What does it take to become a Certified Public Accountant, the first step is, it will take lots of hard work and dedication. I will also discuss the requirements needed to enter the field, expectations, educations and experience needed. Also, I interviewed two people, one is currently an accountant, and the other has worked as an accountant but life has directed her to make certain career changes.
What is a CPA or Certified Public Accountant? CPA are state licensed or certified. They analyze financial data an prepare reports for individuals or organizations in order to describe the financial soundness of the business operations. These reports are used for management decision making. The requirements for a CPA are to has at least a bachelor’s
…show more content…
They both graduated with their bachelor’s degree in accounting and they meet each other while attending college. Mrs. Rodriguez first began the aspect of this career when she was only 18 years old. She started working part-time in an accounting office around tax season. She mentioned It was a good job to have because she was recently out of high school and wanted to make money. She said that from January to April she would work 5-6 days a week and 8 - 12 hours days. She mentioned she made lots of over time hours and with the money she helped her family. She became interested in the field when her boss told her how much money she had made in one tax season. Mrs. Rodriguez stated that it was easy to input the customers information into the computer system and that at the beginning she would double check all her work to make sure that she was doing it correctly, but soon she got the hang of it and she said it was a piece of cake. While she was working in the accounting office she networked with her co workers and her boss. She realized that this could be a career for her. She worked to years preparing taxes until she finally decided she was going to go back to school to become an accountant. She has been involved as an accountant for about 10 years. When asked if she has any future plans or how does she want to move forward? She …show more content…
Diaz was an accounting in Colombia in the mid 80’s. She has 10 years experience in the field. Until, she moved from Colombia to the United states and pursued a different career because of her life situations. Mrs. Diaz began working as a book keeper after high school. She came from a low income family that couldn’t afford sending her to college, but she got all her experience from working on the job. In the 70’s their wasn’t many jobs a woman could have unless she wanted to cook, clean, or raise kids. Mrs. Diaz stated my mother was a maid by day and washed her neighbors clothes at night. Her mother would even cook lunch for many construction workers around her neighbor just to put food on the table and clothes on her kid’s back. Mrs. Diaz said her mother worked hard and always advised her kids to go to school for they didnt have to work as hard as she had to. Once out of high school, Mrs. Diaz was offered a job in a factory book keeping. She had received this opportunity because she was such a good student and her teacher in her math class was married to the manager of the factory. Mrs Diaz was a great math student so she became interested in the book keeping job and also it was better then cooking or cleaning she said. She worked as he book keeper for about 2 years until the manager in the accounting department decided to teach her more accounting concepts and method. This made the job easier for the accounting manager and
Majored in accounting during my undergraduate at Michigan State University, I am determined to be an audit professional at a public accounting firm in Toronto upon graduation from MMPA program. To better qualify myself and equip myself with advanced accounting knowledge, I am dedicated to obtaining the CPA designation as well. In the next three to five years, I see myself being promoted from an associate to a manager who will lead a team and direct a project. Working as a manager in a public accounting firm will definitely sharpen my leadership ability and problem-solving skills, which are prerequisites for my long-term career objective. Ten years down the road, I want to work in the finance department of a public company as CFO or controller,
The non-profit professional organization, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), was founded in the United States of America. The organization was founded in 1887, to help ensure that the accounting profession would gain the same respect as the other prestigious occupations had received from the public. The accounting profession, similar to the medical, legal, and engineering professions, is characterized by “…rigorous educational requirements [150 credit hours], high professional standards, a strict code of professional ethics, licensing status [Uniform CPA Examination], and a commitment to serving the public interest” (AICPA, 2016). These five characteristics
The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct defines independence as consisting of independence of mind and independence in appearance. According to the AICPA Code of Conduct, Section 55 Article IV, An accountant member should maintain objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest in discharging professional responsibilities. Moreover, a member who practices their accounting work in a public firm should be independent in fact and appearance when providing auditing and other attestation services (aicpa.org). According to the case study What Lies Beneath, I think that Betty did not show her professional skepticism since she built trust on her client, which she could not have as an auditor. As an auditor,
To get the CPA you have to have 150 hours in a college in order to be able to take the exam. Usually the accounting degree is about 124 hour so what people usually do is either double major or have a minor in something or get there master degree in accounting so they can get there 150 hours to take their exam. There are four different parts to this exam which are: Financial, Auditing, Regulation and Business. Depending on who you talk to for when you should take the CPA exam it could be right after college or after two years of working for a firm. Also you have 18 months to complete the rest of the exams and if you fail a part of the exam you have to retake
In the case of a private accountant the end of climbing the professional pyramid is at becoming the chief financial officer (CFO). Within a company, this is the most prominent position for a person of an accounting background and field. Prior to becoming a CFO, the private accountant must tackle the positions of control such as assistant controller and controlee. At the achievement of becoming a CFO, the accountant would take on the same responsibilities it once held but to a higher level. It is expected to take control of the companies’ entirety of accounting functions. For a private accountant to reach the level of CFO is quite an accomplishment, but this position bestowed by a small, low-key company does not appear as well on paper as the accomplishment of a public accountant who made a name for themselves.
