How to get an accounting job without a CPA
Older graduates juggling full-time jobs and families often lack the time required to study for the CPA. Without a clear direction, this makes it difficult to figure out a career path without wasting time and money on unnecessary credentials.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1applying to as many jobs as possible dailyDid this help you?
- 2seeking accounting roles related to previous career field experienceDid this help you?
- 3pursuing an EA certification instead of the CPADid this help you?
- 4researching different qualification pathways like AAT, ACA, and CIMADid this help you?
- 5studying courses while continuing current high-paying employment to build up savingsDid this help you?
- 6Getting an internshipDid this help you?
- 7Starting out in lower-level part-time roles like payroll, A/P, or A/RDid this help you?
- 8Studying for the CPA while continuing to work full-timeDid this help you?
- 9Asking music-oriented peers for resume adviceDid this help you?
- 10Trying to frame non-traditional degrees into a continuous professional narrativeDid this help you?
- 11Highlighting the management side of unique past experiencesDid this help you?
- 12Working in lower-level industry positions like AR or AP accountant where career progression expectations are lowerDid this help you?
- 13Staying in government accounting rolesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Hi, I'm about to apply to my first accounting jobs and I'm feeling lost with how to present myself to my best advantage in the accounting field.”source ↗
“I'm particularly unsure about how to portray my CPA exams, GPA... and if this in general looks alright for entry level PA.”source ↗
“I am 47 and a recent accounting grad from Arizona global campus. I do have a family and full time job and I do not think I have time to study for the CPA.”source ↗
“I’m actually a CPA in my 30s, and I’m finding my older mom is kind of lost. She had a bachelors in accounting from a long time ago, and worked as an accounting clerk in government for the longest time. From my own experience, I think working towards her CPA alongside a bunch of younger people would be good for her…it would give her more purpose in life and remove her from the insular lifestyle she currently has…”source ↗
“So I'm having a hard time figuring out how I go about it.”source ↗
“obviously some big decisions to make and no clue what to do 🤣 just like to gather as much information as possible before I commit to a path, dont want to be wasting time or money doing something I shouldn't or dont need to.”source ↗
“I have a Bachelors in Psychology and zero experience in the field. I'm also not interested in getting a CPA nor working in Public Accounting.”source ↗
“Do I just need to get a Masters in Accounting to become an Accounting in Government, Industry, etc.?”source ↗
“The long short of it is I’m very new to this I’m only in my second semester of school. While taking classes I found an interest in accounting and am planning on switching it to my major.”source ↗
“Is 40 too late to jump into a career like accounting? I know I’ll be at the bottom of the totem pole again and I’m gonna have to show I’m a worker.”source ↗
“It will be weird having to do all the CPA stuff with the students.”source ↗
“I had a lady in my accounting cohort that basically had worked her way up from book keeping but they would t promote her to VP without the degree and the CPA so she was there we were all 18-22 and she was 45+.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How do I get back into accounting after a long pause?
- 27What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 52How to break into accounting as an international student with a low GPA
- 4How to move from Accounts Payable to a staff accountant role
- 2Scared about graduating with an accounting degree and forgetting everything
- 11How to get tax experience without an entry-level job