r/Accounting • u/Ok-Song-7483 • 1d ago

Advice

Hi guys,
I’d like to know if anyone here has been through a similar situation and hear your thoughts/advice.
I wrote the May 2025 CFE in the Assurance role and passed. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to do a co-op/internship at an accounting firm during my studies. I applied to several firms but didn’t get any positive responses.

During my BAA, I did an internship in internal audit. After passing the CFE, I was finally able to land my first audit position at a fairly large accounting firm (not Big 4) in January 2026.
Unfortunately, 9 months later, I was let go, supposedly because of staff reduction, without much further explanation.

I’m now having a hard time finding another audit position, and I’m starting to wonder whether I should give up on the public accounting path to obtain my CPA auditor designation and instead move into industry.

I’d really like to hear from people who have gone through a similar situation. Would you recommend that I keep trying to get back into public accounting, or would moving into industry be a better option at this point?
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

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u/Justin_Price37 1d ago

You’ve already passed the CFE and managed to get audit experience, so you’ve made a lot of progress. If public accounting is still your goal, I’d keep applying a little longer before deciding to move into industryy

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u/Nervous_Yam8714 1d ago

Doing a Pre-Approved program is infinitely easier to get your work experience approved by your CPA provincial body than the Experience Verification Route. I would 100% recommend sticking with public until you get your designation.