[gg2929]

Realistically with my gpa fall recruiting for public accounting will not be impossible but a real challenge. I would definitely have an easier time with spring recruiting and it looks like starting my career as a staff accountant is a real possibility. I don’t want to jump the gun here, I am mostly asking to relieve some anxiety and get a more knowledgeable picture. But as far as career advancement, where can someone go after staff accountant if they have their cpa? what kind of career advancement can a person make? Will it just be jumping from one staff accountant position to a better staff accountant position? Is eventually becoming a controller something that is not unrealistic for a person that starts their career as a staff accountant, or will there be too many people with public accounting experience applying for those jobs for a person without public experience to get those kind of jobs. CPA, CMA, CFP on your resume and a staff accountant. You could improve and be the hardest worker in the world, but that isn’t something that shows up on paper, which your resume is the first thing companies see.

[Anonymous]

The Senior Vice President and Chief Audit Executive for the company that I work for was never an auditor, is not a CPA but has other certifications.

I guess that being a controller is certainly doable with accounting experience, It depends on the experience you gain and the opportunities you have and your determination and brightness. And sometimes luck.

I'm sure others will provide much better input, but the route of public accounting is not the one and only route for success,

but could you be put in a pidgin hole and not gain more skills at a staff accountant position. Yes you might, But it all depends on the position you accept, your aspirations, determination and will.

[Anonymous]

The Senior Vice President and Chief Audit Executive for the company that I work for was never an auditor, is not a CPA but has other certifications.

I guess that being a controller is certainly doable with accounting experience, It depends on the experience you gain and the opportunities you have and your determination and brightness. And sometimes luck.

I'm sure others will provide much better input, but the route of public accounting is not the one and only route for success,

but could you be put in a pidgin hole and not gain more skills at a staff accountant position. Yes you might, But it all depends on the position you accept, your aspirations, determination and will.

[Anonymous]

Our CEO and VP of FInance both started out as staff accountants and moved up to Assistant Controller, and Controller and CFO before moving into those roles. Our current Controller started in public accounting and was never a staff accountant. I have a staff accountant with great potential, but she doesn't get along well with other departments. You can definitely be successful without working in public accounting. Just keep in mind that accounting is connected to every function in a company. If you don't play well with others you probably won't advance. You have to be able to handle yourself with executives and with clerks.

[Anonymous]

Our CEO and VP of FInance both started out as staff accountants and moved up to Assistant Controller, and Controller and CFO before moving into those roles. Our current Controller started in public accounting and was never a staff accountant. I have a staff accountant with great potential, but she doesn't get along well with other departments. You can definitely be successful without working in public accounting. Just keep in mind that accounting is connected to every function in a company. If you don't play well with others you probably won't advance. You have to be able to handle yourself with executives and with clerks.

[ajurew1]

Where I work, it seems like all the VP level and higher employees came from public accounting.

BEC - 84 (4/13/2013)
REG - 82 (10/17/2013)
AUD - 85 (12/5/2013)
FAR - 75 (10/11/2014)

[ajurew1]

Where I work, it seems like all the VP level and higher employees came from public accounting.

BEC - 84 (4/13/2013)
REG - 82 (10/17/2013)
AUD - 85 (12/5/2013)
FAR - 75 (10/11/2014)

[fuzyfro89]

A lot of higher ups will have public accounting backgrounds (typically the ratio increases as company size increases). I won't say it's because people with public are more qualified so you can decide for yourself.

It will likely take longer to reach the same level, unless you are at a company which puts a lot of effort into developing their accountants–be warned, most do not. Why invest the time and effort to develop your accountants when you can hire someone with 2-10 years of public and plug them in at any level between staff and controller?

It is possible. I've worked with many controllers and executives who never worked in public, but have worked with just as many who did. It really depends more on you and how hard you work to keep moving up the chain.

[fuzyfro89]

A lot of higher ups will have public accounting backgrounds (typically the ratio increases as company size increases). I won't say it's because people with public are more qualified so you can decide for yourself.

It will likely take longer to reach the same level, unless you are at a company which puts a lot of effort into developing their accountants–be warned, most do not. Why invest the time and effort to develop your accountants when you can hire someone with 2-10 years of public and plug them in at any level between staff and controller?

It is possible. I've worked with many controllers and executives who never worked in public, but have worked with just as many who did. It really depends more on you and how hard you work to keep moving up the chain.

[mla1169]

I think that Controller and CFO are attainable in privately held companies and that's the route I took. Larger publicly traded companies are not likely as time goes by to put people in those roles without big 4 experience.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

I think that Controller and CFO are attainable in privately held companies and that's the route I took. Larger publicly traded companies are not likely as time goes by to put people in those roles without big 4 experience.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[gg2929]

Well, I would like to be a controller or CFO one day for a company that is not publicly traded. The turnover for CFO's and other upper level accounting positions in publicly traded companies is pretty high. I want to build a career, not just have one job, and then another. It seems like the training for a staff accountant is minimal, and they are expected to hit the ground running. I have a finance position at the school which I am keeping for the summer and also have another accounting related position at night where I will be doing the company's bookkeeping and payroll, as well as completely revamping their Excel spreadsheet system which is a mess right now. My experience while in college will be much more closely related to a staff accountant position. I am expecting my accounting GPA to be about a 3.1/3.2 for fall recruiting and around a 3.4 for spring recruiting. My GPA has been rising since not being involved in athletics that require practice 20+ hours per week along with weekend travel and since becoming an accounting major. Before I was an accounting major I had the mindset that people skills meant a lot more than grades and spent a lot of time partying. When I became an accounting major I started taking things a lot more seriously. I'm also hoping to sit and pass both parts of the CMA exam before spring recruiting.

Do staff accountants have the opportunity to do financial planning and tax planning, and budgets?

[gg2929]

Well, I would like to be a controller or CFO one day for a company that is not publicly traded. The turnover for CFO's and other upper level accounting positions in publicly traded companies is pretty high. I want to build a career, not just have one job, and then another. It seems like the training for a staff accountant is minimal, and they are expected to hit the ground running. I have a finance position at the school which I am keeping for the summer and also have another accounting related position at night where I will be doing the company's bookkeeping and payroll, as well as completely revamping their Excel spreadsheet system which is a mess right now. My experience while in college will be much more closely related to a staff accountant position. I am expecting my accounting GPA to be about a 3.1/3.2 for fall recruiting and around a 3.4 for spring recruiting. My GPA has been rising since not being involved in athletics that require practice 20+ hours per week along with weekend travel and since becoming an accounting major. Before I was an accounting major I had the mindset that people skills meant a lot more than grades and spent a lot of time partying. When I became an accounting major I started taking things a lot more seriously. I'm also hoping to sit and pass both parts of the CMA exam before spring recruiting.

Do staff accountants have the opportunity to do financial planning and tax planning, and budgets?

[Anonymous]

Our finance department does financial planning and budgets. The staff accountants do general ledger journel entries, reconciliations, bank recons, fixed assets, business licenses, and consignment, and a tax accountant does sales/use and property taxes.

[Anonymous]

Our finance department does financial planning and budgets. The staff accountants do general ledger journel entries, reconciliations, bank recons, fixed assets, business licenses, and consignment, and a tax accountant does sales/use and property taxes.

[gg2929]

thanks for the input

[Author]

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