What Is a CPA and How To Become One
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A CPA, or certified public accountant, is a financial professional who works in various fields within the financial sector. Some CPAs are straightforward accountants. Others work in financial forensics and consulting. Becoming a CPA is difficult, but attainable. We’ll go through the steps on this path.
The financial sector is often represented in films and on TV as a manic, world-spanning rush to riches.?
And there is some of that, but if you’re looking to work in the financial sector in a more balanced capacity, it may be worth looking into becoming a CPA.?
A CPA — certified public accountant — is an agile financial professional that can work in accounting, tax preparation and much more.
?Let’s go over the possibilities and the steps you’ll need to take to become a CPA.??
What Does a CPA Do?
A CPA is a financial professional who has met state-specific education requirements, taken and passed a difficult standardized multi-part exam, and demonstrated allegiance to a stringent code of ethics throughout their working life. Some think accountants and CPAs are the same.?
However, a CPA can do a few things an account can’t:
That is, technically speaking, what sets a CPA apart from an accountant. But CPAs can do even more.
What Jobs Can You Get as a CPA?
Becoming a CPA opens a lot of doors. According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a CPA can work in a variety of industries, such as:?
Let’s look at a few specific roles.
Accounting Roles
CPAs could be considered overqualified for basic accounting roles, although depending on the state you live in CPA candidates may have to demonstrate a history of successful, ethical accountant work.?
Finance and Insurance
Many CPAs go on to practice financial forensics. This is where the financial sector meets law enforcement: Financial forensics experts track fraud, counterfeiting and other financial crimes. Many are government employees with high-level security clearance.
CPAs with advanced mathematics backgrounds can also work as actuaries. Actuarial science deals with the analysis of risk amid uncertain or difficult-to-describe factors. Actuaries are often employed by insurance agencies to assess risk to a general demographic or one specific person. And, like financial forensic experts, they’re often tapped to sniff out fraud.?
Tax Advice and Planning
Nobody likes putting their taxes together — except a CPA.?
CPAs can prepare and file federal, state and local tax returns.?
And as mentioned, a CPA can represent a client before the IRS or other tax authorities. This may happen in the case of an audit, unpaid taxes or under other unusual fiduciary conditions.
Audit and Assurance Services
Auditors evaluate a client’s financial and economic data to make sure it is correct and in line with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
This is important for numerous reasons. Some clients just want to make sure they’re not coming out in the red. Other clients work with sensitive information and need to walk a thin legal line. A CPA can help them stay on course.
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Management and Consulting
Management and consulting firms assist third parties in:
Some firms assist clients with day-to-day financial activity; others are hired on a contract basis seasonally or annually.?
How to Become a CPA
The following steps go over how to become a CPA.?
Review Your State's Licensing Requirements
CPA licensing requirements vary by state. Look at this guide to find out what your state requires.?
Some states require more formal education; others insist on longer periods of basic accountant work.?
Complete the Educational Prerequisites
All states require CPAs to attain some level of education before licensure. In most states, this is around 150 credit hours in college-level accounting courses. Some people do this as undergrads. Some even go on to graduate school, although a master’s degree isn’t generally required.?
Take the CPA Exam?
The CPA Exam includes four separate sections:?
Be forewarned: This exam has a reputation for being hard and has a 50 percent fail rate. By comparison, about 88 percent of applicants complete the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp.
Other Considerations?
Some states will have you take an ethics exam before licensure; others are satisfied with a good-faith ethics pledge. You may have to demonstrate between six months and two years of relevant work experience, depending on your home state.
LinkedIn executive resume writer Jessica Hernandez suggests taking on a contractor’s mindset when searching for a CPA position: “If you’re a CPA, you want to find an external recruiter who makes placements for accountants.”
That’s not bad advice if you’re looking to work as a freelance CPA, or even start your LLC.
Is Being a CPA Right for You?
LLC owner and LinkedIn blogger Jenn Tardy points out that professional services firm Deloitte has developed a new “Making Accounting Diverse and Equitable (MADE) [campaign], a commitment to generate more advisory, auditing, and tax career opportunities and leadership pathways for the next generation of certified public accountants (CPAs).”?
And this is no minor investment: Deloitte is putting $75 million into this project.?
That’s a dramatic way of saying that CPAs are in demand. The industry is diversifying and expanding.?
So is being a CPA right for you??
If you’re good with numbers, you enjoy working in the financial sector, and aim to work more or less independently most of the time, it is worth considering becoming a CPA. If you aren’t sure, audit some accounting classes.
Key Takeaways:?
(Reporting by NPD)
Capital Specialist at David Allen Capital
2 年Harry