35 years old and returning back to accounting after 5 years - Page 3

Hello guys,

I am in the middle of soul searching to determine if I should take the CPA exam or not.

Here is my story:

I got my undergrad accounting degree back in 2007, at age 27 (started undergrad at age 23). I was able to find a job in Fund accounting, but after a year and a half, I found and left for a higher paying Fund accounting job.

After almost two years at the new job, they downsized and I got laid off, at age 30. Unfortunately this was during mid 2010, during the worst job market in US history, which also meant there were a ton of newly experienced unemployed and the market was extremely competitive. And after sending out hundreds of resumes and contacting many recruiters, I was not able to land a job.

A year had passed since I started job hunting and still no accounting job interviews. So now I began to look for bookkeeping and temp jobs but still no luck. I did get interviews for these positions but either I was under qualified for the available temp positions or overqualified for bookkeeping.

Out of desperation for income, I joined my family’s dry-cleaning business as the store manager and have been there since. And when the job market returned I was already out of accounting for 2-3 years..

So here I am today, at age 35, managing a drycleaners for the past 5 years, and regretting every day I did not try harder to find a job back in 2010.

Now I am wondering if I pass the CPA exam, would I be marketable enough for industry or public to hire me as staff accountant even though I have not held an accounting or office job in the past 5-6 years?

Please share your thoughts on this. Any advice or comment is much appreciated.

Thank you