Ask a CPA

After working for the first 18 years of my career with a large local firm in Charleston, I left the world of public accounting in 1996. I joined a “family-owned, small business” real estate developer in Charleston to serve as its Controller and Treasurer. That was nearly 12 years ago.

I will have to say that the first 18 years in public accounting laid the ground work for me in the position I now enjoy. Learning to deal with business issues, helping clients solve problems and knowing and understanding the federal and state tax codes which allows me to do complex tax planning and assist with estate and business planning for my shareholders and their families

There is no “typical day” in the life of a CPA. Many days you start with your idea of what you want to accomplish during the day. In some cases you end the day with an even longer list of the things “to do” the next day. Everything just sort of unfolds with everything from a client with an emergency of some nature (assisting with a business plan to allow them to submit a loan request; dealing with a letter from the IRS or other federal government agency or other state taxing authority, etc.).

I feel that I do have many of the things that I enjoyed about public accounting without some of the larger stresses of public accounting. (Keeping up with your time to bill clients/timesheets; billing and collecting from clients, etc).

The company that I work for now has over 90 separate legal entities to keep up with and to provide accounting services to. It is like running a small CPA firm without the need to keep up with time, bill and collect.

The skills you need in today’s business world:

- Excellent computer skills. The ability to learn and adapt to the changes that program upgrades and hardware changes make to your life.

- Problem solving skills. The ability to analyze and understand concepts and apply them to your specific situation.

- Being a team player rather than an individualist.

- Communication and interpersonal skills-both verbal and written.

Being a CPA, Corporate Accounting

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I want to start with emphasizing that both the CPA and CMA are quality credentials. Both credentials will be beneficial for anyone who obtains them. If you have to pursue one credential first, I would pursue the CPA. This is because the CPA is transferable. If you take my career for example- I have been a Public Accountant, an Internal Auditor, and a Controller. The diversity of the CPA was valuable to me, as I did not have to obtain a new credential each time I transitioned into a new role. On the job postings for each of these roles a CPA was listed as a plus. This was not true for the other credentials (the CMA was listed as a plus for a Controller, but not an Auditor). The path to Controller is not always straight. No matter what positions you have to take to get to Controller, having the CPA in your toolkit will help you out on your journey.

Being a CPA, Corporate Accounting

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I think you should definitely pursue your desire to be a sports team accountant regardless of how you are currently performing in math.

I used to tutor students in math while an undergraduate student and found that most of the time the people I assisted were actually quite strong in math. They just needed someone who could identify their particular weaknesses and help turn it into strengths. I would suggest you get a personal tutor who can assess your current skill level and help you develop a plan for improving it.

In addition, I would recommend that you contact your academic advisement/career office and see if they can put you in contact with some CPA's that already work in the position you will be striving to obtain. That way you can get a better understanding of the type of math they encounter on a day-to-day basis.

For the first few years of my career all I really utilized was basic math which included calculating a lot of percentages. As my career progressed I started to utilize more statistics. I share all this to help you understand that you may start off in a particular accounting role but as you progress in your career you will move into new accounting roles which may require a different set of math skills. So take a deep breath, commit to not allowing math to be a challenge in your life any further, and I look forward to seeing you do great things with a successful sports team.

Colleges & Classes, Corporate Accounting

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Thank you for your question regarding your interest in working as an accountant for a hotel. A Masters degree in accounting is not required to work at a hotel, you would just needs a 4 yr degree and the completion of intermediate accounting to be considered into the Assistant Controller program at a hotel. However, I should also note that the most competitive candidates are those who have majored in accounting or who are in a hospitality program that has a specialized concentration in finance/accounting for those wishing to go into hospitality finance. I hope this helps and good luck on your career pursuit.

Colleges & Classes, Corporate Accounting

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I am a CPA and currently work in the non-profit sector and did not require any special training. Throughout my career, I have gained the ability to effectively research the area in which I am working to ensure I stay up to date on current events occurring within that sector.

Being a CPA, Corporate Accounting

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