I honestly look at the CPA not as a tool I am going to directly use, but as kind of a background enhancement for my overall understanding of the business, and as a way of differentiating myself from other job candidates inside and outside my present company.

I honestly don't think my current employer requires a contract to pay for education, and it would take a pretty great opportunity to entice me to move on.

 

me too (VPF)....mostly do business affairs, tax planning, budgetting, networking, cost-benefit models, etc.

 

stacky,

i think an MBA is more useful for that *specific* purpose....

 

To the OP: Without knowing what you make, how much you save, and how much your expenses are no one can give you any advice. Saving $300/month could be small change to some and big deal to others. Threads like this are...odd...at best and some kind of weird cry for attention at worst.

 

yeah if you don't have a contract, and they're paying for it...you're crazy not to do it.

Will they send you back fulltime or do you have to do an executive program?

Only reason I ask is because seeing "MBA" on a resume is fine. It does serve to differentiate you. However, where you go DEFINITELY matters, and having to do an executive program limits your options somewhat. (that, and the fact that executive programs don't really get any campus recruiting because the students are all employed). When I say it matters where you go, I mean that if you want to eventually live in Austin, TX, you're better off going to UT than most places. If you don't know where you want to live long term, you may be better served by a nationally renowned program or an ivy league school. If you see yourself staying put for years to come, you may be best off just going to the closest place possible...

 

Yeah, maybe. But I want BOTH. Not one or the other.

 

Staying in Chicago, I'll probably go to a name school, but not Kellog or Univ. of Chicago. Most like U of I-C or DePaul. Won't be full-time, though, one of those 3 years of night courses deals.

 

understood.

but based on what you seem to want to do, you may be wasting your time with a CPA.

you WANT it....but do you NEED it?

 

NEED it, no. But I already have 150 credit hours, so for about 9 months of pain (studying for and taking the test), I can have a very widely respected credential that will allow me access to significant networking, and serve to make me stand out from my peer group inside the company. It seems a shame NOT to do it.

 

oh.

sorry, i thought you didn't do any auditing?

my bad....

carry on.