She is a twenty-two-year-old Guest services Agent who is presently working at the Sheraton Hotel in Queens, New York. During my interview with her I discovered that she and her family of four migrated from Jamaica in search of a better life here in the United States of America. She portrayed a warm and friendly personality, as such it was easy for me to talk with her about self-identity. She informed me that while she was in Jamaica she excelled in High School and went on to University where she studied Health Science. Her reason for choosing that field was because her mother was very much involved in her development and encouraged her to stick to the sciences where she could specialize in becoming a medical doctor in the future. Listening to her, I realized that her decision at the time was based on what her mother had in mind for her and not necessarily what she wanted to become. I questioned her if she had figured out what she wanted to do with her life then, she clearly had no idea therefore she just followed her parent instruction. She pointed out that her mother who played a significant role in her life, always instilled in her the importance of a good education and that becoming a doctor would be the right choice. When she arrived in the United States everything changed. I followed up with the conversation and she told me that she started rebelling and didn’t want to go back to
She lives alone in a studio in the facility. I didn’t go inside of her apartment because she didn’t feel comfortable with it, but she was open to talk with me. She is divorced and have a 40 years old daughter and 46 years old son, which both were married and gave to her six grandchildren. Her history is heart touching. Her husband left her for another woman, when she was 52 years old. That time she didn’t have a job and did have another alternative to live with her daughter, but after a few years she had some issues with her son-in-low, which she decided to leave her daughter house. A friend gave her a bedroom to stay until she was able to rent an apartment for her. She said that was difficult to find a job at her age. She has been working in a cleaning company for six years, her work schedule is Monday to Friday from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm, 40 hours weekly. She has a heathy diet because she has cardiac arrhythmia, high blood pressure and gastritis. She said that after she moved to this building her relationship with her relatives is better because she is independent. Also, she said that she still working because the social security pension does not cover all her expenses. In sum, eve though she is living alone, she is very active woman and she feels happy and proud of
Accounting is basically a service activity. Its purpose is to provide quantitative information that principally used by the managers, investors, tax authorities, and other decision makers to make the financial decisions within companies, organizations, and public agencies. Accounting is also widely known as the “language of business.” An accountant measures, communicates, and interprets financial activities. They prepare financial statements or reports for individuals, businesses, government agencies, or other non-profit organizations. They use the accounting systems to categorize the expenses and income to the typical groups. They also keep tract of the money received or paid out to see if the transactions are accurate and complete. Accountants are familiar with the computer operation. They use the computer...
I am eager to begin the testing process for the much anticipated CPA exam. I understand your program is not considered a CPA review, however the benefit of a broad and challenging curriculum, taught by a faculty with motivating accolades, will give me a highly developed understanding of the accounting and business relationship. I plan to begin the CPA testing process as soon as possible and look forward to earning the CPA license. Upon graduation I hope to quickly enter the field, gain experience, and grow a network of connections. Being employed by one of the larger accounting corporations will be the best option for me to accomplish the tasks noted above.
My second goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I plan to take the CPA exam immediately after my completion of Master’s program. The CPA certificate will not only to show my competence in independent work but also promote my opportunities to enter a managerial position. To realize my long-term goal of becoming a partner of Ernst & Young, I must be a role model who is familiar with advanced-level knowledge and certification exam.
I feel that this major is of a great interest to me because its diversity. Both career paths have advantages and disadvantages. Public accountants have greater variety of exposure in working with different clients and industries; also, advancement opportunities may become sooner. On the other hand, private accountants can reach management levels without a CPA license and advancement opportunities may not come as quickly. This overview presented me a better idea of where a degree in accounting could take me. Knowing that I have a variety of opportunities and room for growth give me the confidence I need to Pursuing the degree would definitely open up the doors for me. Similarly, knowing that I have a detail oriented personality is a perfect fit for the world of accounting; I feel confident that my analytical, math and communication skills will help me to become a trustworthy and reliable accountant who help people to become more efficient with their
In order to do any job there are some requirements and qualifications that you must meet. In the CPA world there is no specific gender that is required, but research shows that the majority are females. Researchers...
Change is inevitable. Yogi Berra once said “The future ain’t what it used to be.” It is clear that the future of the accounting profession ain’t what it used to be (Gormon and Hargadon 1). The changes occurring are happening fast, they are dynamic and they are completely and undeniably real. Since the world around the accountant is changing, the accountant has no option but to change as well. The field of accounting has always been one to know change and to know adjustment, but within the recent past and certainly within the next few decades, the changes that are occurring and will occur absolutely are the most dramatic and exponential yet. Obvious changes lie in the expanding scope of services performed by accountants, the increased use of
Accountants are becoming a needed job in the business industry and play a very important role in the success of many businesses. This job usually requires at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting and sometimes even a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). There are many other things that are needed to be considered before choosing this career. The job environment, education, skills, and benefits are just some of the many things that need to be thought through before considering this career.
Every day, many people question my passion for pursuing accounting as a profession and the first answer I think of is that I am good with numbers. However, advancing in the field has made me realize that my passion is not only based on figures. Growing up as a kid, I was privileged to have a piggy account where I would save as little as fifty cents per week. Since my parents rewarded me in monetary value as a positive reinforcement in cases of good behaviour, I was motivated to maintain good manners so long as my savings increased. As time went by, I realized I had saved way “too much” money for a little child. The challenge came in the management of the funds because I was focused on spending more on pleasurable activities. However, the guidance of my parents enabled me to prioritize on the more important things and save more. I took interest in managing may own account as a child and even pursued accounting courses in high school. The interest grew deeper because I gained more insight on the facts about accounting and the career. Also, I believed that it is career that one would be self-employed thereby avoiding the dilemmas of lacking jobs after graduating. For instance, one would easily start their own business and manage their finances comfortably.