Managerial Accounting

Hi,

I'm debating about whether I should take Managerial Accounting.

I was wondering how helpful it is for interviews and if it is worth to take, because I took Financial Accounting and I didn't do well.

Does Managerial Accounting use a lot of Fin Acctng material/principals and is it very beneficial for interviews?

Thank you.

45 Comments
 

Just be aware that some universities (I go to a non-target, so maybe this is different) require managerial to be taken before intermediate. That being said, if you did well in financial, you should do well in managerial.

 

I go to a target that's known for grade deflation. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to take Intermediate Acctng.

My dad's an Accountant and said it's beneficial to know Managerial Acctng especially if you're not an Accounting Major, so that's why I'm considering it.

Plus, I'm wondering if it is beneficial at all for interviews?

 
ibdreamerI go to a target that's known for grade deflation. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to take Intermediate Acctng.

My dad's an Accountant and said it's beneficial to know Managerial Acctng especially if you're not an Accounting Major, so that's why I'm considering it.

Plus, I'm wondering if it is beneficial at all for interviews?

Intermediate accounting will make technical interviews much easier.

 

Don't take it. Finance and accounting major here and I second the Intermediate Accounting. Yes it's painful, but completely worth it.

 

At my school, I need Managerial to take Intermediate, which frankly I do not want to do, because I'll screw my GPA.

Is it worth taking Managerial Accounting for the sake of itself and not for the purpose of Intermediate Accounting?

 
ibdreamerAt my school, I need Managerial to take Intermediate, which frankly I do not want to do, because I'll screw my GPA.

Stop being a pussy and take Intermediate.

MM IB -> Corporate Development -> Strategic Finance
 

Btw, I should add I'm not really looking into IB more so Investment Management, Research, etc.. so would Managerial Acctg be beenficial for that at all?

 
Best Response

OP: should i take managerial accounting? WSO: take intermediate financial OP: pretty sure not gonna take intermediate, dad told me managerial acct is beneficial to know WSO: take intermediate financial - painful but worth it OP: no itll screw up my gpa WSO: take intermediate financial OP: not looking into ib, so should i take managerial? wtf

 
the_rainmakerOP: should i take managerial accounting? WSO: take intermediate financial OP: pretty sure not gonna take intermediate, dad told me managerial acct is beneficial to know WSO: take intermediate financial - painful but worth it OP: no itll screw up my gpa WSO: take intermediate financial OP: not looking into ib, so should i take managerial? wtf

silver banana for this lol

 

Take a pass on managerial, it really doesn't help anything.

If you didn't do well in the Intro Financial course, you may need to work a little harder on these courses. That's one of the easier finance or accounting courses.

twitter: @CorpFin_Guy
 

managerial accounting is great for Corporate Finance type jobs... not as helpful for a career in banking.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 

dude if you want to go in to consulting or F500 take that shit

then u can talk about all the variable and fixed cost bs all day.

For finance i think it is completely fucking useless

 

Managerial Accounting is all about fixed and variable costs, completely useless for a lot of jobs unless you're a manager. However, it'll still be helpful, because you'll learn about contribution margin, mixed & fixed costs, etc. (Probably not helpful in IB, but helpful towards your overall knowledge of accounting).

At my school you have to take Managerial before Intermediate. Intermediate is helpful for both finance and accounting jobs. Definitely good know.

Just take Managerial, get an A. Then take Intermediate, even for the jobs you're currently looking at.

Quit complaining about grade deflation and study harder...

I think that we are all clinging to a great many piano tops...
 

it's mandatory at my school before intermediate. i'm taking it now and thus far it's really easy. much much easier than financial, but it also seems really boring. i don't know if managerial will do you any good but if you need to take it for intermediate, then go for it. it should be a relatively easy A

 

as far as my two cents goes... financial accounting is more "BS" than managerial accounting. managerial accounting focuses more on creating and interpreting metrics for actual decision-making, while financial accounting is more concerned with prescriptive rules of accounting...

but yes, financial is more important for IB. but just take managerial as well if you can.... it's great knowledge if you ever end up in an operational role at a company.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 

I'm taking this now for undergrad and it's shit I'll never use. Very easy content wise (allocating costs, deciding which costs are relevant, cost-benefit analysis). A lot of common sense.

 

W has a mandatory cost accounting class (ACCT 102) and it is absolutely reviled. Unless you are the CFO of Lululemon or want to literally run a factory's accounting system, it's not much use practically, and it is deathly boring anyway. I suspect it was added to Wharton's (and other business schools') core curricula years ago when the skill was, if not universally required, at least more relevant; look for classes like these to start becoming more and more elective in the near future.

If you're really interested in it for whatever reason, it's best not to pursue it for a grade. Get a book, knock out a couple chapters' worth of practice problems, and you'll have learned as much as you would have in a more formal setting.

 

Hmm, I've had a slightly different experience.

If you work in a manufacturing environment in any capacity it is extremely relevant. Not sure what you want to do post BSchool but pretty much any position within a company it is likely advantageous to know cost accounting. This includes the CEO, CFO, Operations, IT, etc. I'd imagine it would be useful for some consultants as well.

As an example, I was recently involved in a divestiture where a mfg plant was going with the deal, a big area of focus during diligence was the carve-out financials (business unit didn't have separate financials) and the true gross margins for NewCo and DivestCo on a restated basis.

That being said, you don't need to be an expert and it is not rocket science as noted by posters above. You aren't going to learn anything from a professor so I would recommend just reading the book to get the nomenclature down which will help you learn on the job.

 

It's relevant if you work at a corporation - helps you understand financial management issues related to operations. Financial accounting is the BS you show to investors, while managerial accounting gives you the lowdown on what happens inside - which products are profitable, what drives their profitability, how each part of the company contributes to the bottom line. However, for IB or PE, FinAcct is much more relevant as this is your primary source for data. Don't worry about managerial - it will only help you understand a little bit better how companies monitor their operations, but you won't need it for PE/IB/S&T.

 
N.R.G.It's relevant if you work at a corporation - helps you understand financial management issues related to operations. Financial accounting is the BS you show to investors, while managerial accounting gives you the lowdown on what happens inside - which products are profitable, what drives their profitability, how each part of the company contributes to the bottom line. However, for IB or PE, FinAcct is much more relevant as this is your primary source for data. Don't worry about managerial - it will only help you understand a little bit better how companies monitor their operations, but you won't need it for PE/IB/S&T.

Yeah, it teaches you a lot of budgetign type stuff you won't use in IB/PE, but doesn't it also teach you alot of cost issues that would be really useful in PE? You'd be better equipped to analyze what impacts gross margin, etc, with managerial acct knowledge...plus, wouldn't it be helpful if you want to jump to a start up on the finance side later?

 

Managerial accounting is a pain in the ass. Hope you got off this site and started reading. ABC is a bitch.

CNBC sucks "This financial crisis is worse than a divorce. I've lost all my money, but the wife is still here." - Client after getting blown up
 

Intermediate Financial Accounting

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

I agree it's all simple math, and I have no problem understanding how to do the problems. It's just that it feels like it's so much memorizing; for example, the budget schedules for manufacturing, cash budget etc.. Sometimes a little detail just slips my mind, and I screw up a question. Some of it also seems somewhat counter intuitive from the things I studied in financial accounting as well as my finance knowledge.

 

Memorize the formulas. Once you have that, it's just figuring out what variables you do and don't have in order to get to the question they're asking.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 

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