A Career In Public Accounting As A Business Career

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During my college years, the hardest choice I had to make was deciding on a major and choosing a career path. When I came to OCC I knew I loved business but I was also curious about accounting. I found that the business degree with a concentration in accounting was the program for me. It’s the one degree that gives me the strong foundation to get me into the business world and having the accounting minor gives me the tools I need to succeed. The reason accounting may be one of the best degrees to a successful business career is because accounting has always been considered as the language of business. Accounting is defined as the information system that measures business activities, processes information into reports, and communicates the results …show more content…

Public accounting involves services such as auditing and tax-preparation. There are many ways CPA’s’ help businesses and individuals. CPAs help individuals and companies with financial planning, investments, taxes, mergers and acquisitions. Individuals, businesses, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies need CPAs to offer objective advice and assistance in both financial and strategic areas. CPA’s have broad range of duties to choose from, like environmental accounting to forensic accounting. Although opportunities are plentiful and varied for top-notch accounting graduates, many new entrants to the profession consider an entry-level job in public accounting to be an essential first stop on their career path. The reason is simple: a public accounting background is a huge resume-builder that confers instant credibility. Employers often prefer to hire candidates who have public accounting experience and have earned the always-in-demand CPA …show more content…

To become a CPA in Michigan, first you need to get your education. The state requires you to have at least a bachelors degree and your school must be accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies Also, you must have 150 total semester hours of college credit and a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in accounting. After you accomplish all the necessary educational requirements. If you have earned a bachelor’s degree and completed 120 of the 150 total semester hours of credit, or if you will fulfill these requirements within 30 days of taking the exam, you are eligible to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam. The total cost to take the CPA exam in Michigan is $876.08 including an initial one-time $147 application fee. Looking at the national pass rates it appears that a little under half of candidates who sit for the exam actually pass. In 2015, 48% passing Auditing and Attestation, and 49% of applicants passing the regulation portion. The next step along the path to becoming a CPA in Michigan is to satisfy the state’s experience requirement. Michigan requires that you earn one year (2000 hours) of qualifying experience. Your experience must include at least one of the following competency/skill areas in order to qualify under Michigan Board of Accountancy rules, such as auditing financial statements, tax research, performing internal audits

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