When you were in school, were you commonly known by the term geek or nerd? Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of a love for learning. Many kids love the adventures their imagination takes them on in History.
Some prefer all the things they can blow up in Science and the outlet poetry provides for them in English. However, in order to be a proper CPA, Math would have had to be the class that took center stage. Below is the path to becoming the CPA you always dreamed of being.
A Love For Numbers
The first thing a CPA hopeful needs is a love for numbers. Numbers rule the universe of public accounting. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are the lullabies that sing him/her to sleep at night.
A person that dreams of making accounting their lifelong pursuit can more than likely pick out numbers in the oddest of places. They may catch on to the pattern of the rain, look at a deal in a store and tell you right away if it’s worth it, or find the logic in how a song is written.
When most would be happy just tapping their foot to the beat, the number lover is dissecting the timing and moving to the offbeat.
There Must Be School
If a career in public accounting is the thing for you, there will come a time when you have to complete some college. The majority of CPA positions require a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. This includes 150 hours of courses.
Some of the Math courses involved are Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus. You would also have to make your way through a couple of Science credits, and Humanities classes. After these are finished, depending on your specialty, you may enroll in statistics, business, or economics courses.
After your degree is complete, most states require you to obtain your CPA license. To do this, you will have to make your way through an Ethics exam, get some experience under your belt, and then take and pass the CPA exam.
Maintenance
After you have arrived in the lovely Land of Numbers as a CPA, the work is not over. There are some actions you will need to take to keep your license current. A CPA license must be renewed every two years. There are fines that must be paid, as well. This is different for each state.
You are also required to complete CPE courses. As the world changes, the responsibilities of the accountant and the rules of money change with it. CPE courses help to keep you up to date. Most states require about 80 hours of CPE courses with at least 2 of those hours spent in Ethics classes.
If you are in love with numbers and money is something you would mind having or dealing with on a regular basis, take this process and make your way to the world of public accounting.
