Do I need to pass CPA exam or get work experience first?
What is your advice for me? I have not had any work experience related about accounting at all. Do I need to spend thousand of dollars on CPA exams and review then get experience later? Or just find a my dream job first?
Tagged with: accounting • cpa exams • dream job • work experience
Filed under: CPA
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Usually, you interview for jobs in the beginning of your senior year in college. Once you land a job with a CPA firm, they will encourage you to sit for the exam and may even pick up some of the costs. You are then expected to pass the exam within a certain period of time (2 to 3 years depending on the firm) or loose your job.
I took and passed the exam a month before I graduated college which allowed me to focus on my new job. Many people didn’t sit for the exam until after they had already started working, which makes it much harder. Trust me after working all day, you probably won’t want to come home and study. I would also say that it is easier to pass the exam while the information from your college courses is fresh in your head.
If you think about it, you have already spent thousands on your education and given up 4+ years of your life, why would you limit your potential for $1K – $2K?