Is anyone here CPA certified?

[bigpopparob2000]

I'm unemployed right now, and I'm considering sitting for the CPA exam to make me more competitive for job openings. However, I think one needs at least 4 years work experience as an accountant (2 years if you work for a public firm) to actually get CPA certified. Some of the jobs I'm pursuing right now won't technically apply as this sort of experience.

My main concern is losing credit for passing the exam if the work experience doesn't count. Could I possibly lose credit for passing the exam if my job is technically considered an accountant?

[KarateGeorge]

I'm not a CPA, though I work in the financial industry, have worked closely with CPAs and even had an "accountant" job title for several years, so though hopefully someone here can give you a better answer, I'll at least try to answer it as best I can for now.

To my knowledge, as long as you have fulfilled all the requirements to sit for the exam, including experience, once you pass the exam, your license is valid through its expiration date. During that time, you are expected to fulfill certain continuing education requirements, but once the license is obtained, it's a valid license, and if you no longer work in an acceptable field, you have a window of time to go back again, so you don't need to worry about it being something that will get revoked immediately if you take another job Also, I thought it was only 2 years experience, not 4, though requirements for the CPA do vary somewhat from state to state, so maybe it is 4 where you're at.

Like I said though, even though I've worked closely with CPAs due to my line of work, I'm not one myself, so take my answer for what its worth.