You're 100% right about a masters vs a CPA. I feel like I wasted my time getting my master's because CPA has more clout. I told my lil bro who is a Finance major to dont even bother getting your MBA go get your CFA.
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I am now through busy season as a first year and am struggling to sit down and get serious with the cpa exam. Can you go deeper in detail as to how you made yourself realize that you had to go through with it? And what if I just can’t push myself anymore?
MidScream1 Thank you but I just wanted to hear her story. And I’m sorry but I’m not in tax, so those deadlines are not my field. But thank you for your opinion.
I would like your opinion. I’m graduating this fall but I want to continue taking class so I can sit for the CPA Do you think I should apply for internship/jobs now or wait until I took enough classes?
I’m graduating with a business management degree next month. I want to go into accounting. I will have enough credits to sit for CPA in my state. Would that be a way into the accounting world? Or what do you recommend?
Thanks for featuring my question, Steph! (I’m gods_home lol) I started a VLOG channel with my new audit career fresh from college. You should check it out and let me know what you think! (Currently it’s tracking this CPA exam struggle)
It is easier to get 150 hours if you decide to double major as well. I am a double major in accounting and management information systems with a minor in finance. I will have 140+ hours with my bachelors. I am considering taking a couple of extra courses in undergrad to attain the required credits. Will it be wise for me to do this vs getting my masters?
currently struggling through FAR right now after putting off studying for awhile after i passed audit (dumb i know.) But this video helped me get my eye on the prize again, thanks girl!
Michael Mitchell - aside from a short mental break, the sooner, the better. Remember the CPA exam is largely an academic exercise. But certification is indicative of core competency in professional accountancy. The sooner you prepare and sit for the state exam after undergraduate, the better your overall chance of exam passage. This approach worked well for me. A few years later, to further advance my professional career and options, I also pursued and completed my MBA degree. Best of luck to you.
It depends how you manage your finance. If you are broke, then take the job. If you have money to sit and wait then enjoy the ride. :) If you have only one offer then that leaves you no choice. If you have couple of offers then pick what you like the most. Compare the locations, the salary and benefits. Good luck.
Thanks for your insight, your videos actually helped me to choose to take the plunge and pursue accounting rather than psychology. Your videos matter thanks for being consistent 😊
So, what kind of jobs do people apply for when they graduate and don't have a CPA or are not planning to go into public? It can't just be internal auditors right? Do we look for jobs as staff accountants, or like lower level clerks?
I would start with staff accountant and see if you get any interviews, if not widen your range of jobs to consider to clerks, etc. It was harder than I thought finding a job after undergrad with a BS in accounting no CPA. But my town is small and rural.
You can apply for a staff accountant position. This could be in general ledger accounting, financial reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, etc. I'd recommend general ledger or financial reporting so you could continue to get more exposure over areas than just one area (like AP, AR or inventory).
Question for you I know this is a bit later than when you posted this video but would be helpful if you can answer. I worked in Big 4 for 3 years and then moved into an internal audit position as senior auditor. The IA role is pretty much a dead end and I do not think staying for a while will help. But I can get my CPA due to the good hours. I was wondering if it makes sense to stay for a year to get CPA or go to a regional firm that I can sort of stay until Manager to get a higher position when out of public.
Hi love! It really depends.... If you go to a regional firm now, I think you could move up to manager pretty quickly once you get your CPA especially since you have Big 4 experience already. You'll be busier (probably depending on your current job) especially during busy season but it's still doable to get your CPA while at a regional firm . If you stayed at your current job and got your CPA, you could potentially move to another industry job (IA or other) and get a manager title. Hope that kinda gave some food for thought lol
Hello everyone (and Stephie), I have a question for all of you who are already accounting graduates or who are very decided that you want to be an accounting major. So, I was initially wanting to major in accounting and am currently in Principles of ACTG I (i know right, just now lol). Well I am a sophomore and will be a junior this Fall 2018 and need to decide very soon whether i want to major in it or else i will be behind. Anyways, my question is: How did you know for sure that you wanted to be an ACTG major? At the beginning I was so into it because the ACTG club at my school really convinced me that it was such a good major with great rewards. However, half way through the semester I realized that I had a really hard time staying focus because I found it boring and difficult. I even stopped attending club meetings and went MIA. Not sure if it's because I hated my professor for not teaching it good enough or what. Now I'm understanding it a lot faster and better, and find it easier to follow along in class. I want to major in it because of the status of it, if that makes any sense. Like it's just known at my school that if your an accountant major you must be hella smart for understanding it (considering more ppl fail the exams than those who are pass them). but am still not so sure about it because I just feel like the tremendous amount of time, difficulty, and effort is not worth the $60k. I also don't like the idea of literally being the backbone of the company for $60k. There are IT and IS folks who get paid around or more than that with not as much effort and difficulty. Someone PLEASE help me and clarify any things that I may have wrong. Also, did anyone else feel this way? Maybe I'm just intimidated?
