Serving up advice for those working towards a career as a CPA.
July 2024
Noah Braden, CPA
Accounting Advisory Manager, CFGI
KyCPA member
What reasons would you provide to encourage others to become a CPA?
It’s a valuable credential to hold from a career betterment perspective, but also provides a solid knowledge base irrespective of whether you want to work in public accounting or in a senior operational finance role. If I am working with an individual who is a fellow CPA, I know that individual understands the language of the business, can ask the right questions, and has a forward-looking perspective as they plan the future of their company.
What attributes and skills are good to have as a CPA?
Initially, attention to detail and being an organized communicator are numbers 1 & 2 (in whichever order you prefer). As you progress through your career, honing your soft skills and mastering time management become very important as well. Finally – the ability to ‘step back’ and take a holistic view of the businesses as well as the interests of stakeholders is where you can make yourself a real asset to your employer or client partners. This is a perspective that can only be gained by the first-hand exposure that you gain through work experience.
What is your favorite thing about your current position?
I work as an Accounting Advisory Manager for CFGI, which is the nation’s largest non-audit advisory firm. The best part of my job is the opportunity to learn daily as I work on various technical initiatives and operational accounting mandates with my clients. My role presents me exposure to a plethora of industries and companies at various stages of the corporate life cycle. Working regularly with an array of clients with differing needs and significantly different work- and management-style preferences, one learns to adapt to the specific preferences of the management teams that they partner with. Through the early part of my career, I have had the opportunity of work with publicly held multinational conglomerates as well as start-up entities. I think the perspective that these diverse experiences offer is invaluable and is something I am thankful for every day.
What are some of your personal hobbies?
Most of my free time is spent with family – my fiancé and I are lucky enough to have both sets of parents and some extended family in town, so we love getting together and both hosting and attending family meals and various get togethers. I’m also always looking for an excuse to be outside – biking, golfing, and playing basketball are my go-to activities, but I also thoroughly enjoy throwing on a podcast and getting through some yard work.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to become a CPA?
My advice would be to take care of your coursework if you are currently in an undergraduate or master’s program and to really challenge yourself to understand the concepts underlying the modules you are progressing through. While not everything will ‘stick’, ensuring you are really challenging yourself the first go-around only makes it easier to prepare for your certification exams post-graduation. After that, do your best to knock out the exams early in your career and take full advantage if a firm is willing to pay for your study materials.