Imagine for a moment that you have unparalleled access to a secret society, organized to support its members as they meet various professional challenges unique to their industry. You don’t have to imagine these societies are real, and they aren’t even secret. There’s no password, no secret handshake, and no initiation. In fact, with a minimum of effort, you can find one near you right now.
We’re talking about your State Societies of CPAs. These indispensable organizations can be found in almost every jurisdiction. Let’s take a closer look at how joining your State Society of CPAs can benefit you.
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. Each member offers their own unique take on the accounting industry. These peers can be invaluable as resources, especially to CPA Exam candidates trying to pass their exams.
Resources
Besides networking, State Societies offer conferences, seminars, webinars, CPE classes, and other educational benefits to those members. Additionally, they are often up to date on all CPA laws and regulations in your state as well as on all accounting industry news. For example, the Maryland Association for CPAs lists news directly on their homepage and runs a fabulous blog to keep their members updated. The resources that a State Society can provide you are only limited by the needs that you need met and the extent to which you utilize their services.
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, MSCPA, 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.