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Certified Public Accountants and Certified Information Systems Auditors both work with financial data. While CPAs have been around for a long time, CISAs are new to the financial world. They both work in industry and business, but how are they different?
What is a CPA?
A Certified Public Accountant is concerned with computing and entering numbers into a system. The data is often in the form of spreadsheets and reports. They sometimes audit information, but that is not their primary function. CPAs may be prepare and audit financial statements, they can be general accountants or financial planners. They work in business offices of hospitals and clinics as well as multi-million-dollar industries. In business environments, CPAs can evaluate financial information to help companies identify and deal with potential financial risks. Some CPAs work in the field of forensic accounting, which is the use of financial audit techniques to investigate crimes like embezzlement. In 2011, the median salary for a CPA was $73, 800, and job growth through 2020 was expected to be near 16%.
What is Involved in Becoming a CPA?
Not all accountants are CPAs. That designation shows someone has passed the qualifications for certification and has a state-issued license to practice. The path to practicing as a CPA involves several steps.
• A minimum of 150 hours of university or college coursework
• Application and a passing grade on the examination
• Agreement to complete 20 continuing education hours annually
• Additional educational and experience requirements set by the state before a license is issued.
What is a CISA?
A Certified Information Systems Auditor works with computer data. The field is a result of the explosion of technology. An information system is a combination of hardware, software, infrastructure (how these things relate and are connected to one another) and the personnel who have been trained to use the machinery and the data. A median salary for CISAs quoted by the site Job Monster was $85, 000 to$95,000 a year, but a CISA job posting for the Houston area listed $180,000 for a team manager position.
How Do People Become CISAs?
While CPAs pass an exam and then must still be licensed through the state to practice, CISA certification is global. The steps involved to be certified are:
• Minimum of 120 hours of university or college coursework ( equivalent of a two or four-year-college degree)
• Application to take the exam
• A minimum of 5 years of work experience ( additional education can substitute for some of this)
• Agreement to take Continuing Professional Education hours annually
• Agreement to adhere to codes of ethics and standards
Are There Similarities Between the Two Professions?
Many people who hold CPA certification become CISAs and this raises their desirability as employees exponentially. Chron online magazine explains the similarities between the professions this way: If an accountant enters numbers and calculations into a spreadsheet, the CPA verifies that these figures are correct. A CISA looks beyond the entered data to make certain the computer network itself is secure from unauthorized use of someone who could alter the computations and the numbers. The two professions complement each other, and you may start with either and add credentials.
