For many people, their ultimate career goal is to be self-employed. The way they see it, if you have to work to earn a living, why work for someone else when you can build something of your very own? For CPAs, becoming self-employed means starting their own practice. As with any other type of business venture, starting a CPA firm…
Finance. There may be no other professional field with more certifications. You look at some letterhead and it has a list of names with a veritable alphabet behind them. It’s like an arms race of acronyms! Are they really needed to help with your career? The answer is yes. You can debate which financial certifications will benefit you most but…
One of the most common questions about the CPA exam that we tend to see (other than “how the heck am I going to pass this thing”) is “does my CPA license work across state lines”? And it’s a darn good question. These days, thanks to the ease of communication the internet offers us, the opportunities for CPAs to serve…
There seems to be a lot of discussion about which three letters are better to have behind your name to further your career as an accountant: CPA or MBA. With the way the accounting profession is evolving it’s not as clear cut anymore. So, how can you look at the question in order to answer it? What Do You Want…
Hindsight is 20/20. The good news is that if you heed the advice and lessons of others who have already dealt with what you’re going through you can significantly improve your current vision. So let us now apply this to the field of accounting by sharing some thoughts from people who’ve been out in the working world. Salary May Not…
We get it: no matter how close you are to your CPA exam, sometimes it feels like there’s just no good time to get some studying in. This goes double when you’re already employed as an accountant (or in a related field) and you’re working full-time. Even if you really love your job and can’t wait to pass the CPA…
As someone pursuing a career in accounting, one big decision you’ll face is whether you should get into public accounting or private accounting. But what exactly are the differences between the two? Private accountants are directly employed by a company or business. Because of this, private accountants are also sometimes referred to as corporate accountants. Public accountants basically serve as…
There’s no way to avoid it: networking is an important part of having a successful career. No matter what type of career you have or which industry you work in, having a strong professional network helps your career in many ways. But if you’re a young CPA just starting out or simply want to make a more active effort to improve…
If you’re at the point where you’re getting ready to tackle that big scary CPA exam, you’re probably starting to weigh your future career options. This is a good thing! After the CPA exam you’re going to want to start looking into what your prospects are, whether you want to jump straight into the workforce or further your education or…
The accounting profession is known for long hours. Even when it isn’t tax season you can still routinely work 80 hours per week. There are some who thrive on this. But for so many others it’s the greatest source of job dissatisfaction. I know, this ain’t exactly news. But here’s what is. More and more accountants are doing something to…