What I Would Do Differently as a CPA?
When having conversations with friends and colleagues, I often get the questions: "if you could choose, would you go to CPA route again?" and "if you could do anything differently, what would it be?" Today, I'm going to be answering these two questions. To respond to one question, yes I would definitely go the CPA route again, but I would also change some things to make the process much easier. Let's explore the things I would change if I had to become a CPA all over again.
#1 - Network Sooner
When I was first looking for jobs as a student there were two things I was lacking: connections and perspective. If I had to do it all over again, I would have made a better effort to connect with young professionals, recruiters, and my classmates. Especially as a student, there is some truth to the saying "Your network is your net worth" because those connections form the basis of relationships that can get you an entry level job offer, a referral for a future position, or some helpful information that you otherwise would not have access to. The best thing about networking is that the sooner you start the more value your network has because your connections will develop themselves personally and professionally over time just like you.
#2 - Find more Mentors
In addition to networking, it's important to find mentors that can help you along your professional journey. If you don't have a mentor already, I strongly recommend you seek one out as soon as you're done reading this article. While having a single mentor is great, it's important to remember that no one person is going to be a great mentor for your needs 100% of the time. For example, you might have a mentor that is great at giving you a long-term perspective because they have 20 years of experience. However, that same mentor might not have the perspective you need for the current recruiting environment because the landscape has changed so much, which is why it's always great to have more than one mentor to support you if you can. Being able to get the perspective you need on a specific thing you are trying to accomplish is critical, and it’s even better when you can get more than one perspective on a certain area.
#3 - Learn to Code
I pride myself on being a well-diversified young professional that can handle technical accounting, public speaking, client project management, and the creation of aesthetically pleasing deliverables. Despite this diversification, I still wish I knew how to code better. While coding is not applicable in every situation in my work, it can be incredibly effective in the situations it can be used. There are industry accountants who do the same tasks every single month that have effectively automated a good portion of their work through the use of coding and knowing both technical accounting as well as coding is a rare combination that can be very powerful in the right circumstances. While it's never too late to start learning something new, I certainly wish I'd started learning this one a whole lot earlier.
What I Wouldn't Change
I think it's also important to highlight the things I wouldn't change and I think the most important thing that I would do again is to stick with accounting and take the CPA exam as soon as possible. Like I have mentioned before, pursuing a career in accounting is a long-term play and everything that can be done early to mitigate the short-term struggles is certainly worth it.
If you are pursuing a career in accounting, I strongly recommend you go out of your way to learn from the reflections I shared with you above. Be nice to your classmates! Find a few mentors! Learn to Code!