High School Students

I am a high school student

It's never too early to start thinking about your career. Begin your journey towards a highly sought-after and rewarding career as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). Obtaining a CPA designation means you possess a diverse skill set that can be applied to various business domains - your potential with a CPA designation is limitless.

Your path to become a CPA

Your path to becoming a CPA is:

  1. Graduate high school

  2. Obtain a post-secondary degree in business or commerce with a major in accounting

  3. Gain work experience and complete the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP)
Learn more: Your Path to CPA
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High school scholarships

The CPA Education Foundation wants you to succeed. Let us support you as you take your next steps towards your future career. Whether your goals revolve around leadership, volunteerism, or academic excellence, we have the scholarships to help develop your talents and take you to new heights.
Visit High School Scholarships
High school scholarships

Student magazine

Are you curious about what it takes to become a CPA? Do you want to learn about the exciting and dynamic world of accounting and finance? Look no further than Capitalize. 

Whether you are interested in a career in finance or just want to learn more about what CPAs do, Capitalize has something for you.

Our magazine is full of articles featuring CPAs sharing their insights, and perspectives that you won't find anywhere else.

Capitalize magazine
Capitalize Magazine front cover for Fall 2023

Parents and teachers

Parent
I am a high school parent
Discover the benefits of the CPA designation and about the accounting profession for your high school student. A CPA designation can offer your child endless career opportunities.
Contact a member of our team
Teacher in classroom
I am a high school teacher

Teachers, book a 30-60 minute presentation for your class to learn more about careers as a CPA.

Teacher resources

FAQs

To become a CPA, you will first need a degree (in any subject) and some required courses. The Transfer Credit Guide has a list of programs at universities, colleges, and technical institutes across Alberta. This list is a great place to see where programs are offered. If you take a two-year diploma program at a college, you will need to transfer into a degree program.

All courses listed on the Transfer Credit Guide have been evaluated and will meet the requirements to start the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP). Since these programs are all great options, you should consider other factors that go into selecting a post-secondary institution including cost, proximity to home, campus life, and services available to students.

If you are a high school student, you have plenty of time to decide what kind of career you want to have. Many CPAs follow a similar educational pathway and decide to specialize around the time they graduate university.

Capitalize magazine is a great place to read about different CPAs and their careers. The magazine might help you decide what direction you want to take your career.

We also encourage high school students to reach out to CPAs in their community to ask about their careers and learn about opportunities in the field.

Today’s CPAs do very little math. Most number crunching takes place in Excel or other computer software. Although accountants work closely with numbers, they are no longer using adding machines to calculate a balance sheet.

That said, a statistics course is required to enter the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) and many post-secondary business programs include a first-year calculus course. To help you be successful in these courses, we recommend taking Math 30-1.

We have seen many technological advancements in the past few decades, including increased automation. AI and automation help increase productivity while reducing human error. At the same time, this technology reduces the amount of time CPAs need to spend on repetitive tasks like data entry. Instead, CPAs can focus their time on problem-solving and strategic decision-making.

CPAs engage in continuing professional development which helps them support their clients and the organizations they work for.

Learn more about the future of AI, automation, and the accounting profession.

Email us at: recruitment@cpaalberta.ca and we will be happy to help answer any questions you may have.
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