As a new hire starting at BBD, I quickly became aware of the plethora of opportunities provided to the staff to obtain the various CPE requirements, such as the 80 hours of CPE credit that Pennsylvania requires of licensed CPAs bi-annually. The day after orientation, before jumping into auditing procedures, I spent almost a full day evaluating my ethical decision-making abilities through an AICPA self-study professional ethics course. No more than a few weeks later, I attended an in-house CPE session, which is sponsored by BBD on a quarterly basis. In that particular session, I was briefed on several topics including 2011 tax changes and Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services.
In December, BBD held another quarterly CPE session, instructed by an outside CPE provider (who I gave extra accreditation to due to the fact that he was a LaSalle alumnus). This course primarily served as an update on the provisions of recently issued accounting and auditing pronouncements. In particular, the session brought to my attention the divergence between GAAP and IFRS, but also the progression of the plans for convergence. I realized that the period of time before IFRS became an everyday reality was much shorter than I imagined.
Although the topics covered in these courses may not apply in their entirety to my everyday tasks, I value them, because as an accountant, it is important be knowledgeable in practice areas across the board, not just not just one specific focus area. Although I am not a licensed CPA at the moment, it is great to know that when I do obtain my license, I am at a firm that makes it easy to meet the requirements necessary to keep it.
