RainLady
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| Posted: 03 Feb 2010 at 19:30 | IP Logged
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I have a bachlor degree in accounting from india. I did couple of computer courses and i was working as a programer in india before coming to US in H4 visa. I had been stay at home mom for 9 years. Now i want to start a career in accounting field. I want be a CPA in florida. Iam confused whether to do Masters in accounting then CPA while working or do CPA and find a job then Masters. Which is more attainable? I mean without any experience will i be able to get a job in accounting if i pass CPA? Is Masters in Accounting worth it? Which university is good for Masters? Is Stetson University good? I need advise from all of you. And one more question some universities are asking for professional recommendation letter for Masters program. I have never worked in US what to do? How to get a professional letter? Thanks in advance
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lelik
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Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: United States
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Posts: 1396
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| Posted: 04 Feb 2010 at 11:00 | IP Logged
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RainLady, well, it's a tough one. :-) I can tell you about my experience since I also had a degree from a foreign country.
It's almost impossible to find a decent job in the business field if you don't have a local degree or at least "big names" on your resume (multinational corporations that everybody knows about). With the huge gap on your resume it will be even more difficult to find a
job (you can get lucky, but it's not something that I usually count
on).
I had corporate management experience from the international company, but nobody seemed to care too much about that. Even this company, which had a subdivision in the area where I lived, couldn't offer me anything.
What's the best way out? The CPA and semi-accounting (A/R person) experience worked for me. Before I was able to get a job as a AR clerk (my very first job in the US) at a tiny office, I had to volunteer for a couple of months to get at least something local on my resume. I also took some accounting classes at the community college. A funny thing is that I had never been particularly interested in accounting and I had never heard of the CPA. I took my first accounting class to improve my business English. :-) I don't even know how I discovered the CPA. I believe I read the foreword in one of my accounting books. :-)
Later on, I saw two ways for me: Master's degree (MBA, MST, or MSA) and the CPA. Master's degree would cost me at least $35,000. From a good school, it would be $90,000. I would also have to take the GMAT and TOEFL. The CPA cost is around $4,000 if someone decides to take the review class (which I did) or around $1,500 if someone decides to use Wiley or Gleim books, which would total around $400 for the review materials. Since I didn't have $30,000-90,000 lying around, was not sure whether I would have such money one day, and really hated any debt, I decided to pursue the CPA. It was easy. I had a lot of fun studying and taking the tests (yeap, I always liked exams and tests). As I mentioned, I took the in-class CPA review course. There, I met a girl who was working for an employer who I liked. She gave the e-mail of her boss, and the rest is a history. :-)
Is MS worth pursuing? My experience has been that in general yes. A lot of recruiting companies are asking for that. Is the CPA necessary? Absolutely. The majority of employers prefer that. Whether you decide on MS or not, you have to get the CPA. It will open a lot of doors for you. Make sure to check the CPA exam requirements. Almost all States require you to have 150 cr/h. However, I doubt that it means the MS, BS degree + some additional classes at the community college are sufficient.
Which university is good for Masters? Look at the rankings. Also, employers have their preferred universities. You can check that, too. Besides, different universities are good for different MS degrees.
You can get letters of recommendations from your previous employers in India.
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Topic: How to start a career in accounting
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