2 answers
1
Question
Asked
371 views
Why are so many CPA's not actively using their license after spending all the effort to acquire it? #Spring25
It poses a serious question of whether accounting is still a valid career in 2025. To acquire a CPA license and not use it would just tarnish its name, would it not?
#Spring25
Login to comment
2 answers
Updated
Sneha’s Answer
Hi Kayle! Many CPAs may not actively use their license in traditional ways, but that doesn’t mean their effort was wasted. The CPA credential opens doors far beyond public accounting. It signals credibility, discipline, and expertise that can be leveraged in finance, consulting, tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles. In 2025, accounting is evolving, not fading. Skills like data analysis, strategic advising, and ethical judgment are more valuable than ever. Earning your CPA is still a powerful investment in your future, no matter how you choose to apply it. Rather than tarnish its name, CPAs who take unconventional paths are expanding its relevance. Hope this helps and good luck with your future path!
Updated
Dana’s Answer
When I graduated from college 2.5 decades ago, career paths into accounting/auditing were much more regimented than they are today. Back then, all the big public accounting firms (more then, but today: Deloitte, PWC, E&Y, KPMG) recruited heavily on-campus and it was virtually unheard of that anyone skipped the step of doing their 2 years with a public firm. Public CPA firms, then and now, require employees to have passed the CPA to attain certain promotions/levels within the firm (in my day, at my firm, that level was Manager). Now, many recent graduates go directly into a corporate job. That isn't to say that CPA licenses are any less valuable today. Many corporate jobs still look for (if not require) a candidate to have a CPA. It also greatly increases the confidence an external CPA firm would have on the degree of reliance they will place on the workpapers created by the Internal Audit staff of a public company. It has also been reported that a CPA designation may contribute to increased salary. Finally, attainment of a CPA can "lighten the load" if you get other certification (for instance, the CIA allows you to "test out" of a part if you already have a CPA). So, all that to say that there are still lots of very good reasons to pursue a CPA, and be very proud of attaining that certification!