Accountant Megathread - At Least We're Not Actuaries

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Accountant Megathread - At Least We're Not Actuaries

Mattism: May 22, 2007

Carlton Banks posted:

I am in the process of beginning the hunt for my first job for after I finish my Masters in May and I attended my university's job fair yesterday. The number of accounting firms that showed up was disappointing; only around 10 or so, even less than the number of firms that attended when the economy was at rock bottom.

While there is a chance I might land an interview from the companies I talked to yesterday, I am starting to realize that I might need to find interviews on my own without the benefits of meeting recruiters in person. Of course, there is one more fair in the Spring and I am also keeping an eye out for events at school where I can mingle with recruiters.

However, if it comes down to it, would applications on the company's website be any better/worse than sites like Monster.com or CareerBuilder? I am not very familiar with HR practices, so I don't know if one gets more attention than the other.

I'm not really answering your question, but you might want to see if your state's CPA society has any sort of career night type event. You can be reasonably assured that everyone at those events is looking for accountants, and it's generally a solid group to be networked into.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2010 18:00

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:04

Mattism: May 22, 2007

There's a pretty substantial wait for CPA exam results as well, usually 6-8 weeks depending on when you took the exam within a given window. For example, I took REG the first week of July and BEC the second week of August and received both scores during the first wave which was near the end of August. The way I understand it (and this may change with the adoption of the new CBT-e), you could theoretically wait up to almost three months for your scores.

I don't know how the CPA exam compares in difficulty to the bar exam, but I thought the LSAT was more difficult than BEC/REG. Nothing holds a candle to FAR though.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2010 16:13

Mattism: May 22, 2007

Johnny Longtorso posted:

I hadn't considered taking the CPA exam right away; Virginia doesn't seem to have any experience requirements, just an accounting degree with 150 hours. One big problem: it costs about a grand to take, which is money I sure don't have. The whole point of this exercise was to make more money... Dammit. My brain is also about fried from two years of constant work/school/work/school, so I don't know how well studying would go. I was really hoping to take a break from studying for a little while after graduation.

I had this exact same thought in April of this year when graduation was approaching. Do not take a break. Do it now. It's just another 4-6 months of busting your rear end studying stuff you're already probably pretty drat familiar with.

Being a CPA candidate or having passed sections of the exam gives you infinitely more credibility when you are applying for jobs.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2010 03:02

Mattism: May 22, 2007

knox posted:

So I'm basically finished with my 150 credit requirement, will graduate after this upcoming Fall semester. I have no internship or accounting work experience, though I have a few connections to getting into a firm. Two relatives either work for a firm, or a close friend does. Right now I'm interning through New York state, my county to be specific, in the Social Services department. I'm working with people who have zero accounting education basically, just reconciling medicaid and data entry bullshit. It's 20 hours a week required and it's unpaid. Is this a waste of my time? Should I be studying for the CPA and registering while looking for better employment and internship opportunities?

I'm also not positive accounting is for me. I feel like tax would fit me better as I enjoy the idea of it, though everybody else seems to hate the idea of it. I made the dean's list last semester taking the most difficult courses supposedly (adv. accting, tax) and did well in tax 2 as well. Will this make a difference when looking for a job?

To hell with unpaid jobs. You're an accountant damnit. As soon as you've met all the necessary education requirements for your state, start knocking out parts of the CPA exam. Resist the urge to put it off until later. I'm sure the deans list won't hurt your chances of landing a job, but your personal connections and a passed exam will help infinitely more.

If you're interested in tax, public accounting is probably the best place to start. Depending on the size of the firm they might try to designate you as audit staff or tax staff, or you find one that lets you do a little of both. You might like some of the audit stuff more than you think.

# ¿ Jul 14, 2011 04:34

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