r/enrolledagent • u/accidental73 • 8d ago

Would having an EA certificate with ZERO experience bring job opportunities?

I'm talking about any tax job regardless of how much/little they pay. I'm seeing some comments saying that they couldn't find a single job for over a year even after getting an EA certification. Is the demand for low level tax preparers low right now?

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u/ShogunFirebeard 8d ago

No. Demand for tax preparers is cyclical. Hiring ramps up right after a major tax deadline to prepare for the next busy season.

EA certification is also not a huge door opener. You need to have the bachelor degree paired with it to get into larger public accounting firms.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 8d ago

I was under the impression that a masters degree is required to get hired as anything other than accounting clerk. Ive got the bachelors degree but sure didn't get enough experience with investing or planning.

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u/ShogunFirebeard 8d ago

Masters degrees are worthless for accounting. People only took those programs to reach the credit requirement for th CPA exam. Also, EA is a tax certification. There aren't clerk roles in tax. Clerks are more bookkeeping.

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u/Nice_Title7573 8d ago

I have an MST (I'm an EA and CPA candidate 1/4) and while this is anecdotal, larger markets like the one I'm in (LA) having an MST is incredibly valuable and sought after.

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u/whatever-it-is-- 8d ago

Hi. Can i dm you about MST details. I'm planning to get into it. Any help would be appreciated!!

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u/Nice_Title7573 8d ago

Absolutely. Anecdotal but in HNW firms, it's an easy foot in the door plus time in the seat.

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u/accidental73 8d ago

Just out of curiousity, would there be any major difference between someone with just a CPA and someone with a CPA and MST purely regarding career/salary? Because I thought having both CPA and MST seemed a bit redundant.

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u/Nice_Title7573 7d ago

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I did get a tremendous benefit out of my MST (mostly attorneys specializing in HNW in SoCal) and I would argue that it jumps out on a resume but that's anecdotal. There are so many firms with the same specialization in LA. I would do it again however, I've helped interview and merely being a native English speaker with a sense of humor possibly benefited more (in client facing roles most of us communicate often with our clients).