CPA Careers: Jobs, Paths and How to Get Licensed

Published on: November 1, 2022

The CPA license carries weight across many industries. A Certified Public Accountant can work in a Big Four firm, run finance for a manufacturing company, investigate fraud for a government agency or advise nonprofits on grant compliance, all with the same underlying credential. This guide covers what a CPA actually is, the full range of CPA accountant careers and how licensure works today, especially now that most states have moved beyond the old one-size-fits-all education requirement. 

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What Is a CPA? 

So, what is a CPA? The answer starts with recognizing it as a license rather than a job title. A Certified Public Accountant earns that designation from a state board of accountancy after meeting specific education, exam and experience requirements. Anyone can work in accounting, but only someone holding an active CPA license can use the CPA designation and perform certain functions reserved for licensed professionals. 

The most significant of those functions is signing off on audited financial statements. When a company needs its books certified for investors, lenders or regulators, that certification has to come from a CPA. This single requirement separates the license from a general accounting background and gives it real market value. 

What Does a CPA Actually Do? 

The daily work of a CPA spans a wide range of tasks. Depending on the role, a CPA might prepare and examine financial records, ensure that an organization's reporting meets regulatory standards, advise clients on tax strategy or interpret financial data to guide business decisions. 

What a CPA does on any given day also depends heavily on which path they choose. Someone auditing a public company spends their time very differently than a CPA managing internal controls for a hospital system or one advising individuals on retirement planning.  

Jobs for CPAs in Public Accounting 

Public accounting is where many CPAs begin their careers. Firms ranging from small local practices to the Big Four hire CPAs to serve outside clients across public accounting, tax accounting and advisory work, and the experience gained here often becomes the foundation for a move into industry later on. 

• Auditor: Examines financial records and verifies that a company's reporting complies with accounting standards 
• Tax accountant: Prepares returns and advises individuals and businesses on tax strategy throughout the year 
• Advisory and consulting: Helps clients manage risk, navigate transactions and improve internal processes 

Jobs for CPAs in Corporate and Private Industry 

A large share of CPAs eventually move in-house, trading client rotation for ownership of a single organization's books. This corporate finance track tends to appeal to those who want full ownership of one company's financial picture rather than juggling multiple clients at once. 

• Controller: Oversees a company's day-to-day accounting operations and financial reporting 
• Financial analyst: Evaluates performance and supports budgeting and investment decisions 
• Internal auditor: Reviews controls and processes from within the organization rather than as an outside reviewer 
• Chief financial officer: The senior leadership role many CPAs work toward over the course of their careers 

Jobs for CPAs in Government and Nonprofits 

Public sector and mission-driven roles tend to get less attention than the corporate and firm tracks, though demand here stays steady and the work carries its own kind of stability. Federal, state and local agencies along with nonprofit organizations all rely on licensed accountants to help manage public funds responsibly. 

• IRS agent or revenue officer handling tax enforcement and compliance 
• Nonprofit accountant managing grant compliance and fund accounting 
• Government accountant or auditor working at the federal, state or local level 

Specialized CPA Career Paths 

Beyond the three main tracks, the CPA license opens several niche paths that draw on more specialized skills. These roles tend to attract CPAs who want to apply their training somewhere outside conventional accounting work. 

Forensic Accountant 

Forensic accountants investigate fraud, embezzlement and other financial crimes, often working alongside law enforcement or supporting litigation. The work blends accounting skill with investigative instinct and frequently puts CPAs in the middle of high-stakes legal cases. 

Information Systems Auditor 

As finance functions rely more heavily on automated systems, someone has to audit the technology and controls behind the numbers. Information systems auditors evaluate whether a company's financial software and data controls are secure and reliable, a role that has grown steadily as accounting has become more automated. 

Personal Financial Advisor 

Some CPAs move into personal financial planning, helping individuals structure their finances in a tax-efficient way. Because the CPA credential signals a rigorous standard of training, clients tend to place a high level of trust in advisors who hold it. 

How Do You Become a CPA? 

Becoming a CPA comes down to four components: education, the CPA exam, professional experience and licensure through a state board of accountancy. Every candidate has to satisfy all four, though the exact combination now depends on which state issues the license and which pathway that candidate chooses. 

For decades, the standard route enforced what's commonly called the 150-hour rule: 150 semester hours of college credit, which usually meant a bachelor's degree plus roughly a fifth year of additional coursework, along with one year of relevant work experience and a passing score on the CPA exam. That route still exists and remains common in many states. 

What has changed is that most states have added a second option. Instead of completing 30 extra credit hours, candidates can now qualify with a standard 120-hour bachelor's degree paired with two years of professional experience rather than one, plus the same CPA exam requirement. Additional pathways may also exist for candidates who hold a graduate degree in accounting, depending on the state's licensing requirements. 

More than 30 states have adopted one of these newer pathways since Ohio became the first to do so in January 2025, and the shift reflects a coordinated update to the profession's model licensing law rather than a handful of states acting independently. Alongside the new education options, the rules governing interstate practice have moved toward a system tied to the individual CPA, making it easier for a licensed accountant to work across state lines without applying for a separate license in each one. 

Because requirements still vary by state, anyone pursuing the license should confirm current rules with their state board of accountancy before mapping out coursework and an exam timeline. 

Is a CPA Worth It? 

The honest answer is that the CPA license takes real effort to earn. Between the coursework, the exam and the experience requirement, most candidates spend several years pursuing it. What that effort buys is a credential that travels well across industries and, increasingly, across state lines. 

The license is required for certain functions outright, most notably signing audit opinions, and it shows up as a common prerequisite for senior finance roles such as controller or CFO. It also tends to open doors faster than an accounting degree alone, since employers know exactly what standard a CPA has met. 

The broader accounting profession is dealing with a genuine talent shortage, and that shortage is a large part of why states have moved to add new licensure pathways in the first place. Fewer students have entered the field relative to the number of CPAs retiring, and easing the path to licensure is one of the industry's main responses. According to the accountant and auditor outlook from the BLS, the projected growth rate for this profession is 5% between 2024 and 2034, which is faster than average.  

Start Your CPA Path With Husson's Online Accounting Degree 

The CPA license can lead almost anywhere in business, from public accounting and corporate finance to government work and specialized niches like forensic accounting, and today's expanded licensure pathways make it more attainable than it used to be. 

Husson University's online Bachelor of Science in Accounting gives students a strong foundation for that path. The program is taught by professors who are licensed CPAs themselves, with coursework covering federal taxation, forensic and investigative accounting, business law and auditing. Students can complete the degree in as little as 12 to 24 months, with multiple start dates throughout the year and a fully online format built around flexible seven-week terms.  

For students who want to work toward CPA licensure without putting the rest of life on hold, Husson's online accounting degree offers a practical place to start. Request more information today!