Before graduating from high school, you might have had a dream of studying accounting, nursing, or other professions. But once you step out of high school, you need to pursue your dream profession with full force.
Any decision you’ll take after high school is going to be crucial. You may even ditch your dream of becoming a nurse or accounting for something else.
But let’s assume you have a choice to pick between accounting and nursing. What job would you choose and why?
Let’s compare both professions by looking at the difficulty of studying both courses, including wages, job outlook, and more.
Are you ready? Let’s get down to business.
Accounting Vs. Nursing Course: Which Is Harder?
All fields of study are never the same. You’ll discover that some are more difficult than others.
What makes most courses difficult has nothing to do with the science, art, and social science dichotomy. How cumbersome a field of study is can play a crucial role in determining how difficult it would be.
If the field boasts voluminous courses, then you have to put in more hours and study harder. The bulkiness means you’re going to have plenty of things to store in your brain. And that makes a field of study difficult.
Now, let’s compare accounting and nursing to know which is challenging.
Nursing is more complex than accounting at the university level, though an accounting student will want to state otherwise.
But that’s the fact. Nursing is more demanding and for obvious reasons.
What are those reasons? One of them includes attending clinicals five to eight hours once per week. And you have to participate fully the entire period.
Another reason nursing is demanding is the many things students have to learn within such a short time. The courses are bulky and can be very challenging to comprehend. Even to get into a nursing school, students need to pass various tests, such as the NET, TEAS, and HESI exam. On the contrary, there is no such requirement for accounting students.
So, to excel in nursing, many students have no option but to abandon their social lives. But that doesn’t mean the ones who don’t would fail.
It is all about understanding yourself and doing what is right. But remember, if you don’t read, it would be difficult to pass your examinations.
Nursing students have to read and comprehend some challenging science courses. These include pharmacology, anatomy, chemistry, biology, and mathematics.
Now, let’s talk about accounting.
Is accounting tough? Yes, it is. But nursing is tougher. The simple reason accounting isn’t as tough as nursing is that the courses aren’t as bulky as nursing.
Again, once you understand the basic accounting principles, things will become much easier.
If you’re good at math and can think logically, accounting would be so much easier for you.
Nursing Vs. Account Jobs: Which Profession Is Harder?
It is unwise to say a nursing job is more strenuous than accounting jobs or the other way round. Both fields are challenging in their own little way.
Let’s discuss nursing jobs.
Before you dive into a field, it is essential to learn about the responsibilities that will fall on you.
Everyone knows that nursing jobs entail standing for long hours. At least, most of us have been to the hospital for one reason or the other and noticed this. Nowadays you can find tons of nursing student jobs online.
The responsibilities of a nurse includes assisting doctors in various capacities, administering medications to sick patients, caring for their wounds, counseling patients, and more.
So, if you’re too emotional and may start crying at the sight of a dying or critically wounded patient, the nursing profession is not for you.
If you push yourself to accept such jobs, you may find it hard to discharge your duties to the level demanded by your employers.
You have to prepare yourself to stand long hours and possess other soft skills. That’s part of the job.
However, if you enjoy the challenges, you won’t find nursing jobs demanding in any way.
Now, let’s discuss accounting jobs.
Accounting jobs involve a lot of calculations and working with giant figures. And accuracy is crucial, just like in nursing jobs.
So, you must be a good mathematician, enjoy calculations, and have a keen eye for details. Otherwise, you may find the accounting profession boring.
As an accountant, you’ll do the opposite of what nurses do. And that is, sit behind your desk for hours.
Nursing jobs involve standing for an extended period, but you may have to sit for long hours while preparing taxes and others as an accountant.
If there’s a mistake, you may have no reason but to extend the sitting time.
The company you’re working for can also play a huge factor. But the bottom line is, you must have a substantial interest in the job. Otherwise, you may likely struggle.
Nursing Vs. Account Median Annual Salary: Which Job Pays More?
