[yarnim]

Hello everyone, first timer to this forum, looks like there are many great information to be found here.

My question may have been asked and answered by many others in the past buried in the forums somewhere, and I don’t know about others, but I often have hard time browsing/searching for what I am looking for in a new forum environment..so thank you all for your understanding if this is such an over asked question.

Here is an early TL;DR

1. I have been out of college for 4 years now, and I have no accounting job experience.

2. I plan to take my first exam before the year end, have not started studying yet.

3. Would it be a good idea for me to start applying for entry positions (Obviously do not know if I would even be a candidate right now) and work my way towards CPA while working or should I at least pass my exam, or some parts of the exam first and then start applying?

And here is the long story:

I’ve graduated with bachelors in business/accounting back in 2010, and have had “life” happen to me where I could not pursue the CPA license right after graduating and had to wander around, eventually settling at a medium sized law firm working as a case manager and general IT manager for about three years. The firm broke off recently into two partnerships in which I was positioned in the awkward middle where going with one would be betraying the other.

My position at the law firm had nothing to do with accounting whatsoever, completely irrelevant, and this is about the only “real” job experience that I can put on my resume besides a handful of jobs/positions for some extra cash while in high school and in college.

But my goal was always to get that CPA license even as I was working at the firm, just could not discipline myself to study all these years. So with recent break off of the law firm, I decided to quit and finally commit myself to finally get to it and study for these darn exams and take it.

And so I was researching all these different CPA review courses and materials, then I became curious. I have not even tried to apply for accounting firms, ever. What if I can apply for any entry accountant position and work my way through the exam and get the license as I get some real experience. I thought if this is possible, it would be amazing as it seems like most firms would provide with a review material.

So here is my question, would it be a good idea to apply for accounting positions as early as possible and work your way through getting the CPA license, or is that being too optimistic for someone in my position and should I just concentrate on passing my exams at least and then apply for positions?

Any answer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for reading this long post.

[thechapman]

I would go ahead and apply places immediately to see if you get any bites. I would also schedule the first exam section and start working toward that. The benefits to that are A) you can tell any interviewers you get to talk to that you are working on the exam, and B) you get moving on the exam.

Passed - 2014

[Anonymous]

I think it will be difficult to land a job with a CPA firm if you are not at least CPA eligible.

You stated that you graduated with a bachelors in accounting in 2010. This means that you are not grandfathered into the 120 hour rule (2009 cut off for my state NY). Therefore; in order to become CPA eligible you will need to apply to do a Masters in Accounting or Tax.

So my advice to you:

1. Apply and get accepted into a Masters program in Accounting/Tax. My advice would be to go to a public school as tuition will be MUCH lower (around $10,000 total for the entire program at CUNY or SUNY). Once you get your CPA your education becomes largely irrelevant (trust me, I went to a VERY expensive “prestigious” private university in NYC. Had a full scholarship. If I did not, I would have went the public route)

2. Once you are in your Masters program, it will be easy as pie to land a good accounting firm job. The big 4 almost exclusively hire for entry level positions at colleges. When I was in my Masters program I had around 5 offers, and at the time I was more interested in video games than attending recruiting events 😀

3. During the summer after your masters program (assuming you have a job lined up for September, which I am sure you will) Try to knock out as many parts of the CPA as possible. It should be easier since you will be fresh out of college. I was a December graduate and started in January (3 weeks after graduation) so I didn't have the chance.

If you are really committed to you plan and not just phishing, then you will achieve your goals. Good luck…

[Amay]

To answer your question, yes it would be a good idea to start applying. You should look into small, local firms or mid-size firms to start getting the experience you need. You should decide what area you want to go into though.

BEC: 73, 81
AUD: 85
FAR: 71, 77
REG: 74, 75...finally DONE! 😀

*This is my 2nd attempt at the CPA exam. For all of you who have failed this exam many times, given up on it, or taken a break like me, remember that it is still possible to finish what you started...failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently 🙂

[yarnim]

Thank you all for these kind and useful suggestions. I was told by many professors and peers while in college that in accounting, you are able to start from above and go down but usually not the other way around. Is it still a good idea to get experience from local small sized firms?

Also, Charlie recommended that I get into masters first and prep for exams in the fall, do you mean that after I am through with the masters or after the first semester, etc? And I am sorry if I sound too ignorant, but is masters doable in full time 15 credit hrs each semester like you would in undergrad?

[thechapman]

I did my masters like this – 3 hours in the summer, 12 hours in the fall, 15 in the spring. This was at a regular ol' state school if that makes any difference. 15 hours per semester is a lot, but it is possible if you are willing to just treat it like a full time job. I'm not sure about every single state, but in Texas you have to meet the 150 hour requirement before you are allowed to sit for any exam section. If your state is like that, then yes you would need to finish your 30 extra hours before taking any sections.

Passed - 2014

[mystical guy]

My hunch tells me that you need to start talking to the Dawsons and Robert Halfs…. those types of temp/temp-to-hire agencies. With nil experience in Accounting, you need to build relationships with the recruiters and share your passion for Accounting.

Though I never could get one myself, you can also try to find work as a bookkeeper.

I've been where you were, in a position where most companies would toss my resume into the trash, but I just became so passionate, studied Auditing on a daily basis, until I was able to recite any topic off my head (recruiters will fight for you, convince managers to give you an interview).

CPA - Since 2015
CISA - Smashed 2012
CIA - Passed 2015

[h0wdyus]

I am tempted to add my 2 cents . I agree about the master. It will only add value and marketability and prepare you for the CPA exam. The question you need to ask yourself is. How are you as test taker and a student. Do you think you can handle being on a full time low paying job and pass the exam. It will need a lot of early hour studying with no free time. Do you have funds to sit home and study. Is someone committed to supporting you financially. In a nutshell, if you have someone who can support you financially, then I would lock my self in a room for 1 year and finish the exam. You can always find work in accounting firm, but you will never have free dedicated time to take on this exam and finish it quickly. If you are dedicated enough, I have seen people here on the forum who have passed all the exams in 4 months. I personally cannot take on that challenge, budgeting a year to pass the exam studying full time is a very achievable and reasonable target.

FAR - 81 29th Aug 2013
AUD - 84
REG - 82
BEC - 89 29th Aug 2014
Using Yager

FROM NJ

[Author]

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