[ShouldHavePickedMarketing]

Looking for some advice. I passed the cpa exam a little over two years ago and still have not been able to land a job where I can use hours towards a cpa license. I did finally get in with the auditors office for the county I’m in, but not as an accountant yet. What ideas do you have regard in g ways to get hours. I like where I’m at and want to move up to an account ant position but it’ll likely take a while before a spot opens up. I received a loose offer to move a different dept with a substantial increase in pay but I would not get hours there either and likely would never get my cpa license than. I’m in my 40’s and don’t want to work for a traditional public accounting firm, but since I went through the hell of the cpa exam process I want to throw some initials behind my name. Any advice is more than appreciated.

[Mercenary]

By hours do you mean total work experience required to obtain the license?
I just passed the exam recently and am now looking for work in WA. I also happened to apply for a position at the auditor's office. What position do you have that the work hours, 2000 or whatever, wouldn't apply? Even if there isn't a CPA you work under, you could just do the verification thing to get it.

[vbmer]

In WA, you never need to work in public accounting or work under the direct supervision of a CPA. You only need a CPA from any US jurisdiction to sign off on 1 year of experience. Any sort of accounting, consulting, finance, FP&A, etc. will do. It's also one of the few states that accepts part-time and volunteer experience.

[ShouldHavePickedMarketing]

Vbmer thanks for the reply to my question. Do you have any suggestions where I can get some volunteer or part time experience after traditional work hours?

[vbmer]

Sorry, I'm not a WA resident, so I don't have any local recommendations.

Serve.gov is a government directory of volunteer opportunities across the country, which could be a good place to start. There are other similar sites, too. There are some long-term paid remote positions posted on Upwork and the likes, but they tend to be full-time.

I think the first priority would be to candidly discuss with your manager about your career goals so that you can maximize your chances of transitioning to a full-time accounting role.

[fassopony]

If you are near Tacoma, Pierce College may be looking for some help in their finance dept, maybe in cashiering or AR. Having passed the CPA may put you in a good spot. I would reach out to the other community colleges in the area you are in. Colleges and other state positions generally weigh education and certification more than experience.

Look at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington?category%5B0%5D=Accounting%20and%20Finance&sort=PostingDate%7CDescending

Make sure your resume has the key words “accounting” “CPA” “bachelors in accounting” etc

[Author]

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