[Last Chance CPA]

Hello all. I have had no luck finding a job since I squeezed by with the CPA exams. I have no formal accounting experience, and am desperately trying to combine IT and accounting, therefore not having to take a huge step back. I am mid-career, so there is no entry-level at this point, there’s no starting over. I am more interested in financial systems implementations.

Question: Which Big 4 or Big 8 seems to be the most fitting for IT Advisory with a sprinkle of accounting work? I don’t need to become a licensed CPA, I just need to utilize my CPA knowledge. Right now I am looking to move from healthcare to banking & finance services within my current organization…

Thanks all…

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[msgolds]

Are you dead-set on working for a Big 4?

I worked in Financial Systems Implementation for a while; but I was employed as a consultant by an ERP Vendor that partnered with Microsoft. I performed full-scale implementations, primarily for mid-sized organizations. The position required a good deal of both accounting and IT skills, as well as interpersonal skills since a good part of what I did involved training clients.

I wasn't in love with the position, partially because I didn't work for an especially well-run organization, and partially because there was no work-life balance. However, ERP Vendors are definitely a good place to look for these types of gigs.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[Last Chance CPA]

@msgolds – I am not set on Big 4/8 and would rather avoid them. But that seems to best way to do financial systems implementations where I can quickly move into financial work. I used to work in a financial system org but I did mainframe upgrades, very boring. It was not true ERP implementations. ERP implementations would be perfect.

What are you doing nowadays? Have you stuck with ERP work? Or did you move directly into accounting work?

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[msgolds]

The work I do now is on the Accounting side; I am responsible for Financial Reporting at a large nonprofit based in DC. Both my ERP experience and my prior experience in Audit have worked in my favor. Having the ERP knowledge / experience has been a huge help for me in my current position, because I can learn new processes relatively quickly. And understanding SQL / relational databases gives me the ability to pretty easily throw together ad-hoc reports in Cognos when I need to. We're currently undergoing a re-org, so I've been working heavily with our internal business systems staff to redesign a number of our automated reports. Basically my point is, with ERP experience, it is pretty easy to move on to an accounting role, and you will probably be able to grasp onto your role a lot quicker than somebody who only has accounting experience.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[Last Chance CPA]

Ok, thanks. I am from DC as well, but live in So Cal now. Lots of jobs in DC!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Author]

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