in now or if you are still in highschool.

But i will tell you i lesson that i learned.

The only thing that sometimes makes a difference to which university you went to is how much do companies recruit from that university.

This is the point here.

In your final year, different accounting firms come to campus, and recruit people though your campuses career center.

Please ask as many questions as you want. Its very important for you to research as much as possible.

When i was in high school i wanted to go to med school. Nobody advised me on the crappy Medical School system we have in ontario/canada. Now i have to get another degree in another feild. No one advised me in high school.

[trusoulja2g]

I'm not going to say that Guelph is a bad university...but it isn't a large university, or well known, or prestigious. Just because you get a degree doesn't mean it's good. Out of 150+ new hires at the firm I'm with...no one is from Guelph, nor have I heard of anyone from Guelph at any of the Big 4. There probably are a few...but it's rare.

As above post mentioned, the biggest factor is whether the firms come to campus to recruit. Before you decide on a university, you should go to the career office and ask them how many people the firms recruit from there every year.

I do know someone from Windsor at my firm...but again, it's uncommon. There are some people from UTM - it's better than either Guelph or Windsor.

[SoBored]

surprised to see people talking about guelph-humber since its relatively small.. anyways i'm a 3rd year student here and this is what i can tell you

every year ernst & young comes on campus to meet/recruit some people, i only know of one person who was recruited but im sure theres more..
as for the other big firms, i honestly can't say i've seen them here but i'm not planning on being a ca so i wasn't exactly on the lookout for them..

with that said, if E&Y is recruiting here, i'm sure during the season you can apply to the other firms even if they don't appear on campus (maybe im wrong about this, i don't know)... but it IS possible..

it's not a 'prestigious' school but it's a good solid education.. if you have good grades and maybe some co-op experience you have a shot at getting in one of the big firms, atleast ernst & young

[george benjamin]

Look Demari,

Im sorry but its a compex situation. You have to consider these factors, and discuss it with people here.

[1] What will the need for CA's be in 4 years? It still good be a lot, but not as much as now. I know for sure that University and Chartered Accountants of Canada are making changes so that more openings are avaliable in university for accounting. Also, the CA institutes(that govern the whole CA thing) are targeting high school students. This is a good indication that there still will be a need for CA's 4 years from now.

[2] What other universities did you apply to? Maybe you can tell us.

[3] If you go to guelph thats absolutley no problem. Hopefully you will get good marks, after which you can apply to a Masters in accounting. That will definitley land you in a CA firm.

Please discuss as much as possible.

[george benjamin]

I strongly DISagree with trusoulga2's assessement of Guelph not being prestige.

Lets say its not. SO what? What does prestige mean? What is it about a university that makes it prestige? Its grad school, med school, awards, etc.

How can you tell me that the CIAO courses for u of t are better than the ones from Guelp? No they are not. The quality of education is PROBABLY BETTER AT GUELPH.

Though i might know what you are trying to say. Guelph isnt all that big in terms of steroetype. SO firms usually dont hire from there.

[alysomji]

If not much recruitment is performed by big 4 firms at your university, it doesn't necessarily indicate there's something wrong with it. The thing is, big 4 firms like to recruit most of their hires locally. In Ottawa, for instance, almost all new hires at any of the big 4 are either from Carleton University or the University of Ottawa (despite the fact that neither of these universities are prestigious nor particularly difficult to obtain entry to). You're not going to see anyone from Guelph because there's no need to go recruit over there when you can recruit closer to home.

I'm guessing the case is similar in Toronto and other cities where the big 4 have offices.

For those of you who are in high school and hoping to become CAs, take this post of mine into account when choosing where you want to go to university.

[Demari]

hey benjamin,

i applied to Guelph/Guelph-Humber (because it's so close to where i live), UofTM, Laurier, and Windsor.

is it necessary to get a Masters?? i'm not dead-set on getting into a big-4 firm, even a medium size firm would be great for me. realistically i feel i could pull out a 80-85% average, which isn't great, but i plan on doing a few extracurricular things and maybe a co-op to make up for my grades

[george benjamin]

Hello,

No. It is not necessary to get a masters.

Look.

The biggest problem for under grad accounting is getting into a CA firm.

This is sometimes difficult.

Getting a masters increases your chances though the roof.

80-85 is very good man. Is not "ok. Its very good. Getting a GPA like that for accouting is acheviable.

What you said about "i'm not dead-set on getting into a big-4 firm" is very good aproach. You will see though your entire accounting life "Big 4 Worshippers". Just ignore tham. Big 4 are not the only accounting firms. The only reason why everyone wants to go there is they pay the most, and it like good on the resume.

[Demari]

my concern about having and putting a degree AND a diploma on a resume is that it may look bad to employers for whatever reasons, like for example maybe they'll think i had to get the diploma first and then transfer to university.

[george benjamin]

Than dont put the diploma.

Furhter more, if they do come to your school(like on of the above posters said), then they know what they are in for - people who have degrees and diploma's.

Listen. What you need to do is call laurier and geulph. Talk to

[1] The career center

[2] The accounting societies at the school

[3] The undergraduate chair of that department/faculty, or the Accounting program coordinator.

[weedb0y]

I would put Dipolma and Degree with the same dates.

Further achieved a Diploma in Practical Accounting from Humber College.
B.Comm from Guelph

[onehair]

I'm not going to say that Guelph is a bad university...but it isn't a large university, or well known, or prestigious. Just because you get a degree doesn't mean it's good. Out of 150+ new hires at the firm I'm with...no one is from Guelph, nor have I heard of anyone from Guelph at any of the Big 4. There probably are a few...but it's rare.

As above post mentioned, the biggest factor is whether the firms come to campus to recruit. Before you decide on a university, you should go to the career office and ask them how many people the firms recruit from there every year.

I do know someone from Windsor at my firm...but again, it's uncommon. There are some people from UTM - it's better than either Guelph or Windsor.


just so you know, U of Guelph has been rated the #1 comprehensive school in canada for i believe the last 3 years a row.... so yes, it is prestiguous. and from G-H you receive a degree from GUELPH. (honours thats is)

[sunnyd71]

I'm at Guelph-Humber right now in the Computing program. I have many friends in Business and they love it. The school is great with a beautiful building but it lacks the feel of a traditional University. You also will have to work harder because you are doing a degree and diploma at the same time so it is not a "party school" in any respect.
Guelph-Humber Business students also have workplace placements in their 4th year which is helpful when looking for positions after graduating.
Right now I am looking for a co-op position and Guelph-Humber students are definitely in demand and at least for my program the degree/diploma combination is highly praised by employers.

I am also a member of Guelph-Humber student government so if you have other questions about the school I will gladly answer. If you would like to be put in contact with Guelph-Humber career services I can do that too. But remember after you graduate you will have a degree from Guelph, Macleans #1 comprehensive University.