[pedrocerrano]

They know what a doctor or lawyer is, but CPA they probably assume you make 25k/year at H&R Block.

[Anonymous]

I'm a female, but my female friends have had some clue what a CPA was and that it was a professional-type-thing. It's not as highly regarded as doctor or lawyer (and usually doesn't pay as well as those, so that's understandable), but at least recognized. Now when it gets to specific titles (like Controller) it's anybody's guess outside the accounting world, but CPA (especially if you slip in the word “accountant” somewhere) is generally recognized.

However, my friends aren't the stereotypical dyed-blonde floozies – those girls probably wouldn't know any profession outside of “hairdresser”. haha.

[Martin]

Doctors= (8 to 10 years)

Lawyers (almost 7 years)

CPA ( 4 to 5 year)

I don't think we could compare ourselves to the first two.

Through God all things can happen!

“You never fail until you stop trying.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

FAR= 72-84
Audit= 73-82
BEC= 74-75
Reg=77

[Mamabear]

Some women I know thought it was something medical related when I told them I was sitting for the CPA exam. 🙁

CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
BEC (08/10/13) 80
AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
FAR (04/12/14) 81
REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

[Anonymous]

I once told a woman I was a cpa and she thought it was a medical disease. This is what happens when you date waitresses.

[Anonymous]

my gf knows

she also knows that it's the reason why we haven't seen each other much during the last year and a half =/

[Anonymous]

Ya but the first 4 years of school (undergrad) for someone going for a JD don't really apply towards their knowledge. Only the three years of law school. CPAS have 2 years of undergrad that don't really apply and 3 years toward the major (undergrad + 150 requirement).

[mla1169]

How accurately can you (honestly) describe their careers?

If you chose the career for prestige you're going to be very disappointed.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Just tell people you are “Defenders of the Capital Market”

[Anonymous]

Why do you say undergrad doesn't apply for a law student? I'd looked into becoming a lawyer and from what I saw, the undergrad course requirements are pretty specific for law school. As for accounting, in my undergrad, I had about 1 year of accounting and 1 year of business, and of course 2 years of Gen Eds. My extra 30 were almost all random classes to cheaply meet the 150 requirements. I'd like to get a Master's some day, but in my state (and others), that's not required. According to a quick Google search, the average lawyer salary is $130k and the average salary for a CPA is $58k – if you truly consider your education the equivalent of the JD, then you picked the wrong career!

(In my mind, the more important point with the years of education is the years wasted at school instead of working/making money, and the monetary investment as well, and those are the factors that put the JD above the CPA.)

[taxman89]

“Doctors= (8 to 10 years)

Lawyers (almost 7 years)

CPA ( 4 to 5 year)

I don't think we could compare ourselves to the first two.”

this^^^^^^

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[Herbieherb]

Some women know, some don't…but me being a CPA gives me more confidence to approach anyone

NEW YORK- DONE

[Anonymous]

All three professions are state licensed. The differences stop there. You can't compare a CPA to a lawyer or physician for several reasons:

1) Being a lawyer is crap work. Period. It's impossible to look at pay statistics because MANY lawyers are unemployed. A law school glut and eDiscovery technology have decimated the job market for aspiring JDs. The select few that do go on the Big Law are bestowed with $160k salaries, but also get to look forward to 100 hour workweeks with no clear busy seasons. At least we know we are getting the shaft after year end. I won't even discuss the $200k in student loans.

2) Not all physicians are created equal. Unless you are smart enough to be a cardiologist or pediatric neurologist, both of with require like five or ten years of fellowship AFTER medical school, then you're not exactly raking in the dough. There are other specialties, but you get the point. Most Doctors go on to become occupational and/or general family doctors and aren't exactly raking in the big bucks. Sure, they are doing well, but again, there is a lot of ‘overhead' associated with medical school. It's not impossible to come out of there with over $250k in student loans, add another $100k plus in foregone income.

The beautiful thing about our profession is that:

1) Just like a lawyer or doctor, it's a real state licensed profession

2) You draw a solid salary, even right after graduation

3) I don't know a CPA in public that doesn't make at least $125k within five to ten years from graduation (I'm in major NE city)

4) The extreme upside is far greater than that of the other two professions. i.e. A cardiologost may pull in $500k per year (most do), but that's generally the ceiling. A CFO can very easily pull down $1M a year. Most partners at CPA firms are going to be pulling down $500k plus as well. PLUS we're generally good with our money whereas physicians can't balance their checkbooks (trust me- I do forensics in healthcare).

[Herbieherb]

Ya being a lawyer is not the same anymore…I know three recent law school grads with a mountain of debt and no job. One even appeared on a tv competition to win the prize money

NEW YORK- DONE

[Anonymous]

Lawyer and doctor are more likely the names for the career not the certification or license. If you ask those people if they know about JD, LLM, ESQ, or MD, they will probably have the same reaction as you ask them about CPA. If you tell them that you are an accountant, they will see.

[Anonymous]

I've had just as many men look at me with complete befuttlement when I tell them I'm a CPA as I've had women do the same. I think the general public doesn't know what we do as a whole.

[Author]

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