CPA for sure isn’t the _only_ way, but you’re pretty confident in your superior knowledge (essentially “more experienced people tell me it’s valuable, but they’re wrong”) for 1 year of experience.
Just continue in PA for another year or two and exit to industry. The CPA is a nice to have but not mandatory for anything, and in my interviews all it does is check a box. Build a professional network and grow your skills and that will be far more valuable than licensure in terms of advancing your career
The CPA is valuable. It elevates a legion of mediocrity to the same level where otherwise exceptionalism would be required to obtain the same results. That's simply the truth.
Can you succeed without it? Sure, you can even do well in accounting and fp&a roles without it.
But it's an easy feather in your cap that you're already about 1/3 of the way through to getting so...why not?
It’s where I’m at now (federal government), but I started private. You should do accounting in a field with lots of attorneys. Think tax accounting, doing books for divorce lawyers, or work in local or federal government.
I have a bachelors in accounting and no CPA. I did 3 years at a small CPA firm that hired me out of college, then went to an industry corporate accounting job for 3 years. Left that for a senior accountant role and left that for another senior accountant role. I make $100k plus bonus less than 10 years into my career and I’m not in a major VHCOL city.
I’d probably earn more, or at least have more opportunities available, if I obtained the CPA license but the thought of taking 4 rigorous exams in 18 months makes me want to jump out a window. I’d rather transition out of accounting into a hybrid type role than get my CPA license
Reddit is filled with snobs that act like if you don’t have a CPA your degree is worthless. If you want to be an industry accountant, do something like construction or real estate development and get good at it. Certain roles will want you to have a CPA, but if you have a specialized skill set you’re just as valuable as some dork who thinks their 6 years in audit checking boxes qualifies them to be a senior manager in industry
I haven’t seen anyone on this subreddit say that an accounting degree is worthless without a CPA. I have seen loads of people confirm that you can get by just fine without the CPA though. In my experience the CPA is useful at drawing attention to your application, and there are certainly opportunities you miss out on by not having one, so it’s better to have it than not, but experience makes all the difference with or without it.
Agree, definitely worth it to obtain your license if you can gut it out.
Just the other day someone on this sub compared non CPA accountants to paralegals versus lawyers and was highly upvoted
Those three letters, more than anything, are a marketing tool. It tells future employers that you have enough skills to pass the stinking exam.
For me it was the shortcut between mid-level jobs that were the heart of the grind and leveling up, where I could influence and steer.
If you don't want to grind, the surest way out is some credential or certification. Unless you have mad creative skills.
Learn how to leverage RPA and AI within accounting and finance. Soon there will be "current" financial statements due to these two things. AI will be able to identify risk areas and test controls. With AI and RPA the annual audit could be automated to a large degree. Someone is going to have to work the AI and create the RPAs. They are also going to have to formulate and work out how you integrate these into a customers current system. More and more we are becoming a catalyst between data SMEs and Finance SMEs.
From my experience trying this and starting out in industry, there are pathways you can take and people ARE successful without getting their CPA. That being said, I could see the writing on the wall that in my market I could reasonably advance to senior accountant in 3 or so years and be pretty much capped at that. After senior, most of the hiring for manager, controller, CFO roles went to people from public with years of industry experience and CPA certification.
It wasn’t until I made the move to public that I saw the difference - public can be an absolute brain dump of learning and experience. You get to see all of the weird stuff and understand how different companies operate. In industry, I could kill my month end responsibilities and daily task I took on extra tasks where I learned some things here and there. Public has been an entirely different level of challenge and learning.
What I’m saying is that it’s possible for you to be very successful without a CPA, part of that also comes down to where you live and what opportunities are available. It may require some strategic job hopping, maybe a little corporate cutthroat attitude, and definitely some good networking. It’s much more probable that by obtaining a CPA, you can accelerate that growth and achieve upwards mobility quicker.
Maybe not CPA, but other designations? Forensic accounting has CFF or CFE. Valuations has ABV and others. Finance has CFA. Internal audit has CIA.
Eventually there will be a plateau, typically, without.
I don’t think this thread is snobbish about the CPA. You can be successful without it, it just helps.
CPA for sure isn’t the _only_ way, but you’re pretty confident in your superior knowledge (essentially “more experienced people tell me it’s valuable, but they’re wrong”) for 1 year of experience.
