[fpw495]

Greetings,

I need some career advice from accountants and soon to be accountants.I am an IT person ( with 4 yrs under my belt) working in a firm which builds software for audits and accounting and my clients are mainly auditors.I work closely with them and have reached a point where I want to transition into audit and accounting and become a CPA.The thing is that I have a BS and MS in computer science and getting an MAcc is too much $$$.

The next best thing to do would be a certificate in accounting from UCLA or UB extension as I want to do something online and not classroom and do a number of accounting course to get credits and take the CPA exam in a couple of years.

Is this the right approach?What are my job prospects as I will not be an RCG (recent college graduate)?I will be moving to the tri state area soon so I think there is a geographical advantage over where I am right now.Can I leverage my current experience at all or will I have to start from level 0?

Thinking about all that is making my head hurt but I want to take baby steps as of now so is there anything you would recommend?

Any comments and recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[kb24]

Check the state accountancy board website for the state where you're planning to move to check what their requirements are for a CPA license. That should help you avoid wasting time and money on unnecessary classes. Accounting is typically a support function so job prospects are going to be dependent on how good the overall job market is when you're looking. Some of the factors that will affect whether or not your current experience is of value will depend on exactly (1) the job you're applying for, (2) the specifics of your work experience, and (3) how well you are able to promote your qualifications when looking for a job.

Good luck.

FAR 4/1/11 - 89
AUD 4/15/11 - 85
REG 4/29/11 - 80
BEC 5/13/11 - 85

[MOMCPA2B]

@fpw495 there is another individual on this site looking to enter the IT arena. Maybe you can help each other. He currently works at a firm.

I cant wait for this to be over.
AUD-7/25/11-77
BEC-11/27/11-Failed(UGH)Back to the drawing board
REG-2/27/12
FAR- Aug 2012

[Anonymous]

Definately make sure you look at the requirements for licensure in the state you are moving to. In California, the requirements for licensure are changing in 2014, so if think you might be getting your license in California (you mentioned UCLA and UB extension) then you might run into problems meeting the lesser requirements before 2014 increases the unit requirement from 120 to 150.

You could also take community college courses to get units, and if you can't get enough, then take some at the 4-yr level. I know you already have a master's degree in computer science, but for purposes of accumulating units for the CPA, it doesnt matter if your accounting units come from a community college or a four year university.

As far as job prospects, no one can really answer that for you. Public accounting firms tend to recruit very heavily at the college level, and it is more difficult to get into a larger public accounting firm outside the college recruiting process. You will probably have to start out with a smaller, local public accounting firm. Intially, I dont think your prior work experiance will help you at first, but once you have experience in auditing, I think knowing the accounting systems will be very helpful, and it can help you specialize in something like IT auditing.

I would also consider IT consulting. They make alot of money helping firms establish internal control processess, manage their internal systems, and consulting on how an IT functions within the rest of the organization. You can make a career auditing IT systems, but you wont need to get your CPA. Look into companies like Protiviti.

[Author]

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