Sample the opinion of your nursing or accounting colleagues to know the reason they took their current jobs. You’ll discover that almost all of them will admit that they did so because of the money.
If you’re earning a good salary, you can live a good life. You can afford whatever your family needs and spend vacations wherever you want.
So, the financial reward can play a significant impact on career choice.
Now, between nursing and accounting jobs, which of them pays the highest way?
Well, the winner in this category is nursing jobs. You can see that from the Bureau of labor statistics.
In May 2020, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the median yearly wage of nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and midwives was $117,670.
Nurses in this field need to have a master’s degree in any of the APRN roles. They must boast a license to practice. All 50 states require nurses in this category to have a license.
So, if you’re a nurse anesthetist, midwife, or and practitioner, you have to be prepared to write a national certification examination. Once you pass this exam, you’ll have certification to practice nursing and earn a massive wage.
Now, let’s compare the median salary of accountants.
In May 2020, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows that the median yearly wage of accountants and auditors was $73,560.
So, you can see the massive difference between the annual median wages of nurses and accountants.
Accounting vs. Nursing Job Outlook: What Job Has Higher Opportunities?
The job outlook considers fields and the number of people that would gain employment in such areas within a certain period.
Nursing and accounting have impressive job outlooks, as presented in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report shows that jobs for nursing anesthetists, practitioners, and midwives may likely grow by a whopping 45 percent in a decade from 2020 to 2030. There are also opportunities for nursing in USA for foreigners.
So, on average, 29,400 nurses will job the workforce in all three fields every year. The openings would be made possible by people who want to change careers or retire from the workforce, and other reasons.
Here’s the outlook for accounting jobs.
Accounting and auditor jobs are expected to grow by 7 percent from 2020 to 2030. That means, on average, 135,000 accountants and auditors would secure jobs during this period.
Is Nursing Jobs Better Than Accounting Jobs?
Wage can influence people’s career choices. Most people may put everything behind to choose a job that offers better pay.
Your reason for wanting a good-paying job is justifiable. You’ll be able to lead a dream life and afford whatever you want with ease.
So, if money is a factor, the nursing job is better than an accounting job.
But, by accepting a nursing job, you automatically agree to all the responsibilities that come with the position.
You should be ready to stand extended periods, take care of sick people, and assist doctors when asked.
Here are some responsibilities of nurses:
- Physical examination of patients
- Administration of medications
- Coordination of patient care
- Tending to patient’s wounds
- Monitor the functions of patients’ body
You can also spend time checking the responsibilities of any vacant nursing job before agreeing to work for any healthcare organization.
Let’s discuss accounting jobs.
Though nursing jobs pay higher wages, accountants also have good take-home pay.
But before accepting to study or work as an accountant, you need to ask yourself a range of questions. One is why do you want to become an accountant? Do you have what it takes to become an accountant?
Accountants do a lot of calculations, and hence, must be great with math and be ready to work with big figures.
You must be someone who has a keen eye for details because errors are costly in accounting. And you must be ready to sit long hours behind the desk during certain activities.
Here are some of the responsibilities an accountant may encounter.
- Preparation of tax returns
- Computation of taxes owed
- Financial statement examination to ensure accuracy
- Organizing and maintaining financial records
- Inspect all accounting systems to ensure they’re up-to-date
Now, here’s the verdict. If you don’t have a problem standing for long hours or have a passion for caring for people, you’ll be a good fit for the nursing profession.
In a nutshell, the most important thing is your preference. What job do you prefer? And again, the courses you’re good at will play a crucial role. If you aren’t good at chemistry, biology, and other science-related courses, you shouldn’t consider the nursing profession.
Conclusion
An accounting vs. nursing comparison is always going to be an interesting comparison. That’s because both fields are unique but completely different.
However, nursing jobs also pay higher wages. But that’s for positions like anesthetists, midwives, and nursing practitioners. And these are not easy fields. You have to write a strict national examination to secure certification.
Accounting jobs also have their challenges. So, it’s a matter of preference. You have to research both jobs to know which would be suitable for you.