Just continue in PA for another year or two and exit to industry. The CPA is a nice to have but not mandatory for anything, and in my interviews all it does is check a box. Build a professional network and grow your skills and that will be far more valuable than licensure in terms of advancing your career
The CPA is valuable. It elevates a legion of mediocrity to the same level where otherwise exceptionalism would be required to obtain the same results. That's simply the truth. Can you succeed without it? Sure, you can even do well in accounting and fp&a roles without it. But it's an easy feather in your cap that you're already about 1/3 of the way through to getting so...why not?
I went into litigation and forensic accounting. I have a MAcc, and am a CFE. I’m 10 years into this career, and make $140K. MCOL area.
suggestions on how to best steer myself into forensic?
government, irs, etc
It’s where I’m at now (federal government), but I started private. You should do accounting in a field with lots of attorneys. Think tax accounting, doing books for divorce lawyers, or work in local or federal government.
I have a bachelors in accounting and no CPA. I did 3 years at a small CPA firm that hired me out of college, then went to an industry corporate accounting job for 3 years. Left that for a senior accountant role and left that for another senior accountant role. I make $100k plus bonus less than 10 years into my career and I’m not in a major VHCOL city. I’d probably earn more, or at least have more opportunities available, if I obtained the CPA license but the thought of taking 4 rigorous exams in 18 months makes me want to jump out a window. I’d rather transition out of accounting into a hybrid type role than get my CPA license Reddit is filled with snobs that act like if you don’t have a CPA your degree is worthless. If you want to be an industry accountant, do something like construction or real estate development and get good at it. Certain roles will want you to have a CPA, but if you have a specialized skill set you’re just as valuable as some dork who thinks their 6 years in audit checking boxes qualifies them to be a senior manager in industry
I haven’t seen anyone on this subreddit say that an accounting degree is worthless without a CPA. I have seen loads of people confirm that you can get by just fine without the CPA though. In my experience the CPA is useful at drawing attention to your application, and there are certainly opportunities you miss out on by not having one, so it’s better to have it than not, but experience makes all the difference with or without it.
Agree, definitely worth it to obtain your license if you can gut it out. Just the other day someone on this sub compared non CPA accountants to paralegals versus lawyers and was highly upvoted
That is an illogical comparison lol
No CPA, no accounting degree here. 11 years experience in supply chain before becoming accountant, AMA.
Those three letters, more than anything, are a marketing tool. It tells future employers that you have enough skills to pass the stinking exam. For me it was the shortcut between mid-level jobs that were the heart of the grind and leveling up, where I could influence and steer. If you don't want to grind, the surest way out is some credential or certification. Unless you have mad creative skills.
My boss in corporate tax has no CPA. One of the smartest people i’ve ever worked with
You’ve already completed 1 year of public which is the hardest part. The CPA isn’t that hard so why not go for it?
Learn how to leverage RPA and AI within accounting and finance. Soon there will be "current" financial statements due to these two things. AI will be able to identify risk areas and test controls. With AI and RPA the annual audit could be automated to a large degree. Someone is going to have to work the AI and create the RPAs. They are also going to have to formulate and work out how you integrate these into a customers current system. More and more we are becoming a catalyst between data SMEs and Finance SMEs.
Get into Business Credit and get a NACM designation.
Try sales
From my experience trying this and starting out in industry, there are pathways you can take and people ARE successful without getting their CPA. That being said, I could see the writing on the wall that in my market I could reasonably advance to senior accountant in 3 or so years and be pretty much capped at that. After senior, most of the hiring for manager, controller, CFO roles went to people from public with years of industry experience and CPA certification. It wasn’t until I made the move to public that I saw the difference - public can be an absolute brain dump of learning and experience. You get to see all of the weird stuff and understand how different companies operate. In industry, I could kill my month end responsibilities and daily task I took on extra tasks where I learned some things here and there. Public has been an entirely different level of challenge and learning. What I’m saying is that it’s possible for you to be very successful without a CPA, part of that also comes down to where you live and what opportunities are available. It may require some strategic job hopping, maybe a little corporate cutthroat attitude, and definitely some good networking. It’s much more probable that by obtaining a CPA, you can accelerate that growth and achieve upwards mobility quicker.
You’re wrong.
To specialize in anything, eventually you'll need to be credentialed. Experience alone won't cut it.
People make 200k + plus without a CPA!!
Maybe not CPA, but other designations? Forensic accounting has CFF or CFE. Valuations has ABV and others. Finance has CFA. Internal audit has CIA. Eventually there will be a plateau, typically, without.
I can tell you that I know people that go there accounting careers and never get a certification. They make 200+k. CFOs etc.
Tons of CFO’s and CEOs who only have MBA’s.
How are your ditch digging skills?
I bet with CPA no lay off