[RedSoxFan77]

I just submitted my application to the Board and hopefully will be licensed in several weeks. My employer does not know I’ve been sitting for the exam. Has anyone not told their employer until you were licensed but then regretted it? My concern is they’ll see me as ‘looking elsewhere’ so I’ll be treated poorly or hold it against me because I never mentioned it until now or whatever else. I’m getting promoted shortly so whether I’ll be looking elsewhere partly depends on my salary and responsibility increase. Oh, and I didn’t tell my employer in the first place because I thought for sure I’d be leaving right after I got my license but I found out recently about the promotion.

Does anyone see a downside to telling your employer you’re licensed or am I just being paranoid? Experience sharing and advice would be greatly appreciated.

FAR 75
AUD 74, 82
REG 58, 74, 83
BEC 68, 75
Licensed 7.1.14!!!

[How many letters do you need]

Sox: this really has to be a judgement call on your part but if it were me, I say you just tell them and say you wanted to keep it close to the vest until it was official or something like that. Unless you have one paranoid jackass for a boss (and yeah they do exist) you should be fine. Just because it was your intention to leave doesn't mean they have to know that…

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[zombiecpa]

I think Many Letters got the point. It seems like you failed the test a few times. Tell your boss that you weren't sure weather you going to pass or not, you can mention the 18 months window and all your failing scores. also you can tell that you are/were hoping to get promoted within your current company and that cpa license will give you the edge.

FAR 85
AUD 83
BEC 76
REG 90

[Anonymous]

@RedSox CONGRATS!!! My question is……..How do they NOT know? When I pass, everyone will know! lol.

[RedSoxFan77]

How Many Letters and zombiecpa, thanks for the advice! I'll also mention the downside of people in the office knowing I'm studying for the exam is the enormous amount of extra pressure that would have placed on me. I didn't even tell my close friends when I was sitting for the exam, I only let them know when I passed.

Amber, it was difficult to keep my emotions in check at work for each pass and also the fails, those were the worst, especially the two 74's.

FAR 75
AUD 74, 82
REG 58, 74, 83
BEC 68, 75
Licensed 7.1.14!!!

[fuzyfro89]

I think it depends on what type of company you work for. If you're in an accounting firm where 90% of employees are a CPA (or working toward it), then it's not weird at all to talk about it.

However, if you're not in an accounting/finance environment with good career potential and a focus on certifications/professional development, then I'd keep the news to myself until it was relevant. That is, until you wanted to use it to support your annual review case for a raise/promotion/transfer/etc.

I'm getting the feeling you work at a place that's more the latter?

Maybe it would be worthwhile to see how the progression goes without mentioning it. If you are happy with your new role/compensation/future, then wait until it's relevant to tell your supervisor. If you're unhappy with your role/comp/future, maybe bring it up as further support to why you deserve the promotion/raise.

If you do it and they still don't care, then it's time to bounce!

[mla1169]

I think the bottom line is that it depends on the employer, who only you know so the advise here may or may not be relevant.

First-you tell employer who is significantly impressed and sees great value added to having a licensed CPA. Your raise for your promotion ends up increased over what they were planning to give you because they have incentive to keep you around. win/win.

Second-boss is somewhat threatened and or perceives you'll be moving on. Raise is lousy, boss starts making plan B for your departure.

not knowing your boss and your relationship hard to say which way its more likely to go.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[RedSoxFan77]

Holy sh__, I just read my FY performance review my boss wrote, and it is shockingly very positive. I gave myself ‘meets expectations' in core job duties area and she gave me ‘exceeds expectations'. Just didn't expect that one at all from her, I had tears in my eyes as I read through it. Anyway, just wanted to share.

FAR 75
AUD 74, 82
REG 58, 74, 83
BEC 68, 75
Licensed 7.1.14!!!

[How many letters do you need]

Those bosses that think management is like poker are so hard to work for. Had a guy I swore hated me leave…A month later I get an offer from him at his new company with a 35% raise. Sometimes you just never know…..

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[RedSoxFan77]

How many letters, so true about reading management. I honestly believed there was no promotion in sight for me which was a huge motivator for me to pass the exams.

FAR 75
AUD 74, 82
REG 58, 74, 83
BEC 68, 75
Licensed 7.1.14!!!

[How many letters do you need]

It's funny. I told my boss and his boss when I passed the CMA last year and again when I started taking the CPA this year. I am sure to casually mention it to his boss (A CPA) whenever I pass an exam and see him in the halls. My boss and I sort of have this weird love/hate thing going on so I did it because I was proud but as a bonus I got to show him up in a very passive aggressive way. So right now my boss is still stuck on CMA I and I'm a CMA and halfway to a CPA in the same timeframe…and his boss knows it. Ahhh….I guess we get our motivation where we can 🙂

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[RedSoxFan77]

My boss is gonna be taken completely by surprise when I tell her I'm licensed. She's been studying on and off (mostly off) for the past two years, failed FAR, AUD, and REG and is now restudying FAR. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out at work, whether I'll get an additional increase or bonus afterwards, and whether it'll matter at all to management.

FAR 75
AUD 74, 82
REG 58, 74, 83
BEC 68, 75
Licensed 7.1.14!!!

[How many letters do you need]

It sure will. Keep us posted!

MBA,CMA,CPA, CFF?, ABV?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a pickle.

My management knows I was doing the CPA exams. I never not them i passed or failed until I was done. My manager started his CPA journey a few months before I did. He passed all this exams on the first try but he took a long time to study each part.

So what ended happening is he took BEC first week of May a few day before his REG expires and I was taking FAR end of May. Being that this was both our last exams, there was pressure to pass. Very Happy we both passed 😀 !!

He has his CPA license now as he has all his 150 semester hours.. Mine is work in progress. but hey the hardest part is done!

[GSU-CPA]

Half of my office knows i am taking the CPA and its put a lot of pressure on me to pass. They keep asking me when my exam is etc etc and i feel like if i fail they will think i am stupid for studying for somehting for 3 months and still failing.

Honestly i wish i was like you and never told anyone.

REG-77
BEC -Waiting on score May 5th
AUD - May 30
FAR - Q3 depending on if i pass above two in Q2

[Anonymous]

I switched jobs about halfway through my exams – first job was in public accounting, boss was not a CPA, but had encouraged me to get my CPA and knew I was working on it. Second job was in private accounting and my boss sorta knew I was studying (I interviewed same day as my AUD, and when I was scheduling the interview, said it'd have to be no later than a certain time if we did it that day cause I had to take a CPA exam at xxx time, so mentioned in passing, but she remembered after hiring me), but I didn't tell anyone else, and didn't mention it any more till I told her I was licensed at annual review time about a month after the license became official.

I think my first boss thought I'd leave once I got the CPA, even though that wasn't my plan initially. Between BEC and FAR he started acting terrible, and I started looking elsewhere…maybe he started acting that way because he was intimidated? Second boss sees my knowledge and skills as assets to her team as long as I'm here, and while she knows that I probably won't stay forever, she doesn't treat me any lower for having the CPA (she's not a CPA either). So, of the 2 bosses I've dealt with while becoming a CPA, I've had both totally opposite experiences!

[Author]

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