Hello! I have always liked business classes. I knew in high school that I wanted to do something business related. Accounting stuck out to me because it has everything I like "business, numbers, stability, good pay". Although it's the backbone and not actually doing challenge thinking i learned I can still pursue challenging fields with the degree so I decided to stick with it. If you don't like the accounting coursework don't continue to pursue it or you will be miserable after school. Also, depending on where you live the salaries can increase tremendously as you climb the career ladder.
Omg you live in Dallas?! I am currently struggling to figure out how to get my bachelors in accounting / finance and then my CPA after ... I currently have my associates degree and work as an accounting in plano. But I am stuck on what college to go to to fulfill my goals!!!! Any suggestions?
Yay for meeting other DFWers 😁 UTD or UNT would probably be good places to get your bachelors! I've heard great things especially for UTD and it would be more cost effective vs something like SMU.
Stephie, I am currently a secretary & I help the accountant quite often. I have realized that accounting might be the career path for me. Although financially I still need to work while going to school. Would getting an associates degree be at all helpful in the accounting world? Or would you suggest just getting the bachelors degree? Thanks!!
Kati Greenway ive seen various job openings for clerks that usually just require an associatesclerks are pretty low payed but it will get you experience. either way go to a community college for two years not only is it cheaper but you can decide whether you like it or not with out spending a boatload of money
I'm applying to a MS accounting program. I have a BBA but don't have the required accounting hours. I also have the option of taking 24 credit hours online through a public accrediated school, and it would come out cheaper than the masters. I would still need to take 6 more hours somewhere else. Texas, where I would be licensed for the CPA, has eliminated the requirement that 15 accounting hours needs to be done face-to-face. Is the masters even worth it in the long run or should I just go for the non-degree route?
Marie Charles I think most states require 150 credits to sit for it..in my case, I have a BS in management and got my master’s in accounting. The master’s helped with the 150 credits and I also needed at least 2000 hours working in accounting.
It is easier to get 150 hours if you decide to double major as well. I am a double major in accounting and management information systems with a minor in finance. I will have I’ve 140 hours with my bachelors. I am considering taking a couple of extra courses in undergrad to attain the required credits.
At 5:00 you mention that in public accounting has a set promotion schedule unlike industry. But in this video, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SaSVufhIRqM.html , you say that the very reason you left public accounting was that you didn't get promoted according to the expected schedule. So it doesn't sound like public really has a set promotion schedule either?
This Q&A is meant to discuss topics at a high level. I have mentioned in several public accounting videos that the "set" promotion structure is typically through making it to manager (as long as you're meeting expectations at a minimum and have passed the CPA for manager promotion). After that it's not as structured (i.e. timeline like 2 years to senior manager, 5 years to partner doesn't exist). One example of where I spoke about this is below at the 17:40 mark. The video you refer to was me sharing how I was not promoted to "experienced" manager although there were no concrete reasons provided, I had good ratings, met the requirements and it was a surprise to most everyone as they thought I had been promoted. It all had to do with politics imo. I saw your comment on another video about giving concrete examples and they're sprinkled throughout many videos. Happy to share specific ones if you're looking for a specific topic. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--QnQA0p8yF8.html
This very interesting. I am CA/CPA student and I am thinking of doing practice but I am not sure weather to get some experience first and then proceed with practice?
Love this Stephie🙌🏽💕I always see your snap when you say you want to do a Q&A video but I never know where to leave questions. I have tons of questions for you
Stephie // stephienese Yay I’m glad, here are a few questions I have, you don’t have to answer them all. Anything you feel comfortable enough sharing! Love you stephie! -Was accounting your initial major in college? -Did you graduate on time? (4 yrs) -What was your starting salary at the big four? -When at the big 4 did they allow vacation time? -How long after dating Mike did you wait to move in together, then get married? -Did mike graduate college? -Would you ever consider posting 2x a week? -Would joining accounting type clubs give me more of a chance to work somewhere like the big 4?
Am I the only one that screamed when she said, “ ain’t gone be worth shit” 😂 (southern girl thing) I’m crying. SN: that exactly how I feel when people try and call me crazy for wanting to pass all parts by October/November.
To all of you wondering if you should go into accounting, DON'T. You slave away 70-80 hours min, 5-6 months, while earning 60k, which is really nothing compared to the hours you put in. All professors and recruiters like to sugar coat the profession and give you all this bs about job security and high starting salary. Unless you want to live at your job while earning an average salary, don't go into accounting.
5-6 months isnt that long. Most professions are like that in the beginning. Gotta work hard if you want to get to the next level. Stop being lazy 😂😂😂 And not every accounting route is like that. Just public accounting at big busy firms.
Thank you for the video! I'd like to ask you one question about higher education. What degree do those with USCPA usually go on to attain (such as Econ or MBA)?
