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Becoming a CPA - should I make the jump?

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CPACurious

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For the last few years I've been heavily involved in education. I'm 32 and I'm beginning to feel like if I'm going to make one last big career leap, now is the time to do it. I've always been interested in accounting and particularly in becoming a CPA.

I'm a bit of an introvert and basically looking for a job opportunity where I can make at least 40k a year and not have person-to-person interaction be the primary component of the job (which is why I'm feeling pretty burned out on working in education).

My only experience is a handful of undergraduate classes
I have an undergraduate degree in history and economics. I was also enrolled in an Economics MA program for a while but left due to personal reasons.

Any advice from those of you out there on whether accounting is still worth it?

What would be the smartest way to approach this kind of career change?
 
Have you considered just getting finishing the masters and going into administration?



Welcome to the forum.
 
do it!! you will make well over 40k/yr in Texas.

"According to salary information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accountants in Texas earned an average of $71,850 in 2012."
 
CPACurious said:
Administration? Why would you recommend that?
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Because IT Directors for school districts make fucktons of money and don't have to know anything about IT or management or pretty much anything, really.

So, administration in schools is where its at.
 
$40k is starting salary for the workhorses. You don't need to pass the CPA for one of those positions. You just have to have a degree and a firm understanding of accounting. You may be able to take some classes at a community college and get started that way for cheap.

If you go the CPA route, some firms will readily pay upwards of $60k for accounting staff. Just remember that a lot of accountants get sucked into tax accounting which is often a seasonal gig....not where you want to be. It's better to stick to the bigger corporations and try doing their books with a team rather than going for the scraps. You'll get better benefits and likely have better job security if you know what you're doing.

Start by taking a few classes including general accounting 1/2 and intermediate accounting. Then see how you feel about doing auditing...not many people like it and it tends to pay and have more job availabilities.
 
CPACurious said:
For the last few years I've been heavily involved in education. I'm 32 and I'm beginning to feel like if I'm going to make one last big career leap, now is the time to do it. I've always been interested in accounting and particularly in becoming a CPA.

I'm a bit of an introvert and basically looking for a job opportunity where I can make at least 40k a year and not have person-to-person interaction be the primary component of the job (which is why I'm feeling pretty burned out on working in education).

My only experience is a handful of undergraduate classes
I have an undergraduate degree in history and economics. I was also enrolled in an Economics MA program for a while but left due to personal reasons.

Any advice from those of you out there on whether accounting is still worth it?

What would be the smartest way to approach this kind of career change?
Click to expand...

I switched from engineering to accounting/CPA when I was around 29/30. I had to take a few pre-req courses and then apply for a graduate program to get the accounting hours needed to sit for the exam. But in the end, I was so happy to be a CPA and doing auditing for a local firm.

If you are serious about going for it, then just know that it might be a few years before you actually become CPA eligible and then who knows how long before you pass the exams. Now, that doesn't mean you can't work at a public accounting firm or gain experience as an accounting since many non-CPAs do work first and then get their certification sometime later. As long as you're CPA eligible or show that you are on track to become eligible, many firms are happy with that.

But if all you're looking for is a $40K/yr job, then you don't necessarily need your CPA. Big 4 firms also probably start out $50-55K for new hires.

And yes, accounting is always in demand, public accountants especially. It is a stable job industry in my opinion. However, as far as introvertedness goes, if you want public accounting, you'll have to interact with your clients to some degree. Sometimes a lot, sometimes not, it widely varies and depends on several factors.
 
CPA's need to interact with customers and people skills are key to keep rising. Even entry level jobs require a fair amount of interaction.

Michael
 
Scarpozzi said:
If you go the CPA route, some firms will readily pay upwards of $60k for accounting staff. Just remember that a lot of accountants get sucked into tax accounting which is often a seasonal gig....not where you want to be. It's better to stick to the bigger corporations and try doing their books with a team rather than going for the scraps.
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Amen. When I was in school the corporate accountants were busy but happy in high-paying jobs. The others did accounting for the local rich families and were always depressed because their job was basically to run interference for entitled heirs who spend more on speedboats in a year than the accountants made in five years.

It is like being a bank teller, counting other people's money sucks.
 
IMHO CMA would be more interesting than CPA, where you get railroaded into predominately tax. I'd rather work on M&A and finance than on tax.

Doing the audit hours (slave time) necessary to get the "public" credential would bore me, and I'd hate a career mainly focussed on taxation.

I suppose lotta guys get both CPA & CMA credentials. They are equally difficult attainments.
 
I started my accounting career relatively late. I have not opted to go down the CPA route, because frankly I had no interest in putting in 2 years time at 60 hours per week at a public firm doing audit at this stage in my life. I'm doing just fine and am working on my CMA certs right now. Different states have different rules for CPA eligibility. If you can get it by simply working in internal audit or working under a CPA, you should probably do so if for no other reason than your resume.
 
I'm a bit of an introvert and basically looking for a job opportunity where I can make at least 40k a year and not have person-to-person interaction be the primary component of the job (which is why I'm feeling pretty burned out on working in education).
Click to expand...

Pardon the obvious, what exactly do you plan on doing with your CPA? I sure as fuck hope it aint private practice...
 
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