![CPE_1_.55c4b6a96e747[1]](https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CPE_1_.55c4b6a96e747_1_.603949e997b3f.png)
By Bryan Kesler, CPA
CPAs have been long revered as trusted and competent economic advisors for entrepreneurs and businesses in achieving their financial milestones. As reliable monetary advisors, CPAs are meant to help their clients solve complex accountancy problems and maintain a certain standard of quality while delivering their services.
Financial roadblocks faced by individuals and businesses have changed with evolving times. As the world is progressing by embracing a more technology-centric and internet-friendly approach in 2021, CPAs are required to follow suit to stay relevant and resourceful in the accounting industry.
This is where CPE or Continuing Professional Education comes into play. CPAs are required to earn credits by participating in professional development activities that help in keeping their occupational competence at par. CPE courses help them retain their CPA license and, in turn, allow them to practice in their field.
CPE training also gives CPAs an opportunity to develop their technical and non-technical skills, providing them with all-around holistic professional improvement. Let’s talk about the top 6 reasons why you need to prioritize Continuing Professional Education –
1. Display Your Professional Competence
CPE is recognized as a reliable toolkit that CPAs can use to exhibit their expertise in the field to potential employers. Once the days of using a CPA review course to learn accounting material are over, it’s important to immerse yourself in a wide-range of accounting topics with CPE. Accountants with adequate CPE credits are more likely to be trusted by employers.
These credits work as an assurance stamp on your experience and management skills. It lets employers know of your adept communication skills at presenting solutions to combat arising accountancy hurdles faced by businesses daily.
2. Rethink Your Dormant Skills
The hurdles faced in 2020 have given the world some perspective about the uncertainty of the situation. As the pandemic continues to rage unabated, there is a growing need for industry professionals to revise their existing skills and stay ahead of the curve.
In these trying times, CPE training can help you reconnect with crucial skills such as strategic decision-making and problem-solving. The courses help employees revive and polish the unused skills they’ve gathered over the years and find ways to apply them in practical situations.
Having sufficient CPE credits keep accountants acquainted with the relevant competencies. These courses also render an anchor to unlearn outdated skills and re-skill with in-demand knowledge tools.
3. Tech CPE Courses Ready You for the Future
There’s no denying that 2021 is going to be the year with truly digitized services. The pandemic has brought about an immediate need to equip accounting professionals with future-centric skills.
With businesses and corporations going online, accountants need to keep up by acquiring the relevant tech skills to perform well. These include skills that are concurrent with data analytics, business intelligence, cloud computing, to name some. On the other hand, automation has become the way to go for many firms worldwide.
Accountants can strengthen their skill sets by embracing evolving technologies like AI and machine learning. With the right tech-oriented CPE courses, you will be in a better spot to leverage these technologies to perform better professionally. All in all, information technology is set to change how businesses function worldwide, accounting included.
4. Network With Your Peers
CPE training provides accountants with ample opportunities to get to know their fellow professionals. It works as a level-playing field for them to utilize their capabilities in real-life scenarios. Provided you know how to network properly, your peers can be particularly helpful when you are invested in your course prep.
CPE courses often offer you a vibrant community of experienced accountants who can substantially contribute to your professional development. They are usually the kind of learners striving to gain similar insights and knowledge as you! Leverage that.
5. Become a Master of All Trades
As aforementioned, CPE credits are a solid indicator of your professional aptitude. Enrolling in a CPE course opens new doors for you to get innovative with finding the right solutions to the often complicated financial bricks thrown your way.
CPE courses empower you with the right mindset and resources that can help you understand and process data more efficiently to bring out actionable conclusions. As a certified accountant with a robust CPE history, you can be a critical figure in influencing the company’s financial standpoint to a great degree.
6. Enrich Your Teammates With the Right Competencies
According to an old proverb, the more knowledge you impart, the more it grows. The skills you acquire from your CPE courses are only as good as they are applied.
As you advance in your career as a CPA, you have the opportunity to empower your teammates and subordinates with the expertise you gain from your CPE courses. Doing so would foster a deep culture driven by learning and growing.
You can share your lessons and tutor other professionals in the field with the right resources and toolkits. While your company will spectate a boost in productivity and revenue, you will get to reanalyze and absorb the knowledge. Subsequently, this will not only brace your teammates with the befitting skills but also allow them to think out of the box.
In Conclusion
2021 marks a new era of beginning for everyone and has a lot in store for the rapidly developing accounting industry. CPAs have long been trusted with handling budgets of a small business to intimidating financial records of the big leagues. However, remaining skillful in a profession takes effort and dedication.
CPE courses are impactful for accountants looking to reach their untapped capabilities.
Bryan Kesler is a renowned CPA exam mentor and also the founder of CPA Tutor Boost. He aims to provide affordable tutoring solutions to smart accountants struggling to pass the CPA exam. Find his resources and connect with him at cpatutorboost.com.
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Tags: Accounting, Firm Management, Technology
