GeorgiaEA wrote: Ashtaroth wrote: It hard to understand how someone could say, "Sorry, we're only hiring fetuses this year.  Since you've already been through the birth canal and are now breathing actual air you're just too old."Ahhhh...one more obstacle to over come I guess.  Found a way around all the others.  I'm sure this one won't be any different. You have a sense of humor so that helps!!! I think you have to have a realistic plan and realistic expectations; in the process, I think that helps determine your plan of action. What do you really want to do? Do you want firm live (small or medium) work for industry or in education? Do you want your own practice at some point. Each decision will require a slightly different plan of action. I think the MBA from a for-profit school will be a huge hindrance. That said, I think a strategy of targeting medium-size local firms, who do not recruit through colleges, may be your best bet.

Actually, my undergrad is from a for-profit.  My MBA will be through a local private non-profit that has a pretty decent reputation in the area. 

My goal at this moment is simply to earn the CPA.  I know that more doors will be open to me once I get this finished.  I don’t want to plan too far ahead and limit my options.  While I’m interested in Tax (hence the EA), I’m not opposed to going into auditing, either internal or external.  As to my own firm, I’m not the entrepreneurial type so I believe that’s not necessarily an option. 

The truth is that I know that I have several things working against me, including the lack of experience and my age, but I’m refusing to let that stop me from achieving my goal.  I’m willing to try almost anything (within legal and ethical boundaries) to gain that experience to make myself more marketable.  Volunteering seems to be the only way to do that and that’s the reason I thought it might help though I'm open to other suggestions.