[icpait]

Long story short I messed around alot in undergrad and got a 2.5 gpa in finance. After 6 months of not being able to find a job I decided to go for my cpa so I took all the necessary accounting classes at a community college. I ended up with a 4.0 gpa in my accounting classes from the community college and passed all four parts of the cpa exam? My question now is will employers still look at my undergrad gpa of 2.5 gpa or will I be able to get a job with the 4.0 from community as well as passing the cpa exam? Does cpa exam mean that much or will my 2.5 haunt me forever. Oh and I have no real accounting experience.

[mypetmeatball]

Yes. You can/should put yourself in the best possible light on your resume. There's no reason to put your overall GPA — say something like “Accounting GPA – 4.0/4.0” or something of the sort.

If they ask about your overall GPA (and they probably will), just tell them your story. Obviously you shouldn't tell them flatly that you “messed around”, but it's not a big deal to say you weren't mature enough to take school seriously or something.

[Anonymous]

This is just my .02 worth, so take it to heart or take it with a grain of salt, but most of the people on the interview committee did the same thing you did. I know I did! It is what it is, and you can't change it. If you've passed all four parts of the exam, I think your prospects are brighter than you think.

[Anonymous]

Well…most big 4 employers (in my experience) are going to request a copy of your official transcript before you get an interview…so the misdirection that mypetmeatball is suggesting will be all for naught. Even if they don't request your transcripts and you get the interview based on your resume sleight of hand, it will ultimately come out when they say, “I see your “Accounting GPA” was 4.0…what was your overall GPA?”; “2.5” “Ahh, I see, and you took all of your classes at The University of X?”; “Well, no, I took my Accounting Classes at Honky Tonk Community College”; “Oh…well, thanks for your interest…we'll give you a call”.

My personal opinion (let me emphasize that) is that you lay it all out on your resume (i.e., [if you've passed the exams and become licensed] John Doe, CPA; Education: University of X: B.S. Finance (GPA 2.5); Honky Tonk CC: Accounting Courses (GPA 4.0)) and let them decide to give you an interview based on all material information. Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous]

But to your original question…I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities if you become a licensed CPA. You might not start off with a Big 4 firm, but you can get experience and ultimately move your way up to more lucrative positions if you wish.

[mypetmeatball]

@BaseballCPA2 I'd hardly consider it a misdirection. If you tell the the Big 4 or any other major accounting firm that you have a 2.5 GPA in the prescreening process, you're in the garbage bin. Emphasize your recent success and give them a reason to want you in the interview. A resume is just a ticket into the first round of interviews, then after that it's all about personality. Give yourself a chance to show your personality, because a 2.5 is in the “out” pile in campus recruiting.

Who has a better chance of getting an offer — some faceless person in a crowd of resumes with a 2.5 GPA or someone who was given the opportunity to explain his/her situation in an interview setting and is already liked by the interviewer?

[Anonymous]

@MyPetMeatball — If we all used that logic, there would be no reason for comparative financial statements. “Yes, we incurred a $1 Bn net loss in 2011, but we didn't include it in our financial representation because 2012 was net income of $400 MM and we just wanted to get our foot in the door with potential investors!”

Ya know what I mean? Just like companies are required to include all material information (i.e., any information that may be material in the eyes of the users of the FS/affect their decision), candidates should included all relevant/material information before getting the interview rather than springing it on the interviewer during the interview. This isn't politics…”spin” shouldn't be allowed lol. But that's just my opinion. Obviously, you disagree…that's cool…just my thoughts.

And I agree, 2.5 will probably not get you in the door at a Big 4 or other major firm…but it will probably get you in at a smaller CPA firm (esp if already licensed). At that point, you do a good job, gain experience in the field, and after 3-5 years, your work experience matters more than your GPA and you can get a better job (or at least a job with bigger clients) if you choose to. Nothing against the OP, but if you “messed around” in college and earned a 2.5 GPA, then you shouldn't be looked at in the same light as someone with a >3.5 GPA. I think he will get a fine job somewhere, but more likely than not, he will have to pay his dues and work hard at a smaller firm/company before he can move on to a more lucrative position.

[Keely]

But the question was, “Can I get a job?” Not “Can I get a job at Big 4?” I would not put GPA on my resume, period. Like I said in the other post (this thread has been posted at least three times I think), I wouldn't put it on there but I'd have an explanation ready. Not everyone wants to work at Big 4, or considers that “moving up” in the profession. I for one would never, ever work for Big 4. Just because you have a 2.5 GPA does not mean you can't get a lucrative job offer. A not-so-stellar GPA is not going to preclude you from finding good opportunities. As a former college dropout, I am living proof of that.

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Anonymous]

Well while the stress and hours don't always make it worth it, I can promise you that being able to put one of the big 4 firms on your resume is worth the investment of working there. If you found success after being a dropout, good for you, you won the metaphorical job lottery. Most lucrative positions are not going to settle for someone who gives the impression of having been a slacker in college.

