[Anonymous]

Hi,

I’m 38 years old and I passed the CPA exam in December. I am trying to get into the accounting field and gain experience. However, I can’t get that first job. I have applied to hundreds of jobs in public accounting, private accounting (small and large companies), and government accounting. I have gotten one interview so far out of that and didn’t get the job.

I’m worried that I won’t be able to enter the field. The reasons are:

1.) I’m 38 years old…perhaps too old for starting positions.
2.) My GPA throughout school was under 3.0. Many job openings want to view my transcripts.
3.) I got a law degree in my 20s thinking I was going to practice law. I ended up not liking it so I didn’t practice. I’m afraid the law degree will steer employers away.
4.) My recent jobs have been doing payroll processing. I have not done accounting work. So, I don’t have the recent experience employers are looking for.

Do you have ideas about how to approach the job search given these circumstances? Have other people had similar circumstances when they started as CPAs?

[Nima]

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/moving-on/#post-1639339

[Anonymous]

bamman40, I am stuggling also. I was a risk manager for investment banks for more than 10 years. I graduated from grad school in May (with MSA) and passed FAR on Sept. 19th. I went on one interview through school recruiting last week and another one on Tuesday. I am trying very hard and struggling. I am trying to find a contract job in risk mgmt and now that I have been employed more than a year (even though I was in school), its hard. I have also had some bad managers at previous positions, but have good references from people. My LinkedIn account has 12 recommendations, but I am not sure if that helps me or hurts me. I seem to be getting more consideration now that I have passed FAR, but very few people get hired in during the holiday months.

I will be working holiday help in the executive office of a major retail store and I am going to see if I can put that job on my resume depending on the duties.

[Anonymous]

I wish we could message each other on here.

[Anonymous]

we used to be able to do so. people abused it so they took it away. 🙁

[gt1981]

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/moving-on/#post-1639339

Such a great post Nima, thank you for posting. I'm in my late 30s and returning back to accounting. I'm comfortable relocating but just to major cities…hoping that I can make this work.

[Nima]

Yes, I found this post great too. I am a comeback mom! I am in my 40s, So excited to start at the bottom, ‘once more’.. I just completed my exams, will post my success story as soon as I get my license.

[Missy]

no there was never a private message option on this board, I've been around since 2010 and its always been one of Jeff's no-no's.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Author]

Replies