Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession

CHAPTER TWOIs Becoming a CPA the Right Path for You?

Key Takeaway

Investing the time and effort to become a CPA, preferably immediately after earning your accounting degree, will significantly improve your career prospects and earnings potential. There are other valuable credentials available to accountants that can supplement or be an alternative to a CPA designation. If you decide not to pursue a CPA path, consider obtaining an advanced degree and one of these other credentials.

Many accountants have achieved significant career success without becoming a certified public accountant. You can do well financially and obtain high‐level, rewarding positions of responsibility in major corporations without becoming a CPA. That said, I believe that you considerably increase your probability of a successful career in accounting if you do become a CPA. In many cases, CPAs will earn more over their careers than accountants who don’t possess the credential. Some estimate that the designation will help you earn an extra $1 million over the course of your career. CPAs as a group also tend to be offered more and better job opportunities than non‐CPAs. If that’s true, why wouldn’t everyone strive to become a CPA? The answer is that it requires a significant investment of time, effort, and resources over and above what is required to simply earn an accounting degree.

What Is the Difference ...