[OUCPA84]

I’m starting an internship at a Big 4 firm this summer and if all goes well i’ll get an offer. If i plan to stay in tax, should my MAcc suffice for career advancement or will it be advantageous to get a JD or MST going part-time?

Thanks!

AUD Pass
REG Fail, Rematch TBA
FAR 11/26 Certain I failed
BEC ?

Becker

[Anonymous]

Master of Science in Taxation is usually a “track” for the MAcc program. Do I have my degress mixed up? If you plan to stay in public accounting, a MAcc is plenty. Less than 30% of your peers will have a MAcc. Depending on your career plans, a JD and LLM in tax (from the best University you can get accepted to) + a CPA would virtually guarantee you had billable hours until you were senile.

[jelly]

Please read through some of the threads in the career forum section of taxtalent.com. Lots of LLMs looking for employment, and JDs as well.

Couldn't pass again!

[jeff]

It's all about ROI and opportunity cost.

AUD - 79
BEC - 80
FAR - 76
REG - 92

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS)
NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE | Another71

[OUCPA84]

Considering I have a ton of student loans already, another graduate degree is out of the question for the next 5 years. I really don't want to go back to school but also don't want to be edged out of an area of tax because I lack an MST or JD.

Thanks!

AUD Pass
REG Fail, Rematch TBA
FAR 11/26 Certain I failed
BEC ?

Becker

[KS-FLA]

I am actually thinking about considering being a Tax Attorney..not sure yet…need insights? Is it worth it? I just maybe want to do it to increase my billable hour and to continue learning and have the credentials. Sure would like the JD after my name 🙂

FAR - 77 (Feb 2012)
REG - 88 (Aug 2011)
AUD - 79 (Nov 2011)
BEC - 80 (May 2012)

[round1]

@ jelly,

Gosh, I went there (taxtalent site). What a scary thing to do. I just don't get it: people with LLM tax can't find a job. What is all this?!

My plea: I need some help in deciding what to do next. Non-traditional accounting grad, age 30+++, missed the OCR. Now what? I can't enroll into another accounting program, so how to get back and get access to the OCR? I mean trying to enroll into a MST (the scary thing) or MSFinance would help anyhow? What other degree can I apply for? Do I even have a CHANCE to being recruited by A public accounting company since I'm not 22-25 yo? So, is going back to school worth a try in my case? Am I trying to open a tightly closed door already? Who can I ask about it in an informal way at PA firms? Anyone?

DONE!

[MICPA87]

This is an interesting thread. Can anyone with both a CPA and a JD/LLM shed some light?

FAR(11/14/11)- 92
AUD(01/04/12)- 91
REG(05/30/12)- 93
BEC(07/21/12)- 88

CPA - Michigan

[OUCPA84]

Bump

AUD Pass
REG Fail, Rematch TBA
FAR 11/26 Certain I failed
BEC ?

Becker

[Whatdidyou]

OUCPA: If you have a MAcc already, it'd be sort of bizzare to go for another graduate degree. I'm sure you won't be “blocked” from advancing at your firm – they'll train you on things you need to know.

round1: It's more than possible – but just like for “traditional students” – it is all about your attitude, GPA, social skills, school competitiveness… People in their 30's and late-20's get public accounting jobs all the time. My MAcc class had approximately 30 students – about 15 of us got public accounting jobs (2 of which are in their 30's – and there was only one other “older” student in our cohort). With that said, our program is pretty great. If you get a masters get it from the best program in your state.

Obviously it is a tough job market out there for everybody, so nothing is guaranteed. I'd highly advise against ever bringing up this topic (age discrimination) in front of a firm. If you care, they'll care that you care. If you look like you could pass for 30, i doubt it will have any effect. If you look old, it could make things tougher in an already tough job market, but far from impossible (given that you are only in your 30's so can't look that old).

REG - Passed!!
BEC - Passed
FAR - Passed
AUD - Passed

Study Materials: Becker basic course

[Author]

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