[GSU-CPA]

My initial plan was to go to a regional firm or one of the big 4 firms but lately i am strongly against that idea mainly because i cant even imagine working 55-60 hrs. Even though i work from 8:30-5:30 i still feel like most of my time is spent at work and i can only imagine how it would be if i actually worked 12hr shits.

Another thing is i really like the job i am in now and i just dont see my self leaving. I am in private sector with a company that is growing.

Furthermore i just started a side business with a friend so i barely have time to study.

As i await my REG score on August 1 i keep asking my self will CPA really benefit me that much considering i have no plans to go into public accounting. Would my time be better spent focusing on my side business?

REG-77
BEC -Waiting on score May 5th
AUD - May 30
FAR - Q3 depending on if i pass above two in Q2

[koz124]

I think you'll be the only one who can really answer this, but I'll offer my opinion. I work in industry and while the CPA has always been a personal goal and not a requirement, yes, I absolutely think it is beneficial. If you ever want to move up the ladder it's proof of your capacity and drive. The designation is well known and respected. Furthermore, if you are starting your own company, don't you think the knowledge and certification will be beneficial to your growth and target market?

At a recent financial manager's meeting for my industry I was told by several others that the CPA wasn't necessary for this field. All I could argue was that it doesn't hurt to have it, especially in today's job market. I don't know what will happen in 10 years, but I'd rather be prepared.

Studying with Wiley Review, Wiley Test Bank, Ninja Audio.
Retakes with Ninja MCQ only...awesome!
Far - 1/28 72, 7/22 79
Aud - 2/28 70, 8/14 83
Bec - 4/10 80
Reg - 5/30 64, 7/2 82

[ridiqls]

I'm not planning on working in public (probably) but I still am going for the CPA. Also a personal goal and it can only help. I would feel I didn't do my best if I didn't go for it. Also I would hate to get a job right now and then 5 years down the line feel like I should have gotten my CPA when I was so close. That'd be a regrettable decision.

[mla1169]

Well first, only you know whats best for you. If you're fairly young, what you want today will likely not be what you want when you've got a family and house. I've never worked in Public, never will and yes the CPA has benefitted me because many senior and management accounting jobs in industry want someone with a CPA. Sometimes they also want someone who has public experience but not always.

I say better to finish the process now that you've started it even if you never need it than to find yourself with limited options and need to start the whole process over again.

I'm kind of chuckling at the notion that you can't imagine working more than 8:30-5:30 but are starting a business on the side in addition to that. Is that not exacly the same as working 55-60 hours per week except split between two jobs?

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Valerie_Jo]

@mla1169: “I'm kind of chuckling at the notion that you can't imagine working more than 8:30-5:30 but are starting a business on the side in addition to that. Is that not exacly the same as working 55-60 hours per week except split between two jobs?”

I can totally relate to the OP's view point on this. It's sooooo different working for the man for that amount of time than working for yourself for even more time. I feel like a prisoner in a cubicle all day, so anxious, like I want to crawl up the walls. But then when I get home, and work on side jobs, it's nothing like that. I like doing it because it's on my own time, and for the most part on my terms. Some people aren't cut out to work for someone else for all that time. I see more and more every day that I'm one of those people.

@GSU-CPA: Just keep swimming. I too work in industry and have no plans of ever going into public, but I think you will be so happy to be able to put those three letters after your name, especially when trying to start your new business. People respect the title. 🙂

FAR: 84
BEC: 88
REG: 33 (winged it, bad plan), 77
AUD: 72 ,72, 81 FINALLY DONE!!!!!!

WI Ethics Exam Passed - 92!!!!

Licensed CPA in WI

[GSU-CPA]

@mla1169 , Valeria prettty much nailed it with the exception that i do not totally hate working at my current job. I have my own office and there is alot of down time where i can actually work on my side business or study for CPA. Also its not like im lazy and refuse to work 12 hrs days but i just refuse to do it for 50 k a year when the company i am working for is making millions.. when iam working on my own business i have the potential to make millions of dollars where you will NEVER make that working for the man.

REG-77
BEC -Waiting on score May 5th
AUD - May 30
FAR - Q3 depending on if i pass above two in Q2

[samdiegoCPA]

I don't know what I want to do in the future (ummm housewife please?) but I am still getting my license because I feel like as an accounting major, you 100% should get that designation. I might move up in my current company or I may start my own business once I have experience and more knowledge!

AUD: 84
REG: 84
BEC: 79
FAR: 83

[Anonymous]

I have the same sentiment as most on this thread. I've always worked in industry and have never desired to go into public accounting. This license is a personal goal of mine to prove to myself that I can do it! Other industry accountants and all the headhunters that I've met with, have told me that it is essential and invaluable to have on my resume if I want to move up in title and salary 🙂

[ScarletKnightCPA]

That's what I want to know honestly. I hope I am going to have some monetary gains in exchange for all of this hard work.

Far: 76 (Wiley Test Bank)
Aud: 77 (Wiley Test Bank)
Reg: 61, 76 (Wiley book, Wiley Test Bank)
Bec: 86 (Wiley Test Bank)

MBA in progress

[nicole2035]

I don't know if i'll work in public I'm still getting it. Why? Because the fact you have to hold yourself up to a particular standard is always attractive to an employee.

