[nicol88]

hey guyz.
so im high school student. goin to community college hoping to transfer to 4yr college. My counselor wanted me to study as Business Administration for 2 years in the community college and then major in accounting in the 4 yr college. i reall y dont know if what im gonna do is right. i want to get CPA is it gonna be still popular by the time i graduate??? i read some article saying there are too many CPAs. and now doesnt CPA require 150 credit and a year of experience or smthing. i mean like is there anyone out there who has pursued this major who wanna give me some advice on what to do.thanks

[dunpingy]

i dont know what the accounting environment will look like in 4 years, but i predict accountants will still be in high demand. there's a lot of exciting developments within the profession, so there will definitely be a need. anyways, cpa certification requirements differ from state to state in terms of credit hours (here in illinois its 150, but for example in california i think you only need around 120), but i don't know anywhere that requires a year of experience.

my advice is, accounting is a great major but only for those who somewhat enjoy it, otherwise you'll probably just be miserable. however, keep in mind the stuff you learn in class won't really correlate to what tasks you'll be doing on the job, especially if you go into public accounting. basically i'm saying don't quit if you don't like the first few classes, but if you feel you can't stand it then its probably not for you either.

i'm sitting for cpa next spring so you have any more questions feel free to ask. what other majors are you looking at?

[alylecu]

Agree with above comment. I will also be sitting for CPA next spring. As for the question about one year of experience, you have to work under a CPA for a year after successful completion of all exams in order to get your CPA license.

[Krn_Track_Star]

well yea accounting takes alot of work. i mean now these these day it dont matter if you have a masters degree in accounting. what companies look for is the test you take like mba and stuff like. i have a uncle who is in accounting and he tells me it changed alot and its better if you take the mba test and stuff like that

[dunpingy]

what is the "mba test"
lol

[xkrndreamer]

im a business major, but im still undecisive in what field i want to be in. if i graduate with a ba in accouting, do i need to pursue a CPA in order for me to find an accounting job?

[UDubNK_0709]

Agree with above comment. I will also be sitting for CPA next spring. As for the question about one year of experience, you have to work under a CPA for a year after successful completion of all exams in order to get your CPA license.

i think it depends on the state. some states require 2 years of experience

[dunpingy]

you don't need a cpa, but an accountant without a cpa is pretty much a pencil pushing bookkeeper. theres no reason not to get one, which is not to say you won't be able to find a decent job

[joogrlpekaun]

you don't need a cpa, but an accountant without a cpa is pretty much a pencil pushing bookkeeper. theres no reason not to get one, which is not to say you won't be able to find a decent job

That is so true. My mom is an actress who took up accounting as a side job and has been doing it almost full-time for something like seven years now. She doesn't have a CPA because she doesn't have the energy or money to go back to school, but for years she's basically been acting as an accountant and bookkeeper with pretty much all of the work, but none of the high pay. Can you get an OK job in accounting without a CPA? Yes. Will you get the bundles of money that seem to be a major attraction for people going into accounting? No.

Also, be careful about going into accounting in the first place. My mother used to enjoy it because she's always been a numbers person, but lately it's been driving her absolutely crazy because she hates all of her clients. Even if you can put up with the number crunching, you have to be able to deal with the people, too.

[nicol88]

thanks everyone. im also kinda interested in statistics. i may mix them up if i can haha. accounting is seriously i need the money after CPA thats why.

[dunpingy]

stats is useless
waste of time

[Tepper]

I'm pretty sure CPA's will still be in high demand, ever since the scandals at Enron and Worldcom accountants and auditors have been in high demand to ensure that big corporations aren't messing around, because of new legislation. so.. CPAs will still exist, unless the world ends in 4 years.

[saigon4ever]

I've just graduated and have a bachelor's in accounting. I'm actually interning for an accounting company and in terms of the exams that you have to take as an accountant, the only exam you ever need is a CPA. Anything other than that is pretty much unnecessary.

[nicol88]

One thinGG. Im choosin my classes for the community college. wat science class should i take???
CHemistry
Physics
BiolOGy
GEology u name it......
im juz worried u know if i transfer 2 some college, wat wd be the requirement kinda science class for accountants.?? & wat class is fun & easy & interestin lol

[spicyspaghetti6]

doing stats + accounting imo is a very promising double major--i say go for it.

stats and accounting are in high demand.. if you come out of a respectable 4 year university with a bs in statistics or accounting you can easily find a job... not sure why someone said that stats is pointless. also, the claim that there are too many accountants is simply not true. check bls.gov, the authority on labor statistics. accounting will be in demand for the next 10 years. if you're doing accounting it makes no sense not to go for the CPA.

[marrymehyori]

hey guyz.
so im high school student. goin to community college hoping to transfer to 4yr college. My counselor wanted me to study as Business Administration for 2 years in the community college and then major in accounting in the 4 yr college. i reall y dont know if what im gonna do is right. i want to get CPA is it gonna be still popular by the time i graduate??? i read some article saying there are too many CPAs. and now doesnt CPA require 150 credit and a year of experience or smthing. i mean like is there anyone out there who has pursued this major who wanna give me some advice on what to do.thanks

If you really want to guarantee you will be in demand in the accounting field, concentrate on tax accounting. There aren't remotely enough tax accountants in the US today, and at the current rate of MTax students being graduated, there won't be any time in the near future. If you can pile a JD on top of an MTax and be a tax attorney, you'll be set for life. Of course, trying to pass the CPA and the bar exam both is a big time and money commitment, but it would certainly pay off if you are so inclined to go that route.

[littledude10000]

how do u really exactly get a cpa i understand u take like tests and pass? could someone go into detail and like how many tests u take and what the average salary happens to be for those with a cpa and specially in the chicago area

[marrymehyori]

how do u really exactly get a cpa i understand u take like tests and pass? could someone go into detail and like how many tests u take and what the average salary happens to be for those with a cpa and specially in the chicago area

There are 4 sections to the CPA, finance, business environment, auditing and regulation. You need a 75% of better in a given section to pass that section, and you have to pass all four within some designated period of time. Passing them all on the first try is uncommon. These days the exam is all computerized and you normally take only one section per sitting.

Beyond the exam, the requirements are state specific. See here for Illinois:
http://www.beckercpa.com/illinois/

Most people end up taking the Becker course to prepare for the CPA exam, but there are several other companies that offer test prep. It's expensive no matter who you get it from (thousands of dollars), so ideally you would already be working for a company that would then pay for the course, and the exam. If your company doesn't pay for it, but you are working as an accountant, you MIGHT be able to take a deduction for the cost of the course and exam, which isn't nearly as good as getting someone else to pay for it to begin with, but it is better than nothing.

I don't know about Chicago, but a masters in accounting without a CPA here in Atlanta should expect to start in at least the mid-40's, maybe more if you're working for a public firm, especially the Big 4. A CPA license would probably bump that up by at least 20 or 25%.

[dunpingy]

i happen to live in chicago =)
you need 150 credit hours before you can sit for the exam in illinois

you can enter public accounting without a cpa, but they will expect you to get one within 1-2 years (the entry salary should be the same). it will be in the 50s range..

[D_K]

stats is useless
waste of time

If you're going to make such a bold statement, at least back it up with reasons supporting your views. Otherwise its just plain ignorance layered with stupidity.