Corporate Finance with a CPA?????? - Page 2

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    Topic
  • #192151
    nkranyak
    Member

    Hi all,

    I am currently a student majoring in finance and accounting to satisfy the minimum credit requirements for an Oregon CPA. I am not interested in going the public accounting route. I would like to pass the CPA and then combine it with an FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) certification because that is the career I would like. I feel as though the CPA is a great way for me to make myself more valuable to a company’s finance department. If any of you know a certification that would better compliment the CPA for a career in corporate finance I would appreciate your input. Also I am considering a small local CPA firm for my experience over a Big 4 because I am not interested in staying for very long. I feel as though I would have a competitive chance at a Big 4 with my involvement on campus, in the community and my GPA, but it would be immoral of me to waste their time and money (on training) just to leave once I got my certification.

    Any advice??

Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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  • #648127
    Allergic2CPA
    Participant

    @OP

    Your suppose to get exp. for your CPA from somewhere so how is it immoral to work somewhere knowing that you'll most likely leave in X yrs.?

    I also wouldn't tell interviewers that you plan to leave in X yrs. when you haven't even began working there.

    How about once you have your CPA license? Suppose you go to Big4 for 2 years and leave. Do you think you'll stay in your first job right after big4 forever? Even if you don't know exactly when you'll leave a job, I don't think you'll genuinely believe that you will stay there until you retire and there's nothing immoral about that.

    I mean the whole point of a career in Accounting is to have a stable career along with a multitude of employer/industry options. It's not a flaw if you're in a profession that is highly marketable :).

    I'd also be surprised if any employer really believes that the next person they hire will stay there for the next 20 yrs.

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    #648128
    mw798
    Member

    I also disagree with the poster who stated that the CPA doesn't mean much in corporate finance. In my company, you will not progress further than senior financial analyst without your CPA. All the managers and directors have their CPAs. You need solid understanding of GAAP in an FP&A role. And since your bosses have their CPA, you are expected to have one if you want to progress. A CMA means nothing in my company and looking at FP&A job postings in my area, it appears only the CPA matters. You will see in the job description “CPA strongly preferred” or “CPA required” for FP&A roles. Hate to say it, but the CMA just isn't respected as broadly as the CPA is. The only time I've seen the CMA listed as a substitute to the CPA in a job posting are for accounting jobs in manufacturing or construction. For everything else, the CPA is still king.

    #648129

    I am also looking to do the same. Get your experience/license in the company as a staff accountant then transfer to FP&A.

    #648130

    I have also never really seen “CPA preferred” in a job description for an FP&A role. None of our financial analysts have their CPA licenses.

    Also

    ” Plus if you ever have aspirations to become a head finance person you will more than likely never be able to do it without a CPA.”, are most CFOs CPAs? Half of our finance VP's and most of the directors do not have their CPAs

    #648131
    mw798
    Member
    #648132
    mw798
    Member
    #648133

    better get your MBA while you're at it then

    #648134
    mw798
    Member
    #648135
    mw798
    Member

    “better get your MBA while your at it then”

    That's pretty much a given now if you want an edge to move up in a leadership position.

    #648136

    experience is king

    #648137
    mw798
    Member

    Obviously experience is king, but if you are working at a large company you will be competing against others who have the experience plus the CPA and MBA for those few leadership positions.

    On a side note, I work in FP&A and my company won't even consider applicants who don't have a CPA or MBA for positions above analyst. If you want a senior financial analyst job, you better have one or the other, and it'll be better if you have both. The competitive landscape has gotten quite stiffer in the past 5 years.

    #648138
    mla1169
    Participant

    Don't rely on posted job descriptions to determine whether the CPA is worthwhile. If a job posting doesn't say a CPA is required, but only one out of two similar candidates has their CPA, it is a competitive edge. My current job didn't require a CPA, but trust me when I say it caught their attention.

    I also disagree that you need to have public experience to become a controller or CFO. That may well be true in F500 company, but it's hardly the rule in most companies. I've known very few controllers/CFO's who've worked in public. Experience in a particular industry matters much more. I'd be hard pressed to find a controllership in healthcare, but that's because I have no healthcare experience, not lack of public experience.

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Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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