Public Accountant Career Guide and Counseling

Question: How long would someone have to attend a business school to become a certified public accountant? I have a relative that is always bragging to the family how she is a college graduate and a certified public accountant (mind you that she attended a unknown business school, and when she entered she was going for her GED and attended only 2 years of it) . Knowing that she is just a bragger, when family visit her home, she does not display any such certificate nor diploma, and she works in a retail, and explains that the reason for this is that she got bored when she graduated from the school and so decided that she would be better off working in retail....

Answer: You have to have a bachelor's degree, and it's difficult to get. Someone struggling to get their GED probably wouldn't be smart enough to earn it, and if they did, they would most likely show it off. Plus, why would you quit a good paying (albeit boring) accounting job to work in retail (which is just as boring)? It all smells like a load of crap to me.

Question: Is being a public accountant a tough job? what is the annual pay for a public accountant nowadays?

Answer: It depends where you live...in the beginning it is a lot of hours, you have to work yourself up the ranks. As a lot of folks run after seeing the (seasonal) hours...this can be lucrative for you! You will start anywhere from the mid 30's to mid 60's depending on the area of the country you live in. A public acct can earn 6 figures + with a little hard work. If you like numbers, it isn't tough at all! If you don't like having to work overtime during "busy season" or don't like numbers...it would be a pretty tough job...

Question: how to be a certified public accountant and how much do they earn? I'm starting college this fall and I'm pretty good at math. How do I become a certified public accountant and how much do they earn? How long will I stay in college? Thanks. :)

Answer: The requirements vary slightly in each state but in general, a bachelors degree with substantial coursework in accounting (i.e. not necessarily need to major in it, but 99% of students do). Additionally, most states have the 150 credit hour rule, which means you need to earn more credits than a regular bachelor degree graduate (usually you have 120 credits at the end of a bachelor program). Hence, you will need 30 additional credits. Many students will take a masters degree program in business or accounting to do this, but it's not required. Additionally, and the biggest factor, is passing a sequence of examinations in accounting. These aren't simple exams either, students who have the accounting background will study for months upon months. And just so you know, math is hardly a factor in accounting. Everything is done on computer these days. In fact, English writing ability and communication are far more important factors for a successful accounting career.

Question: Can a certified public accountant who has not kept their license up to date still be considered a CPA? The CPA firm that I work for has a person who was a certified public accountant that went to work for a private company. During that time they did not keep up with the cpe requirements of their membership. Is this person still considered a CPA? If not what must they do to get reinstated ? Thanks

Answer: Once you pass the CPA exam, you are a CPA for life and can hold yourself out as a CPA to the public. No one can take it away from you. If you wish to provide accounting or tax services to the general public as a CPA, you must maintain a minimum level of professional eductation hours each year AND obtain a licensefrom the state you are practicing in. If you wish to provide accounting or tax services to a private company as an employee, you do not need to obtain any additional professional education each year. You can, however, continue to represent yourself as a CPA within your firm and industry. The individual you reference will have to obtain the required level of CPE before he can obtain his license to practice. If, however, the person you reference is not signing off on financial statements or tax returns, no license will be necessary. Generally, this function is performed by partners at a CPA firm, but yours may be different.

Question: I wanted to know how long it would take to be a Charted Public Accountant if I already graduated from college? If one has not taken any economic or finance classes and has a degree in something else (psychology), how long would the process be to become a certified public accountant

Answer: It can depend on the state, but if you have a bachelor's degree there is normally around 50 credits or so that you would need split between business and accounting. That could normally be done in 2 years. Then you need to pass the exam (see: http://www.cpa-exam.org/ ).

Question: how to check for a person that has a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license? how to check for a person that has a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license and there is any web site I can Check.?

Answer: The State licensing boards, usually called a Board of Accountancy, handle the licensing of the CPAs in their jurisdictions. Virtually all of them publish a list of licensees on their website, including whether any action has been taken against the licensee, and whether the license is revoked. The National Association of State Accounting Boards maintains a list of every licensing board in the country and links for their website. The web address is www.NASBA.org Beaware that many states have cross border permissions as well, and occasionally they publish these as seperate from in-state.

Question: how many years will it take me to become a Certified Public Accountant? how many years will it take me to become a Certified Public Accountant

Answer: About 5 in college (most states now require credits beyond the bachelors) and a minimum of 2 year auditing experience.

Question: What is the process for becoming a certified public accountant? I am currently a sophomore in college going into the business program next year. I am seriously considering accounting and if that turns out to be the path I go down, could someone give me some info as to how it works? Do I go straight to grad school after my undergraduate degree? Am I supposed to work a few years before I can go to grad school to take the test? Do I need to go to grad school to get my CPA? What is my wage like before I get my CPA? I would really appreciate any information that you guys have for me.

Answer: Different countries have different method of being certified. In kenya you do CPA 3, Section 6. When you pass you get an invite from the KASNEB telling you to pay the registration fee and once you pay, you get to go to a ceremony of being certified and you are issued with a certificate

Question: How do i become a Certified Public Accountant? After getting your bachelors degree in accounting, what will be the next step to becoming a CPA(in North Carolina)? Do you have to take the exam first or what, I'm a little confused...

Answer: Edward is incorrect. NC will allow you to sit for the exam regardless of your credit status, but you will NOT be granted a license after passing the sequence until you have racked up 150 credits in total. Some other requirements in NC before being granted licensure: 30 credit hours in upper division accounting required, with only 3 credits allowed for business law. Make sure you have met this as some major programs in accounting have you take less than 30 hours. Note that only upper division courses count, those intro level accounting courses you took as a freshman/soph do not qualify to this total. Duplicate courses do not count either. Entire exam sequence must be completed within 18 months. So you can't just take the financial section then wait a few years to take another area, you need to have a solid plan of attack, with room to spare in case you fail a section so you can retake it. HIGHLY recommended you take a CPA prep course, or at least get into a CPA study group with other students who are seriously driven to succeed.

Question: What is a good university to became a Certified Public Accountant ? Do CPA's make good money. And how hard is the job. Would you recomended?

Answer: There are countless universities you can goto to get your 4 year accounting degree which is required to take the CPA exam. 2 day CPA exam is very tough. It's harder than bar-exam to become a lawyer. It depends on how you do as a CPA. Some CPA make good money. Some CPA end up giving up their career and do something else like one of my friends did. So it all depends on how you like the job.