Is the US CPA worth pursuing in your 30s? I got my CPA back home over 10 years ago and moved to the US 3 years ago. I know age is just a number we always say but I just can't help but feel like it's too late for me. Any advice?

Yes, I was in my 30s when getting my license and my salary has quadrupled since then. In my mid 40s now and don’t regret it.

I graduated from college age 40, got my CPA age 41 - yes it’s worth it if you’re in public accounting. Your promotions are limited without it.

The best answer is "it depends". Are you a US citizen? Do you need someone to sponsor you? It can be very, very difficult to get a job if needing a company to sponsor. IF a US citizen, the CPA may pay off. Do you plan to go to grad school? In past years, I knew of people who went back to school in 30s (or late 20s), got a Masters/BS, good job out of grad school/undergrad, and did very well - exec at non-profit, senior management Big Five, etc. Still, this was a few years ago/or even decades, US citizen. The market is changing rapidly - a Big Five is decreasing hiring by 30 percent. AI is disrupting. Very limited federal hiring. Good luck!

JR Accountant. YES, it is absolutely worth getting your CPA here in the States. My son has a degree and an associate's degree. He has yet to work within the field he has his degree in. I think a CPA will always be needed. Once you have a few years under your belt here in the US, You should be able to open your own accounting firm. Every company needs an accountant of some sort. I think if you are going up against a person without a degree and a person with a CPA, I think the CPA would be picked first. Depending on what kind of salary they are paying vs. what a CPA wants. You are still very young and have a lot of years ahead of you. I do not think you are ever to old to learn.

You might be able to find a job at a firm that would be willing to pay for you to gain additional knowledge in your field. The answer is always no if you do not ask.

I was 34. My salary tripled, almost quadrupled. I have now taken a pay but though to learn something where I have no experience- FP&A role to keep executive leadership team and PE investors with decision making. Useful for a CFO path where again your salary would be a lot more

I don’t have mine and wish I did. It’s going to depend on what you want to do with the rest of your career. If you are planning on staying in accounting and progress to Controller, VP or CFO, yes get your CPA. I’m not looking for a new job but do look at job posts and the better companies even want a senior accountant role with a CPA license.

It can never hurt you and will definitely help qualify you for jobs you maybe interested in. Definitely get it if you can pass the tests and meet the requirements

Just passed Far today. At 36 no accounting experience

1 bajillion %, YES!!!! Waves of opportunities are open to CPAs but not other professionals

I'm a CFO, making high six figures in a medium sized company. Never got a CPA. Got a CIA and CFE, and I got an accounting B.A. in 2000, and have 150+ credit hours. No MBA. I have 3 years of public accounting experience as tax and audit staff. But the CPA just never was needed for the government work I ended up getting into, and it got away from me. I'm 54 now, and still think of getting it. But so far I've never missed a single thing in the last 25 years by not having it, so I'm wondering if it's worth all the study time to get it now.

Stop thinking small. CPA is not just for public accounting. Public Accounting is great, However; If you want to get rich you need to work for yourself. Nobody can fire you.

Do it. If you need help email accountability@barnabasglue.com

That depends on what you want to do in your career

Thank you all for the positive comments. I think part of my doubt is the confusion on where to start as it's been so long since I graduated from university. I am in the process of getting my credentials evaluated and hopefully I would get 150 credits, if not at least 120. In the meantime, I wanted to get started on refreshing my knowledge in accounting and taxes so if you could share any good resources to start with I would really appreciate it!

Sure. Doable - Straight forward test that you can study for. Helpful - Gaining accounting skills are always beneficial. You see what was important enough to put down in money and how decisions are made when you do accounting in practice during the experience require required to claim a CPA designation.

Thinking about the same. What path did you take when you moved to the US? I also want to move

At 34, returned to school to study the courses to sit for the exam (had a BS in Finance), took me 6 years and a 75k pay-cut for 2 because of NY's experience requirements. So I would say yes. Even more so as you get older.

Its not too late, got my CPA at 30s. You need it to be a Manager if you plan to be in public acctg.

Look at it this way, how many more years do you expect to work? What field would you prefer to be in, and would a CPA make a huge difference in your earning potential, where and for whom would you prefer to practice for? ESPECIALLY if you're in public.

I am in my 30’s with a 6 year old child. I just passed FAR but if I’m honest I am already growing tired of the study process. I have been working for 12 years in Tax, I have been in the low 6 figure salary range for quite some time. I have toggled back and forth with the idea of the exam and finally decided to go for it but it has recently dawned on me that it brings no value to my current role as I already make what the others who are CPA’s make at my current organization. I know that once I leave my current role there may be potential for salary increases after passing the exam but I am still underwhelmed with the overall compensation outlook in the field . I could be wrong but feel like there is a salary cap as a CPA, I rarely hear of any CPA making 250k+ (unless c-suite or partner) Meanwhile my closest friend is a cardiologist making 750k a year, another friend of mine is an attorney making 350k a year easily and they are very happy with the work that they do daily and no where near as stressed as I am. It feels like there is so much work and stress that goes into licensure and even the overall day to day work of an accountant with very little fruit to bear in the end. I have come this far so I will finish what I started but I personally am not optimistic about what’s to come after licensure.

I got mine at 56 and it's been worth it.

I went into private accounting/finance for large corporations. I couldn’t have gotten my foot in the door without the CPA certification.