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What qualifies as accounting experience?

October 29th, 2009 at 06:09 pm

As I've said many times on this blog, I'm in pursuit of my CPA license. I plan to take the exam next year but I have one MAJOR hurdle - my job. I need 1-2 years of accounting experience to get my actual license even after I pass the exam.

I started working for the company 5 years ago as a Customer Service Rep, now I'm in their Marketing & Acquisition department managing all of the reporting functions & coordinating with our accounting department proper payment of our advertising partners.

So effectively, this is what I do:

1) Pull reports to determine the profitability of our marketing ventures (I don't deal directly with the advertising partners... I'm not a marketing person nor do I want to be)

2) Prepare our budget for the department

3) Inform the department of how we did in regards to budget (On Monday, I have to prepare a presentation to show how we performed against our October budget & evaluate ways to improve our budgeting process to increase accuracy)

4) Maintain records & match them against the invoices we receive to make sure our advertising partners are billing us accordingly & then let accounting know if the amounts are approved

I'm pretty sure the way I do things in my job is not traditional, but nothing about my job is traditional.

This company is 100% virtual. Anything they don't have expertise in, they outsource. Our HR is outsourced but we still have a main HR person who reviews applications, interviews, and maintains the corporate structure. However, the HR company we employ handles everything on the legal side because we have employees around the world so they take care of the issues surrounding that.

Hence, in my case, there is no official "accounting" department but it is outsourced to another company that I let them know what expenses, contracts, we are supposed to be paying & the deal terms surrounding those.

So there isn't any real growth for accounting in my current job. A person from Sr. Mgmt told me that my biggest struggle will simply be the fact that I'm not in the accounting department & I need an accounting supervisor in order to qualify for the experience requirement.

*shrug*

But I also don't want to leave my job. If I did, I'd have to take my salary PLUS another $30K to cover the childcare expenses for four kids. However, my CPA license is still a big goal of mine.

I looked up on my state's experience requirements and it says:

"The experience may include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, management, financial, tax, or consulting advisory skills or services. Acceptable experience shall include employment in government, industry, academia or public accounting or related services. The applicant's experience may be supervised by a non-CPA certificate holder, although, when completing the application for the CPA certificate, the experience must be verified by a CPA certificate holder."

So I don't know if it is possible to find a way to get my current job to count as experience towards my license. I'd hate to think that in order to follow my dream that I'd need to leave somewhere I love.

Nevertheless, I told my new boss that I'm graduating in December & he told me that he wanted to talk with me this week about where I wanted to go in the company. He wants to make sure that what I am doing falls in line with what I want to be doing.

So we'll see. I'd think the whole budgeting, matching invoices against contracts, etc could maybe qualify - but I don't know. I only handle stuff related to our marketing department & I think just being in the marketing department will disqualify me from counting it as "accounting" experience.

3 Responses to “What qualifies as accounting experience?”

  1. monkeymama Says:
    1256843550

    oops

  2. monkeymama Says:
    1256843586

    Not what you want to hear - but I'd feel lucky I had so many options!!! When I Was licensed it was 2 years a CPA firm - pretty much it. I NEVER would have worked at a CPA firm otherwise, BUT well, 8 years post license, I am still at a CPA firm. (Turns out I liked it).

    For that, I Say, welcome the new experience. Moving on gives you tremendous oportunity and learning experiences, and it's not like you could never return to your old job. If you want to be a CPA worth its salt, I'd apply to a CPA firm. The profession does not take the new route terribly seriously. & the education is better than anything you'd get at college.

    Basically, the experience requirement is quite light. It currently has a lot less to do with the experience and more to do with that you work for someone who can sign you off. That about, sums it up. The work you described makes you 10 times more qualified to be a CPA than most of the newly licensed CPAs I have come across lately. Meaning, I don't have anything against new CPAs, or new standards, but I have seen some people who can not add 2 plus 2, get licensed, and that is a sad state for the image of our profession. For that, I'd sign you off - Wink

    Most the people I graduated with were older, and had families. I don't think any of them ever got licensed. (Very few, if any, did. Most either got the experience, or passed the test, but few did both). I think I would reflect on what your career goals are and if the license even matters. For me, I have to be licensed for my chosen career path. So I haven't thought much beyond that. (I originally got it just to aim high and make more money).

    If you like your job and want to stay, does the license really matter? Can you complete it when it is time to move on?

    I can certainly see both sides of the coin.

    & um, you are definitely not alone!

  3. homebody Says:
    1256858887

    I wanted to be an accountant, now I am too old, but I still find this conversation fascinating. Navymom, I am so impressed you went to school and all with the 4 kids. My mom (and dad actually too) did it too with 5 kids (teachers), but I just did not have the energy or gumption or whatever you want to call it.

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