Lora Schwacke spent twenty years working for many different companies
as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Today, the job market for CPAs
is expected to increase by 13% between 2012 and 2022, according to the
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Schwacke recommends becoming a
CPA to anyone interested in mathematics and finances; here are the
steps you need to take to become a CPA:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting. To earn a license, you have to complete at least 150 classroom hours of education in accounting, depending on the state. Most aspiring CPAs complete about 120 classroom hours as a part of the bachelor’s degree program.
- Consider graduate school. While you don’t need an advanced degree to start working as an accountant or to take the CPA exams, earning a Master of Science in Accounting degree is an excellent way to boost your skills and understanding of accounting and help you complete your classroom hour’s requirement. An advanced degree also puts you on the short list for most companies for higher accounting positions.
- Gain work experience. Before you can be fully certified, you have to accrue at least two years of accounting experience. Get an entry-level job at an accounting firm or in the accounting department of any type of business to fulfill this requirement.
- Take the exams. There are four exams that all accountants have to pass to become a CPA. After you pass the first, you have eighteen months to pass the others.
