Accounting & Bookkeeping & Small Business Forum

[codek]

I have a B.S. in Business from Cal Poly Pomona and wanted to change career paths and go the accountant route. I am currently a Business Analyst for a company and have been with the company for about 6 months.


Here is my profile in a nutshell

Analyst by nature, very meticulous, natural born number- cruncher.

grad from college in 2004
2004-2006 Worked in retail as a Manager
2006- current Business Analyst.

I know that the accounting field is very promising right now.

Here are my questions.

If i became a financial analyst, is it easy to transition into accounting?

If I decide to stay a financial analyst, will I be able to break six figures salary wise?

How do I get accepted to take the CPA exam?

Thanks in advance.

[codek]

bump

[MichaelScully]

Because they deal with financial reporting and auditing intended for decision makers external to the business in question (including lenders, analysts, fund managers, and individual investors), CPAs are regulated by the state. I believe that in all states, one of the requirements for the CPA is that you have a bachelors degree in accounting (finance does not count). So, unless you want to go back to school for another year or two to get a second bachelors degree (I actually know someone who has three), forget about becoming a CPA.

The Universal Accounting PB course is designed for small-business bookkeeping and accounting. If you intend to work with small businesses -- who rarely, if ever, need the services of a CPA anyway -- you should consider becoming a Certified Management Accountant.

For information, go to the website of the Institute of Management Accountants:

http://www.imanet.org/

[Richard Noot]

I believe that in all states, one of the requirements for the CPA is that you have a bachelors degree in accounting (finance does not count). So, unless you want to go back to school for another year or two to get a second bachelors degree (I actually know someone who has three), forget about becoming a CPA.



Not true. a few states including Minnesota have allowed accountants who are public accountants to become CPAs without taking the exam or without formal education. Some require a 4 year degree and some require graduate work. You need to che3ck with the state accountancy board in the state you wish to practice to find out exactly what state law is CURRENTLY.

[MichaelScully]

I stand corrected on CPA education requirements. The first question remains: does it make sense to pursue a CPA? Or does a CMA make more sense?

[Richard Noot]

MichaelScully wrote: I stand corrected on CPA education requirements. The first question remains: does it make sense to pursue a CPA? Or does a CMA make more sense?

That really depends on the individual Personally I prefer to be neither.