Want access to the top professionals in the accounting field, free career development tools, and a new set of CPA friends? Look no further than your State Society of CPAs. There’s no password, no secret handshake, and no hazing (sweet)! Plus, in many states student memberships are FREE.
Here are just a few of the reasons you should join your State Society:
A Job Opportunity
You want a job right? CPA firm partners have stated that they often screen out potential job applicants if they are not members of their state CPA society. Your State Society will also have job postings on their websites listed exclusively for members. Additionally, State CPA societies provide opportunities to develop leadership skills before you may be able to do so in a professional work environment. They offer workshops on interview skills, resume writing, and even prepping for the CPA exam.
Networking
Networking, as we’ve said a million times on this blog, is an essential part in finding a job and maintaining professional contacts as an accountant. The people that you meet in a State Society come from a variety of backgrounds, experience levels and job profiles and can serve as mentors on career issues or just life in general!
Resources
Besides networking and job opportunities, State Societies offer conferences, seminars, webinars, CPE classes, and other educational benefits to their members. Many state societies have public accounting firm directories which provide firm profiles. These guides are great research tools for students to help you decide which kind of firm is right for you and where you should apply.Another benefit is that State Societies are always up to date on CPA laws and regulations in your state as well as on all accounting industry news. They are even learning how to communicate these things in ways that make life easier for you, the tech savvy student! Maryland Association for CPAs runs a fabulous blog to keep their members updated, Texas Society of CPAs uses their Facebook page to post helpful articles, and Washington Society of CPAs uses Twitter to post job listings.
Discounts
Our personal favorite part of joining State Societies is that they often offer CPA Exam Review discounts. Roger CPA Review partners with the OSCPA, CalCPA, NYSSCPA, TSCPA, ICPAS and many, many others, to provide our energetic, comprehensive CPA Review to their members. Not every society allows members that are CPA exam candidates, but, those that do offer great resources and discounts on passing the CPA Exam and gaining licensure in your state.So, contact your state society through their webpages, your campus, on their twitter accounts & blogs, or through any other medium.To get you started, we found this pretty list of societies by state. No need to thank us 🙂
Nicole Bernardo
Senior National Representative