I’m well on my way to an BA in Accounting and I hope to be a CPA eventually.? But from my past…?
bad credit and legal problems. I’m an alcoholic in recovery and I love being sober and I love college and I love accounting. In 2001 I got a class D felony DUI. About that time got myself into bad debt. In the years since then unpaid debt has been added to my credit history and my score is about 510. Will anybody hire me as an accountant (in a couple of years) with a nearly 10 year old driving felony and bad credit that is going unpaid for now. If I do get a good job I will consolidate my $12,000 of unpaid bad debt with my student loans which have not defaulted. Then I will work on improving my credit and paying off my debts. But I need the good job first. I am good at accounting and I will pass the CPA but I’m worried that nobody will hire me.
Your conviction could cause major complications for you in the licensing process. You will be required to report your conviction on a Criminal Conviction Disclosure Form. Additionally all license applicants must submit to a Live Scan criminal background check. Since the criteria for the denial of a license varies by state, you should check the website or call the board of accountancy in your state to find out if a Class D DUI is generally grounds for denial of a license. State licensing agencies will not check your credit. Even if you are unable to obtain your CPA, your degree will be valuable and applicable towards other fields.
If you do get a license, you will still face the challenge of getting a job. Most employers will want to check your credit before offering you a job. The good news is that your credit can be fixed. You need to, if you haven’t already, pay off your debt and establish positive credit. Look at myfico.com for more information about credit repair. My guess is that if you work a second job or cut back on your expenses to pay off your debts, you should be able to get your credit up to 650+ by the time you graduate.
The stickier issue for employers will be the DUI conviction. You need to come up with a satisfactory explanation because companies will want to know. As an accountant you will be in a position of trust and employers will want to know you are trustworthy.
If all of your other credentials are top notch, employers will be more willing to entertain the idea of employing you, even though you have some blemishes on your record. So keep up the grades (generally a 3.0 is good but I would say you should aim for at lease a 3.25 cumulative GPA). Also, you should join professional organizations as a student, such as AICPA or other student organizations represented at your college or university. You should have an internship during the summer between your junior and senior year.
Good luck!