America is heading towards education inflation and accountants have NOOOOOOOOOOOO idea how lucky they've been in the past regarding education requirements. Look at a doctor, engineer, lawyer, nurse anyone who is a ‘professional'..and no I'm not saying an accountant even touches those but they're similar in a way. That what your education is and what certifications you have received say a ton on experience. What an accountant learns in the CPA and in school does give a skillset for the work world. And no person with 0 knowledge can just jump into it like ‘hey, I want to be an accountant too'. I'm going to go back for a masters or mba at one point because it's great job security. As my manager always said, don't give people an excuse to not consider you. So if you go for a job, maybe to give advice on something, they can have legit reasons to deny you like not enough industry experience, not enough ___ whatever, but getting a CPA at least takes off one excuse.

[jaredo155]

To compare the concept to something everyone would be familiar with, it is kind of like getting your bachelors degree. Before everyone gets all bent out of shape, what I mean by that is you will never use the majority of what you learn in a bachelor's, but it demonstrates that you can stay focused and committed to a single task for the time it takes to get to graduation.

If you are in public accounting you might use quite a bit of what you learned on the CPA, but in industry you are probably only going to use 10% to 15% at most depending on which area you work in. It still demonstrates to an employer that you were willing to put in the long hours, so that at one point in time you understood the broad fundamentals of the accounting field above the acceptable standard.

The reason this matters is because lets say a project comes up and no one at your company knows how to properly handle it, you have proven you are willing to take the time and have the capacity to research it and find the proper solution. This is not to say someone without a CPA isn't just as capable or willing, but they have no way to prove that until they actually do it on the job.

Now if you are going in to business for yourself, and you aren't planning on doing taxes, then I would say it honestly will have very little external value. Most of the public has no idea what a CPA is other than they do taxes. On the flip side if you are running your own business, a lot more of the knowledge on the test might be valuable to you.

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[koz124]

I'm more bent out of shape about “in industry you are probably only going to use 10% to 15% at most”. Are you in industry? I understand that auditors have to have a very brood range of skills, but so do industry accountants.

Studying with Wiley Review, Wiley Test Bank, Ninja Audio.
Retakes with Ninja MCQ only...awesome!
Far - 1/28 72, 7/22 79
Aud - 2/28 70, 8/14 83
Bec - 4/10 80
Reg - 5/30 64, 7/2 82

[gkeebs]

@GSU-CPA I'll offer you an example that may help. I have a friend who has 20+ years experience in accounting (all industry) as well as an MBA who recently started sitting for the CPA exam. She has been in a controller role for over 10 years and even with her experience she makes less than those who are CPA's with equal or less experience.

I have certainly had many moments where I have wondered why I am putting my family and myself through this. I hopped over from public to industry, and it is even easier for me to tell myself now that the CPA title is not completely necessary, but I keep trucking along. Granted, I might have different sentiments after I receive my score tomorrow. Ha. 😉 In all seriousness, only you can decide whether or not you really want to push this right now, but my personal vote is to go for it!

[jaredo155]

I apologize if my remarks came across as belittling to the work in industry, as I assure that was not my intent. I am in Industry, and I have worked in both general accounting and tax at separate times for several years. Perhaps my different perception is due to the fact I have worked for larger organizations. In those organizations you have a group of specialized accountants for just about every section covered on FAR, internal, IT, and external auditors, a tax group for each type of tax with at least 2 firms consulting on a multitude of different tax topics as well, and several different departments covering the topics on BEC.

I understand my comments may not apply to those who work in a smaller office and do a little bit of everything, or someone at the controller/CFO level, but that wasn't really the point of my post.

AUD - 2/2013 - Passed!
BEC - 5/2013 - Passed!
FAR - 8/2013 - Passed!
REG - 11/2013 - Passed!
"Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda

[stoleway]

I agree with jaredo155, the function of an accountant in industry is very much narrowed in a sense that an accountant will end up specializing and perform the same task year in and year out. This is due to segregation of duties and the need to be in compliance with SOX. So industry doesn't give you the broad experience like public accounting does.

REG -63│ 84!!
BEC- 59│70│ 71 │78!
AUD- 75!
FAR- 87!

Mass-CPA

[koz124]

I understand where Jaredo is coming from. It makes sense in larger corporations to specialize. I work in a small”ish” organization and am the Finance Manager, so while there are certain limitation due to SOX as stated by stoleway, I still need to know “everything”. I imagine many management positions do (albeit not all).

With this said, there are many auditors, even in this forum, who have stated they aren't getting the experience they need or want. Stoleway, I think you are missing that you can't classify what you will use just by saying you are in public or industry. Jaredo pointed that out in his response as well.

Back to the topic at hand, I think Jaredo and I are on the same page that the CPA designation can be a beneficial tool.

Studying with Wiley Review, Wiley Test Bank, Ninja Audio.
Retakes with Ninja MCQ only...awesome!
Far - 1/28 72, 7/22 79
Aud - 2/28 70, 8/14 83
Bec - 4/10 80
Reg - 5/30 64, 7/2 82

[Author]

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