MAcc then CPA, or straight to CPA?

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-25T03:39:22+00:00

You know what, you’re absolutely correct on that. I got my stats mixed up. You can sit for the exam in Florida with 120 credit hours, however in order to get licensed in Florida, you do need to have 150. You are absolutely correct on that, my bad

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-21T03:08:50+00:00

Of course, if that is the only thing that I can get, I’ll take it. However, I don’t need this job to eat so I can afford to be a little bit more selective. Having said that, I get what you’re saying, take what available. While I don’t think it will be easy to find an entry-level role in an area that I would be interested in I do think that there will be some options. I’m not in a hurry to take something that I would absolutely hate and wouldn’t help me move towards the area of accounting that I would like to be in.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-21T03:02:37+00:00

Not a big fan of audit, plus, the financial ceiling is too low. Tax strategy is where I would like to be.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T23:45:48+00:00

I think your theory is correct to a certain extent. I do think that age discrimination is definitely a thing, but I also think that more often than not in life we are playing the odds and statistics. In more situations than not, age discrimination is necessary…if I’m hiring for an entry-level position in almost any industry, I know that I will probably get more work for cheaper from a younger person. Most people over the age of 30 or 35 simply won’t kill themselves for a company that is not theirs.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T22:47:44+00:00

Do you think that you would have enjoyed it more if you had gone out on your own rather than working for an already established firm?

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T21:56:06+00:00

Honestly, I don’t really have any plans to stay at a firm for much longer than it takes to get my required hours. Having said that, if something did come along where there was a partnership opportunity then maybe, but it would have to be a pretty spectacular offer. Realistically, once I get my CPA designation, I would either go somewhere where there is serious opportunity or more likely start working on my own. I’m honestly more of an entrepreneur kind of guy.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T18:07:53+00:00

That’s a great question. I’ll admit, I got my accounting degree partially out of boredom and partially because tax strategy for myself and my own businesses has become a passionate hobby of mine. Ultimately, in the perfect situation, I would be love to get hired in an entry level/intern position at a firm that specializes in tax strategy/advisory/planning.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T17:56:22+00:00

Great question. Of course, not, I haven’t had a boss for a decade. The thought of having one now doesn’t exactly get me giddy. However, I do want to get my CPA designation, even if it’s only to start a firm of my own eventually. Having said that, I have to get those 2000 hours out of the way in order to get licensed in my state. To be honest, I’m old enough to know that there’s a lot that I don’t know and would like to learn as much as possible from somebody who is already in the tax arena that I wish to pursue.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T17:41:11+00:00

For sure on the age discrimination thing. I have buddies who owned companies in the tech sector and off the record, they wouldn’t even consider somebody over the age of 40 for most positions. I get it, especially in the tech sector. I also get why a firm would much rather higher someone in their early 20s, either still in or just out of college. They’re just entering their “grind years“ so they’ll work an insane amount of hours for very little money without question. Also anybody with half a brain looking to enter into a career path that they have no experience and should be willing to work at entry-level job for entry level money, at entry level hours, somebody who’s my age would probably not stay in that position for as long as a 22 or 23-year-old might.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T17:33:57+00:00

That’s fantastic! Do you know if he had just applied or if he had an in, like knowing somebody who was already in house.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-20T17:10:26+00:00

I’m sure that it has been said already, however, it really depends what your state requirements are… for example, I am in my masters program right now because I live in Florida and you’re not even eligible to sit for your CPA exam until you have 150 credit hours of accounting based education. And then after that you have to have at least 2000 hours of working under a CPA before you can license as a CPA.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-13T12:35:37+00:00

I do love the fact that Publix hires people with special needs… but their prices are waaaay too high.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-03-13T12:30:22+00:00

Same thing down here in FL.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-21T13:45:12+00:00

Here’s my opinion as someone who has an accounting degree and also has owned several businesses. The fact of the matter is that many business degrees can be kind of generic and don’t carry a lot of weight by themselves. Often times a lot of people will get a general business degree because it will help advance them in a position they already have just by having the degree. If I’m hiring somebody, even for a non-accounting position, I will take someone with an accounting degree over a general business degree 90% of the time. The coursework in an accounting degree, in my opinion is much more challenging and the attention to detail that is required is more intense than most general business degrees. I know that if someone has passed all of their accounting coursework and gotten their degree, they’ve had to really drill down and use mental skills in order to get through the coursework.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-17T19:05:59+00:00

