Julie C. Jackson, CPA

I have been saying since I graduated from Judson that I was going to complete the courses needed to sit for the CPA exam. When I started grad school, I opted for the MBA route instead of limiting myself to the MAcc Program. My thought was that I would be more marketable in the future since I would have knowledge in a variety of areas instead of just focusing on accounting. That has been true for me since my employers since then have not only been impressed that I completed my MBA but that I also did it with honors while working full time. So I finally took the necessary steps to complete this goal that has been nearly 10 years in the making. After researching various schools in the Austin area, I discovered that Austin Community College offered a Professional Accountant Certificate for those with bachelor's degrees who want to qualify to sit for the CPA exam. This sounded like it was right up my alley. So with transcripts in hand, I met with my advisor earlier this week to set my course schedule for the next year. At first she only reviewed my Judson transcripts and concluded that I only had 18 hours of upper level business courses. I quickly informed her that I did indeed have a masters degree from a program that required 40 hours of upper level business courses. After reviewing the rest of my transcripts and listening to my work experience, she determined that I would only need to take 6 classes in order to qualify to sit for the exam. So, I will be wrapping up the program around this time next year. I am truly excited about finally doing what it takes to complete a goal I set for myself years ago. While I don't ever plan on practicing in the public accounting arena again, I know that having those 3 initials past my name will mean a great deal for my career in the future.