[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have passed three out of four exams and working on the last one right now. I will probably get an offer from a small CPA firm for only $18/hour which cut my current salary (with bonus) to half. I am wondering if I should quit my job and then work on master degree, so I will have the chance to get recruited by big 4 or bigger firm and then start with decent salary, or work for the small CPA firm to get my license first. I am afraid once you get paid low, you will never get paid high…

It is so hard to land an entry level position in a CPA firm without any CPA firm experience or should I wait till tax season come?

Thank you for any suggestion.

[Missy]

Wouldn't ever consider a 50% pay cut, Stay at your current position and work on your masters part time.

Old timer,  A71'er since 2010.

Finance manager/HR manager

 

 

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Tcohle]

I've heard that it's best to get your master's degree when you're a few years into your serious career (after getting your cpa). That way, once you really find your niche you can gear your master's towards that (IT, Finance, etc)

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[ruggercpa2b]

If you take a pay cut then when you start looking for other jobs you will be stuck making less money. I would stay at your current job, pass the CPA exam and then apply to get into Big 4. If you cannot get into Big 4 then try to get into a smaller or regional firm and then transfer to Big 4 as an experienced hire.

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I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. Been at this way too long.

[y_u_no_pass]

If you do well it could be good. I have had three salary bumps in the past 1.5 years at my small firm totalling a $20k bump. Just because you are starting low doesn't mean that is where you will end up. Still you need to assess if that is a possibility at the firm you may switch to.

Florida CPA!
Took final exam 2/25/15.
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[fuzyfro89]

I don' tknow where you live, but a 38k annual salary-equivalent is not CPA level pay.

Even small/mid/large public firms are in the high 40s to high 50s (NYC area) for new associates… many of them haven't finsihed the CPA exams.

Short answer, don't take it.

Spend your time/effort working on your networking skills, interview skills, polish your resume, and get out there! If you don't land a 40k+ job, then you're doing something wrong.

This of course depends a lot on where you live and how the local economy is doing and the overall job market. If you are willing to move to a decent-sized or larger metro nearby, there will be more options than in smaller cities.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for the suggestion!

I am in SoCal. I know the pay is really low, but it is really hard to find any entry level position with no experience in a public accounting firm.

My goal is to work in the big 4 or big 10…

I have been thinking of three different ways to achieve my goal.

1) Quit my current job, work on my last CPA exam and then start on GMAT so I can probably apply for next Spring.

2) Take the job and stay 1 to 1 1/2 year, get the license, switch to a bigger firm, stay 2 years, and try to apply senior position in big 4 or big 10

3) the job and stay 1 to 1 1/2 year, get the license, ask to be part time and work on MST, and then try to get recruited as a junior in big 4

I wonder which will be more approachable and make sense?

[Author]

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