How to Get Specialized Training for Work as an Accountant

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Once you have completed the education required to work as an accountant, which is normally a bachelor's degree in accounting, you can continue to expand your knowledge and keep up-to-date through continuing professional education. You can also get the specialized training needed to work in specific areas of accounting or to achieve certification as a specialist in a certain field of accounting. Options include on-the-job training, seminars, live courses, online courses and self-study materials.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Prepare for the CPA Exam

Step 1

Ask for advice on how to prepare for the CPA exam from someone who has recently taken and hopefully passed the exam.
Step 2

Ask your accounting professors for advice on how to prepare for the CPA exam if you are in school or recently graduated.
Step 3

See the CPA Examination Tutorial and Sample Tests on The Uniform CPA Examination Web site (see Resources below).
Step 4

Check out the CPA Exam Review Materials, Study Guides and Audio Materials on the Smart Pros Web site (see Resources below).
Step 5

Compare the different CPA exam review systems offered on the CPAExamReview Web site.

Continuing Professional Education and Study Materials

Step 1

Use the links under “CPE” (Continuing Professional Education) in the section “Young CPA Network” of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Web site.
Step 2

Find your State Board of Accountancy and look for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) sponsors or providers on its Web site. The AICPA has a directory with links to each State Board of Accountancy on its Web site.
Step 3

Go to the dmoz open directory project Web site–Business: Accounting: CPE for CPAs, for a list of continuing professional education providers, with links to their Web sites
Step 4

See “Building Your Skills, Expanding Your Knowledge” on the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Web site for links to seminars, conferences and Web-based training for internal auditors and audit executives.
Step 5

Go to the page of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) of the Institute of Internal Auditors Web site to find links to conferences, seminars and other products to meet the CPE requirements for Certified Internal Auditors (CIA), Certified Government Auditing Professionals (CGAP), Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA) and accountants with Certification in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA).
Step 6

Review the continuing professional education requirements for earning and maintaining certification as an Accredited Business Accountant (ABA), Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA), or Accredited Tax Preparer (ATP) in the Web site of The Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation (ACAT).
Step 7

Visit the World Wide Learn Web site for links to online continuing professional education courses.

On-the-Job Training

Step 1

Take advantage of the training provided by your employer to expand your knowledge or acquire additional skills.
Step 2

Look for opportunities to gain on-the-job specialized training by working on special project teams or in other environments where you can learn from project leaders, co-workers and participants from other areas of the organization.
Step 3

Seek out cross-training opportunities within your department, learning directly from a supervisor or co-worker.
Step 4

Talk to Human Resources and the Tax Manager or Partner about the possibilities of specialized training in taxes if you work in a public accounting firm as an auditor and find that you are interested in tax work. Or vice versa, if you work in tax and are interested in auditing, talk to Human Resources and the Audit Manager or Partner about training in auditing.
Step 5

If you work in the Controller's Department of a private company and are interested in working in the internal auditing or tax department, meet with Human Resources and the Internal Audit or Tax Manager about formal courses and on-the-job training the company may provide.