What's a CPA?

A CPA – Certified Public Accountant – is a financial professional who speaks the language of business.  

What does a CPA do?   

CPAs provide the advice and information businesses and people need to make important financial decisions.   They help their clients make sound financial judgments by analyzing and interpreting data, projecting “what if” situations, and explaining and assisting with compliance of complex laws, rules, and regulations.  CPAs help their clients to maximize their profits and make the most of their opportunities.   
 

What skills do I need to become a successful CPA?

• A successful CPA career begins while you’re still in school.  You need to demonstrate superior scholastic achievement and have a well-rounded background in accounting and business education as well as have a good understanding of the humanities and other liberal arts subjects.
• You must have excellent communications skills. A CPA must be able to explain complex financial information in terms that people from different expertise levels can understand.  This means you need to have excellent written, verbal, and electronic communication skills.  Also, in order to communicate well, you need to be a good listener so you can understand what your clients need from you.
• You need to be a problem-solver.  CPAs must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures.  This often requires that you also be a creative thinker who can use the information you have to make sound judgments and to come up with innovative solutions.  
• You will need to be technologically savvy.  This means you should understand business systems and computers - especially accounting software packages.  Also, CPAs are often interpreters between the business and the IT world, so you must be familiar with current technology.
• Although it is not necessary for you to be a math whiz, you should be comfortable working with numbers.   It is important for CPAs to be accurate with their figures and to have an understanding of the numerical theories that apply to their area of expertise.
• You need good people skills.  Accounting is a service activity and a "people-person" job.  CPAs are highly interactive with their clients and must be able to work with individuals and in a team environment.  You will need to know how to effectively work with people from all backgrounds and expertise levels. 
• You must have high ethical standards, honesty, and integrity. CPAs help people make important life decisions as the information they provide helps individuals and businesses to make informed financial decisions.  Accounting is a trusted profession and you must practice responsible behavior.  

More information about careers as an accountant or auditor can be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 Edition produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.