[samnoah]

Hey guys
I passed the CPA exam 06/2016. I have a foreign bachelor degree in accounting plus certificate in accounting from UCLA Extension with no related experience in the US.I applied to many entry level positions at big, mid-sized and local CPA firms but nothing beside 5 interviews and no job offer. I have been told during my last job interview by a firm partner that it will be hard to get a job because I don’t have a degree from the US, and strongly recommended a MST.
I heard that GGU has a good reputation and has a good hiring. I dont want to get a 20 k debt and back to square 1 with no job..
Does anyone have experience with GGU? Is it worth it?
Much appreciated

[muhfreedoms]

If you believe you will stick with tax for at least the medium term, then yes, the MST program from GGU is worth it. GGU is a school with a good reputation and considering you've already passed the CPA exams, you are very likely to get a job right after you finish. If you don't plan on working in tax or think your time in tax will be less than 5 years, I don't think it will be worth it. If your main question is, “Will this land me a job?” the answer is yes. I worked in the bay area and we had tax openings at my old firm where candidates who had gone that route (MST from GGU) were looked upon very favorably.

[letsrun4it]

You're working off a small sample size. I highly doubt you'll continue to hear the issue is your college degree. It's your lack of experience. Aim low, get in the door somewhere. Even if you work somewhere 3 as an AP clerk being currently employed will help you land a better job somewhere else. You can tell them “I had to take a job, but it's not enough of a challenge, it's not fulfilling enough” or something like that.

BEC: 85
REG: 74, 78
AUD: 86
FAR: October?

[samnoah]

Thank you muhfreedom, yes the main purpose is to get a job right after I graduate.

[samnoah]

I agree with you, but my purpose is to join a Cpa firm with an entry level position.

[Skynet]

I am in the SoCal area and many of the Tax Professionals as well as CPA's highly recommend it. The only downside is that it is expensive. I know of a Tax Attorney who got his MST at GGU.

[hasy]

It's a good place. Most of the firms I've interviewed with have offered reimbursement if they enroll there. Just expensive. But I think most firms will reimburse it, in CA at least.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved - Helen Keller

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BEC 80 (10/23/15)
FAR 72 (4/2/15); 83 (7/11/16)
REG 52 (4/28/15)
AUD (9/9/16)

Roger + NINJA MCQ + WTB

[KaliKingz]

Most of the people (reads all) that I know with a MS from GGU were working and going to school. This is important, because you need to make sure they have good recruiting to offer you.

Fullerton and CSUN both offer MS and have good recruiting oportunities.

Another option is for you to look for and internship. It may not be what you want at the moment, but gives you experience, and may get you a job if the firm likes you enough.

[ultrarunner]

Hi samnoah,

I have a foreign BA (not even accounting) so I started with a very low-end job (accounting assistant) until I got my current job (public company). Most US companies prefer US schools for sure but not always. In my finance department, we had 2 seniors who didn't have accounting degree in the US. They were not even qualified for sitting in CPA, but they had many years of experience. Like letsrun4it said, it may be lack of experience which hurts your chance to get a job. By the way, I am starting my MST in January in a local state university (I am in NorCal). I am currently doing GL/internal audit, but I want to do tax. I heard that it is not enough of MST graduates. So having MST definitely gives you a chance to get hired. Also, if you don't mind working for private industry, you may consider general accounting role. Since you pass CPA exams, I am sure that you will find some recruiters who like to work with you. Best of luck!

FAR 72,67,79 (Roger+Wiley test bank)11/15
AUD 80 (Roger)10/15
BEC 80 (Roger)4/16
REG 63,78 (Roger+Ninja MCQs)5/16

[Anonymous]

So they require gmat? If not go somewhere else.

[bayareahusker]

I graduated from GGU's masters of taxation program back in 2015. It's a great program! You'll learn a lot and more importantly, a lot of the firms recruit directly. The program is designed to help you get a job. What type of firm are interested in? I previously worked in Big 4 but am now at a smaller firm.

[samnoah]

Thank you bayareahusker! Your feedback gives me a clear idea about their recruiting program. My ultimate goal is to get a job at a Cpa firm as a tax associate after I graduate. Joining a Big 4 is a dream that has been hunting me for years 🙂
I am planning to start full time in January 2017 in LA campus.

[samnoah]

Thank you guys, your comments really help!

[startupcfo]

I did my MS at GGU. That school's grad level tax classes are NO JOKE. If you do those, it will challenge you, and it will teach you stuff that is very applicable to providing tax advice in the real world. The professors are not allowed to be full-time academics. The school only hires real life working professionals to be the teachers. To give a taste of the professors I had:

1 was at a major commercial making 350K/year doing commodities
1 spent 25 years at a Big 4
1 spent 8+ years at the IRS
3 of them spent 20 years working for themselves with their own real clients. Many of the tax professors had a JD and CPA.
1 owned a private wealth management business with a 2M annual revenue

I would recommend to anyone who is sure they will go into the tax side of public accounting or the corporate tax side of private industry. FWIW, I do not consider a 30K investment into what is table stakes for the big leagues a bad idea. I myself spent 25K on a grad program, got a career change, and am now thinking about 100K-180K for a top 10 MBA.

What I will caution you on though, is that GGU lets in anyone under the sun. While 25% (and 90% of the professors) are wizards, 25% to 50% of the students are braindead. For this reason, the school does not have an amazing reputation, no employer is going to come to the campus looking to hire you, and the school is unable/incapable of marketing you to any employers. This is not UC Berkeley, this is not Stanford. This is more like San Jose State.

This place offers amazing education for people aggressive and smooth enough to find work, but will not fix a person's inability to get a job. I have seen many people with education fail to get a job because of their poor writing skills and broken English.

BEC - 87 | 02/28
REG - 70 | 06/10, REMATCH | 08/30
AUD - XX | 09/10
FAR - XX | 12/10

[Want2BeCPAsoBad]

I work in a boutique CPA firm and the MST from GGU is highly regarded. However, if you haven't worked in tax before I will advice you to look at other possibilities that may be more affordable and that may allow you to work while obtaining your degree.

1. If you are sure you want to do tax. Do your MST at GGU and do 9 month cohort, this is intense but you will be working right after. MST is #1 in the nation. However, their MBA is not respected as much as UC Berkeley.
2. If you are not sure if you would like to do tax or audit. Then do MSA at CSUEB, it is a cheaper alternative and will give you the flexibility to work while attending school. I believe classes are still only Friday and Saturday. You can choose elective in Audit or Tax.
3. Make sure you have a good resume and you are very friendly/personable at interviews it goes a long way

Good luck!

[Lost1]

What about for licensed tax professionals with 4-5 years of experience? Is it worth it? Any input would be appreciated.

"If you can do it, I can do it better."

[Author]

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