[Imustdothis]

Hi guys,

I thought passing this was something that I should be happy about, but I am not. The reasoning is; most people have Public accounting experience which is something that I don’t. I have been working in the private industry for two years while trying to pass my exam. Now that I’m done with the exam, whenever I look at jobs, companies always recruit college seniors or applicants that already have tax/audit experience. I am turning 25 this year and I think I might be a little old to apply for an entry level position when most of entry level staffs are 22, 23?

Can someone please give me some advice on what to do? I’m willing to work for public and private so that I can have a CPA to sign my paper. Thanks!

[foreseeableCPA]

When I was interning at a public accounting firm, there were interns that were over 26 yrs old. You are definitely not too old to apply for those public accounting positions. I would think that you certainly have an advantage since you have passed your CPA exams and have a background in accounting. Try using linkedin and contact some recruiters letting them know your situation and how you want to transition from private to public. Good luck! & Congrats on passing all the exams.

CPA - Class of 2013
CIA - Class of 2016

[rockrlz87]

you are definately not too old to transition to public. I work in big4 and see people all the time in their late 20s or early 30s starting big4. Just in these last 3 years I've worked with staff (1st and 2nd years) that were 31 and 33. A few others were in their late 20s.

BEC - 5/2012 - 79
AUD - 10/2012 - 77
REG - 7/2013 - ???
FAR - 12/2012 - 80

[meli083]

This is good to know because I won't pass the parts till I'm around 24. I also want to transition from private to public and having the CPA and some experience (idk if you do) will definitely help in general.

AUD: 2/28/2013 - 86
FAR: 10/19/2013 - 83
REG: 1/6/2014 - 80
BEC: 2/27/2014 - 81

[Anonymous]

Age alone is not necessarily a game ender for “old folks.” Big 4 didn't seem to take to me and I thought it was because of age so I was kind of pissed. (I was 34 at the time.) They ending up hiring a classmate for the position instead that is a good friend of mine and she is 37.

It was my impression they wanted commitment, enthusiasm and someone who is willing to pull long hours. By default I think they lean towards young single people for that reason.

As an alumni of your university you can often participate in networking events. Also, some firms have open houses that anyone can go to. Get your linkedin profile in order. Connect with old classmates who may have already been hired. Some firms also host CPE events that anyone can go to, maybe you could make a connection there?

[JoeSmith]

I was worried about my age as well when I was finishing up my 150 hour requirement for the exam. I assumed that because I was 28, I would never be able to find an entry level position. However, during my last month of classes I received a call from a recruiter that had an offer for me at a competitive rate. Apparently, my neighbor is a CPA and new I was just finishing exam requirements, and when the recruiter called him, he passed my name along.

So, with no field experiance, having not taken any of the CPA exams, or even filed a single resume, I had a great entry level position. As with everything, it's mostly who you know and how you treat them.

[Imustdothis]

Thank you alllllllllllllllllllllll for your positive feedback. I will try to contact company recruiters and ask them for more information.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I'm 24 (soon 25), too and exactly the same scenario. I don't even get replies for entry-level positions at small local firms..=/ wah LOL…

CPA for life...

[Kay]

one friend of mine works for one of big4, and he said, there are so many resources now that they don't hire many new resources. i don't think you will be discriminated by age. it is just that they don't have openings for entry levels after they hire interns from college.

Currently:
CPA - Class of 2013
ALMI (Associate, Life Management Institute)
CISA - Passed in 2011, Certified in 2014

In Progress:
ASA (Associate of Society of Actuaries) - EXAM P (O), EXAM FM (O), EXAM MFE (X), EXAM MLC (X), EXAM C (X)

[lyzgrace]

For those who are 24/25 and worried about being considered too old for entry positions… are you telling your potential employers your age? That's not required information and it's illegal for them to ask. Unless you're a really old-looking 25 I don't think they would be able to discriminate based on age =P

If it's still something that concerns you I've seen resume guides suggest that you remove dates from your resume that might age you, like graduation year. Of course even that's subjective, because I graduated in 2009 and am only 24. I wouldn't make a big deal about it.

AUD: 82
FAR: 78
BEC: 75
REG: 8/1 score release!!

[Imustdothis]

Again thanks for all your positive feedback. I've been doing researches for the past few days. For individuals like me, my conclusions are…

-Big 4 and Medium size public accounting firm would be easier for us because they hire a lot more than smaller firms.

-Small size firm. They tend to hire the “best of the best”. As in a CPA candidate along with a Master Degree or anything that can make the individuals more exclusive than the everyday applicants.

-Private/Corporation accounting with a CPA boss.. I couldn't find anything…………

[Author]

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