As you make your way through your career, you will see your friends making leaps into their dream jobs- the constant bustle of LinkedIn job updates will flood your timeline. If you are here on our website, you must be curious about the CPA designation and the opportunities it will provide you or you’ve decided that you want to embark on the journey to become a CPA. Either way, let us help shed some light on YOUR dream career- becoming a CPA.
There are many paths to the CPA designation including deciding between the Public Accounting Route or Private Practice (Industry) Route. Below are some of the pros and cons we’ve come up with on choosing the Public Accounting Route.
There are many paths to the CPA designation including deciding between the Public Accounting Route or Private Practice (Industry) Route. Below are some of the pros and cons we’ve come up with on choosing the Public Accounting Route.
The Pros of Public Accounting
- You will not be bored! No two days are the same. With the ever changing demands from the client and the ability to experience different industries, a job in public accounting will allow you to put on different hats and expand your library of knowledge.
- You will be trained by the best of the best. The individuals you will work with have been through the fire and survived. They are bright people who have been tested and tried by the demands of their work and have still come out on top.
- You can obtain a Public Accounting License. This license gives you the ability to sign off on financial statements for assurance engagements. Holding this license will increase your value to your firm.
The Cons of Public Accounting
- High Paced Environment. The demanding workload may mean more hours of work plus rolling deadlines compared to an individual that works in industry.
- You must multitask. Now multitasking is not a dirty word. It is an important life skill and everyone is capable of doing it to a certain degree. In public accounting, your job relies on your ability to juggle the many tasks that will be given to you. This is what new CPA candidates find the most difficult to get under control. However with time and practice, the skill of multitasking will take you far in public accounting.
- Your time is not always your own. There are Black-out periods. These are certain times during the year where public accountants are not able to take vacation due to the rolling deadlines and demands of the job.