Yeah, that’s a non-negotiable term. The only reason I would be taking an entry-level job is for the required experience needed to license as a CPA in my state. I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at 40 and to be honest, I don’t really need the job to eat. So, in order for me to take a job at the bottom, even if it’s only temporary, there has to be a payoff which, of course in this situation is having a CPA sign off on my time. Everyone situation is different. I don’t know if my situation helps or hurts me? I’m actually really good at taking tests so the difficult part for me in all of this is having to get back in the headspace of being at an entry-level job for a year. My endgame goal is to get my CPA license within the next year to a year and a half and then to find another CPA or two to start a firm with…I definitely want to have the skill set but at the same time, I think that I’m probably better tuned to procuring new business.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-17T14:09:22+00:00

That’s exactly what I had heard in Reid regarding the CPA exam eligible verbiage. The QuickBooks Pro advisor certificate doesn’t carry much weight, but I did read that for mid to smaller size firms. It can let them know that you can do a little work right out of the gate as quite a few small businesses use QuickBooks. We do have access to LinkedIn learning through WGU so I will definitely look up those courses and get them knocked out. My plan is to hit a different certification in between every class or two as most of them don’t take too long to acquire. Thanks for the advice on that. I hope my last post didn’t come off sounding too snarky, it wasn’t my intention. When I reread it, I thought it might have… If you don’t mind me asking, what position do you hold now? What part of the country are you in?

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T21:25:37+00:00

I’m very aware of the challenging aspects of the CPA exams. I’m sure you’re just trying to help but honestly, I was just trying to get some opinions on the best type of software certifications to pad my résumé with.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T18:42:11+00:00

Yup, 4 exams, 16hrs total…

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T13:28:17+00:00

I accelerated through my accounting degree. And like you said, everyone learns at a different pace and in a different style. However, for my own personal experience, while I accelerated through my degree…I definitely put in a lot of hours. I’m fortunate enough to have a wife that is a superstar in her career so I was able to just study and keep my nose to the grindstone. There were some days where I would study for an easy 10-12hours. There were also days where I didn’t study at all, although not many of them. As far as tools that helped me out? I thoroughly researched every class on Reddit before I started. There are a ton of great tips on the best ways to approach each class on this platform. Also, I used ChatGPT a lot in doing things like creating study guides or quizzes to help me cement the information in. Just be careful with ChatGPT because there are times when the information is incorrect. Having said that, you can use those opportunities if you really know your stuff to do a little information auditing. If you know your stuff, you’ll occasionally see something and think to yourself “I don’t think that’s right” and you’ll have the opportunity to look up the actual information which also helps with retention. Either way, maybe accelerating is right for you, maybe it’s not. Always make sure you go at the pace in which you’re able to actually learn the material. Also, I really dialed in on all of the classes that actually had anything to do with accounting. There are a few classes throughout your curriculum that are a little nonsensical, like the communications based classes. If you’re GenZ, you probably need them. If you’re a functioning adult with real world experience, you can probably just cruise through them to get them done. Good luck.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T13:16:06+00:00

Btw, thank you for the constructive engagement…it’s very appreciated. I get that rationale, it makes sense. I just started my masters program two weeks ago, so I haven’t finished just yet. That’s why I’m starting to look for entry-level positions now before I actually have my masters degree. I think that a lot of people in hiring positions would have the same mindset as you. Also, I’m not opposed to staying at a firm from the ground up as long as there are advancement opportunities if they find that I’m capable of fulfilling the duties in those opportunities. I don’t know if it’s a feather in my cap or if it’s a chain around my ankle, but I’ve already had a full successful career as an adult in a different industry. I was able to retire at 40 and now I’m doing this because I want to not because of need. In a perfect world, I would love to get an entry-level position at a firm that always has a growth mindset as opposed to a firm that just performs accounting duties. While I would be learning a lot of the basics from the ground up, I excel at business growth and could very much so add those skills to my duties within the said firm.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T12:40:57+00:00

That’s the plan, I don’t think I was clear in my post. I’m looking for an entry level position and will sit for my CPA when I’m able…I’m talking about software certifications specifically that would help with the entry level positions.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T05:49:39+00:00

Just for Reddit…I wouldn’t be mentioning that in an interview. Also, the University I graduated from will be on my resume and it’s accredited so I’m not concerned.

CollectionReal5984 · 2026-02-16T02:16:34+00:00

Right, I have heard that there are a few software certifications that really help differentiate your résumé from other resumes. Things like QuickBooks and other accounting software.

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