<p>I am new to this forum and I have a couple of questions.</p>
<p>I am currently studying to become a CA (in Canada) and work for a big 4 accounting firm.</p>
<p>I am a staff accountant and will probably be for a couple of years. At the firm I work for it takes about 3-5 years to become a manager.</p>
<p>I was looking at possibly doing an MBA in 4-5 years. Is being a staff accountant decent work experience?</p>
<p>For any accountants, (CPA,CMA,CA) that have an MBA- Did an MBA help out your career? Was it worth it?</p>
<p>Since you’re in Canada, taccount, your experience may be different from Americans. In the US of course, the CPA license is the thing to have, with even an MS in Accounting far behind in importance. My wife’s family is from Hong Kong, and the CPA license is so prized that companies have sent accountants to work and study in the US for a time so they can earn the CPA license in a state and then come back to Hong Kong (which also has a license they call the CPA). </p>
<p>In Canada, you could become a Certified Chartered Accountant, which is very similar to the American CPA license. You can look here for details on that:</p>
<p>[ACCA</a> - the global body for professional accountants](<a href=“http://www.accaglobal.com/]ACCA”>http://www.accaglobal.com/)</p>
<p>The MBA degree is more commonly used by managers; its principal value to accountants is in cost accounting and in coordinating projects between executives and accountants. A Chief Accounting Officer would find an MBA helpful, for instance. CMAs would also find the MBA a good tool for their career, given the nature of their work.</p>
<p>Thanks for response.</p>
<p>Well I will be a chartered accountant by the time I apply for admissions into an MBA program. The CA in Canada is equivalent to the CPA in the states. There is an reciprocity agreement between the Canadian Institute of CA and the accounting body in the USA that allows CA’s to write an exam that allows them to become a CPA and vice versa.</p>
<p>My reason for getting an MBA is to be better rounded. I don’t want to just be an accountant. I want to contribute more to the company I work for.</p>
<p>If you plan on moving into industry an MBA will help you to move into leadership roles. It’s not a necessity but it can be helpful.</p>