Don’t you want a higher pay? A huge bonus? Better opportunities? Flexibility? To receive these benefits, all you need is your CPA. Most accounting major students tend to stagger or worry too much about what they should do after their undergradute studies. However, the answer is very clear when you look at all you could gain from your CPA certificiation. Although you may not understand it now, let me persuade you of how obtaining your CPA is the best choice for you! What is a CPA?
The acronym CPA stands for Certified Public Accountant. To sit for the CPA, you are required to have 150 credit hours of course education, which is why attending graduate school is heavily recommended. The CPA exam consists of four parts; however, for …show more content…
each portion of the test, there is a cost that is required. According to NASBA, cost per section are approximately $193; however, this amount varies from state to state (2017).
Workforce VS.
Graduate School plus CPA Exam
Risks & Rewards of the Workforce. When going straight into the workforce without a CPA, you have numerous rewards/risks. Some rewards of not obtaining your CPA are not having to pay for graduate school, CPA Exam fees, and possible loans. In addition, you get to start your career much faster than those who are going to Graduate school for their CPA. However, on the down side, you are taking the risk of having a lower pay, job promotion limit, less job flexibility, and the possibility of losing your job/position to competition i.e. CPAs.
Risks & Rewards of Graduate School w/ CPA Exam. By continuing your educational journey in Graduate school and sitting for your CPA, there are many risks that play a factor. You have to pay for tuition, books, the CPA Exam with fees, and etc. Although these are your negatives, lets focus on the positives that could override those negatives. The benefits that you can gain from your CPA are endless. However, to name a few, you can enjoy the benefits provided by the company you are hired for such as:
1. Receiving a bonus for obtaining your CPA within your first year of working or walking in the door with it already.
2. Being reimbursed for the costs you paid for each part of the CPA
exam.
3. Moving up the corporate ladder to positions as high as partner or CFO, unlike non CPAs who are stuck at the senior associate level.
4. Receiving higher pay than regular accountants. According to accountingedu.org, it stated that, “10-15 percent of CPAs have higher wages than un-certified accountants “ (“CPA VS Accountant,” n.d.).
5. Having job flexibility and security in the case that you wanted to relocate or the company needs to downsize in employees. CPAs are always in demand over regular accountants and will always be seen as ‘the Cream of the Crop’.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the choice of how you plan your future is up to you. However, it is very important to way your options before making a decision. Although going into the workforce is a good route to take for some, the better choice is clearly to continue your journey in Graduate school and sit for the CPA exam. So as a final thought, in the words of Beverley S. Harless, remember “One choice changes everything. The right choice changes your world” (“Beverly S. Harless > Quotes” n.d.).