[Vishal]

Hey Guys,

My name is vishal and I am a 3rd B.com student india and Iam really confused and scared. I want to do a CPA but also want to move to America as soon possible.And I can do this by studying a MS in America. These are my problems regarding this matter :

1: I can complete my CPA in India and I am sure I can land a job in the big 4 but I have to wait around 3-6 years before I can leave for America.And it’s not like I hate living in India but it’s always been a desire of my mine to move to America for a very long time.

2: If I take up a MS I have to work for around 3 – 4 years(persumming I can get recruited) to pay off my student loans before I can consider taking up the exam. By then I have to juggle my job and studying. But right now I have no commitments as I still live with my parents.

I apologize for any inconvenience, it’s just I need to make a decision that will affect my whole life and that is something I am struggling to decide.

Thank you for your effort and time

Looking forward for your reply

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what your question is…so not sure how to answer it…but there's a couple things you said that I don't understand.

1. If you do your CPA in India, why would you need to wait 3-6 years before moving to America?

2. If you do your MS, then you would move to America sooner, right? Why would you need to wait for 3-4 years after completing the MS prior to taking the CPA in America? Most people prefer to take the exams shortly after completing their coursework in order to have the materials fresh in their mind. The exams themselves are just a fraction of the cost of the MS program, so cost-wise wouldn't make a huge difference compared to the debt you went into for the MS program. I'm a big fan of people paying off their school debt as soon as possible, but if you have a whole MS degree worth of debt, I wouldn't see the issue with paying for CPA exams prior to paying of the MS program (though I probably wouldn't buy the expensive programs like Becker while trying to pay off student debt).

If I was in your spot, my thought pattern would probably be something like this:
If I could make decent money at present, living with my parents, then I'd think about saving up my money for another couple years to be able to pay for the MS without loans or with very few loans, and then come to America, get the MS, get the job, and take the CPA exams between the MS and job or while starting the job.

[Son]

Hey Vishal,

Let's get the important part straight here: are you planning on sitting for the U.S. CPA exam, or for its Indian equivalent (I believe it's called “chartered accountant”, or CA)?

Regarding your plans – if your want to immigrate to the States, your best bet is getting into a top master's program in the country. Mind that getting just any degree won't help that much; you need a school that has good recruiting connections and from which Big4s and the like recruit heavily. You will need to get sponsorship for a work visa after graduation, and only big firms or corporations are ready to take on the risk and costs associated.

Regarding your idea to start with a Big4 company in India and then transfer to the States after 3-6 years – what you're talking about is a rotation program, they are not going to hire you full-time in the US or transfer you after you go through this program. You're expected to spend 6 month, maybe a year or more in some cases, and go back to India and manage your team there. I've heard about some exceptions, but they are very, VERY infrequent. Partners in the States are explicitly discouraged from hiring Indian personnel who comes on rotation, as your work in India is much more valuable to the firm.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Author]

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