[acamp]

Having the CPA done carries a lot of weight and I would try to make this the highlight of your resume. For school, I would probably omit the undergrad GPA and do something like this:

Whatever Community College 2012

–Completed educational requirements for CPA Exam

–4.0 GPA in all accounting coursework

Whatever School 2007-2011

–Bachelor of Science Business Administration, emphasis in Finance

Resumes are not financial statements, lol, and those are still filled with assumptions, estimates and spin. The goal is to keep the resume from going straight to the bin by a resume filter. Your undergrad GPA will likely come up at some point, but being able to explain it to a person will give you a much better chance. Having gone from a 2.5 undergrad GPA to a 4.0 in your most recent accounting coursework along with having the CPA done is great, congrats. I don't think there is any reason to not shoot for Big4.

Easiest way to get interviews is through on campus interviewing, check with your previous school to see if they have any “Meet the Firms” type events. Otherwise you can also try joining a state CPA society, ie: CalCPA in California and see if you can meet anyone who can forward your resume to Campus Recruiting (Campus Recruiting is who you want to talk to since you don't have experience).

Self proclaimed: Highest ratio of Replies to Others v. Posts Created on A71

California CPA - Big4 Aud Manager Alum - Private Accounting at Startups

FAR, REG and BEC with Ninja Notes + WTB Only

Ninja + Wiley Test Bank: [FAR - 81] [REG - 76] [BEC - 88] [AUD - 73](doh!)

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California CPA

[Keely]

@Baseball, I'm not going to disagree with you that employers don't want college ‘slackers', but from my experience, employers are looking for someone who stands out, who has grown and learned from his or her mistakes. In the whopping three interviews I've been on (two mid-size firms, one small firm), when they said, “Tell me about yourself,” I made it a point to say I went to college at 17 and dropped out after one semester and went to work full-time. But I went back, did well, and now I'm almost done with the exam. I was offered all three positions. Most people with a 2.5 GPA do not go back to school, get a 4.0 in what I'm assuming is 24 hours of accounting, and pass the CPA exam. So to say you went from one end of the spectrum to the other is pretty unique in my opinion. Everyone's experience is different, though, and I'm not going to start an argument with you. This has just been my personal experience. I just do not think the OP should look at an undergraduate GPA as a big limitation on potential, because it most likely isn't.

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Anonymous]

@Keely – Couple of things. 1) I’m not starting an argument either…we’re both just expressing our opinions, and 2) Our opinions aren’t that different from one another (aside from disagreeing about whether or not Big 4 employment is lucrative). As a matter of fact, our stories are pretty similar. I went to college at 19 (right out of HS), was failing a bunch of my classes for partying too hard, withdrew (instead of allowing the F to hurt my GPA; but I still ended up with a 2.6 when I left) and dropped out to work full time at a bank. I went back after a year and a half, found my calling in Accounting, double majored in Information Systems, got accepted into the University’s honors college, and ended up graduating with a 3.75. My contention was that the OP shouldn’t omit or spin anything from his/her resume to get his “foot in the door”. My personal opinion is that it is unethical and if I were the interviewer, once we covered the omitted material, the candidate would not be getting a call back. I would feel like I got played and it would bug me.

I’m not saying that he/she won’t have any opportunities. But saying you got straight A’s in all your accounting classes at a community college is like Usain Bolt saying he beat a 6 year old in a foot race…it’s not that impressive. I mean, it’s great that he/she had a change of heart and decided to do Accounting and bust his/her ass (i.e., learning from college mistakes), but he/she will be much better off being able to proudly say, “John Doe, CPA…pleasure to meet you” than touting a 4.0 at a local community college. It’s better off (in my opinion) to say, “I didn’t work to my full potential during undergrad, but once I realized that Accounting was something that really interested me, I completed the relevant coursework at a local community college and became a licensed CPA”; to me, that’s much more impressive. All I was saying is that he/she should display all pertinent information and interview with smaller firms. He will certainly get a job somewhere and have the opportunity to really excel at his job. Down the road, if that person decides to leave, he/she will be able to interview with a company and be able to focus on relevant work experience during the interview, not GPA. GPA doesn’t matter as much when you’re not fresh out of college.

Congrats on being almost done, by the way. Hope you hear good news during score release.

[Tncincy]

@ Baseballcpa2, Well I like your comments….I have been contemplating joining a firm after getting my cpa. I have worked in a rural area for 16 years doing bookkeeping and individual taxes these last three years have been really rough financially, So I decided to get my cpa to make sure I keep an income and not worry about overhead costs. Although I really llike working for myself, but when times are hard they are really hard. so my question is: Is it possible to work for a firm and freelance? It is two cpa firms in my town, I am about two hours from either memphis or nashville. How difficult would it be finding cpa work. I don't want to give up my shop, but I really want a better income. Open for suggestions……

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Tncincy]

as for the person looking for a job, Pass the cpa exam and I don't think you will have any trouble getting a job. Now the bigger firms are looking for cpa and experience. Most of the people fresh out of college does not have the cpa and might not pass even though they have a 3 point what ever. I think you have a better chance if you pass the exam. Go for it!

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader.....time to pass

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Keely]

Valid points, Baseball, and thanks for the well-wishes!

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Author]

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