[KJCPAwannabe]

Desirable to an employer btw lol.

After im done with the CPA, i want to get something else. I was thinking the CFA but im not sure yet.

So far i am only a certified Excel expert and hopefully a CPA soon

any other suggestions? it doesnt have to be something big like the CPA, could be something like an Excel expert.

let me know what you guys think?

AUD - 11/16/2011 - 86
REG - 1/12/2012 - 77
BEC - 2/29/2012 - 90
FAR - 11/29/2012 - 85

[Zizoty]

CMA, CIA, CFA, CFE, AA, BB, CC, DD :))

AUD - 83 Feb11
REG - 75 May11
BEC - 73 July11 84 Oct11
FAR - 63 Aug11 76 Feb12 I'M DONE!!!!!

[makinthemagic]

J.D, PhD

Bec 4/11/11 91
Aud 7/11/11 75
Reg 8/31/11 80
Far 5/24/11 86
Ethics - 98
California Licensed CPA
Illinois Registered CPA

[Anonymous]

lol Well maybe you should take it one step at a time and focus on passing the CPA first. I moved onto the CIA after I was done with the CPA…CFA is good if you're trying to get into financial valuations/analytics (wall street type job), but I've heard it's even harder than the CPA and unless you stay with Mom and Dad and currently don't work, that seems like it would be a beast. CMA could be good if you're going into industry, but overall, the CPA is the most versatile and useful certification you can have.

[Anonymous]

I'm going for a PMP in addition to a CPA 🙂

I've been reading up on a PhD in Accounting – they claim there's this huge shortage of accounting professors, because they expect a lot of accounting professors to retire over the next bunch of years. I'm doubting it. Who's going to retire if they are earning 1% on their bank accounts? Though I wouldn't mind being an accounting professor. I can imagine myself being the next Roger 🙂 Or maybe the next Hawkeye Pierce (watch where you're sitting on my class – whoopie cushion alert) 🙂

[PhDCPA]

There already is a huge shortage… hopefully it gets even worse by the time I graduate 🙂

[Anonymous]

DUI

i like school, but a PhD doesn't appeal to me whatsoever — in any area. i can't think of any reason one would take out hefty loans, another what, 8 years of school for a PhD, especially in accounting. unless you want to be a professor

[misanthrope87]

But you can still teach accounting in universities with just a CPA license.

B 2/12 87
A 11/11 90
R 8/11 86
F 5/12 88

[PhDCPA]

It's not so bad… you don't have to take out loans because the tuition is waived for Ph.D. students and they pay you. I'm making half of what I did in public, but I'm getting a Ph.D. for free. Takes 4 years and the only thing you can do with a Ph.D. is be a professor. You can teach without a Ph.D. but you don't make much money, really not worth it I don't think.

[Anonymous]

really? that's how all PhD programs work? wow thanks for educating me.

i wouldn't mind teaching at an undergrad level..seems like it would be a good experience. i've looked up my tenured professors' salaries..$125-135k/year. not too shabby at all if you ask me

[PhDCPA]

Yeah that's how they all work, at least in accounting anyway. I can't speak for other fields. I get paid 25k / year for 4 years, but they range from 18k to over 30k depending on the school. Starting salaries now are at least 120k / year even for bad schools, more like 150k / year for better schools. What's weird is that because of the shortage, most new Ph.D.s are getting starting salaries that are higher than what professor's who have been teaching for years are currently making. I can't imagine how it must be to be a professor that has been around for 15 years have a new guy come in making way more that the tenured professor currently makes.

[Anonymous]

The CFA is just as hard, if not harder than the CPA. You would need a very strong finance background too (similar to the accounting background required for the CPA…one or two classes won't cut it). It's not worth it just to have as an extra certification. It's for Investment Banking/Investment Management type jobs

[Anonymous]

@phD $25k/year to earn a PhD? how much work goes into that? is a PhD in accounting mostly research? or are you teaching classes and taking classes?

@eartzi even though i haven't taken the cfa or the cpa, i can almost say with confidence the cfa is harder from what i've heard and read. cfa level 1 is a 6 hour test with a 1 hour break. and it's offered only twice a year. so even if you pass level 1, 2, and 3 — it'll take at least 1.5 years.

that's only speaking for the length of the test — the subject material is harder for me to grasp, too

[PhDCPA]

Technically, the 25k is to be a research assistant. I actually only worked a total of about 12 hours over the course of the entire fall semester though, they just didn't give any of us much to do because we are super busy with our coursework. It's all three – research, teaching, and coursework.

[Anonymous]

@CannotpassCPA: “i can't think of any reason one would take out hefty loans,” Most of the programs give teaching assistant jobs and stipends, so you should not have to take out any loans. You should be able to graduate debt-free if you get your tuition waived + teaching assistant job.

[Author]

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