When I was growing up I thought I was going to be a CPA. Although it is a respectable profession, when I started college my father convinced me out of it for the following reasons:
1. To sit for the exam you need 150 credits (not necessarily a masters per se but basically the equivalent),
2. After passing the CPA exam you still need a certain amount of experience to officially become a CPA,
3. The salary plateaus at a certain point unless you’re ambitious and put in lots of extra effort to really get ahead,
4. Ask around if you need different certifications for different states- it would be a shame to get certified in NY and then need to get additional certifications if you move to NJ.
5. This may not apply to you but he felt that I didn’t have enough personality to become a CPA.
This was all about 30 years ago and things may have changed since then (although I never looked back and regretted my decision).
Before making a decision though, check online what the going salary is for your location is and read the article in Mishapacha Magazine (Issue 1030) regarding the tuition crisis. It would be a shame to put in so much effort only to ask for scholarships, live paycheck to paycheck and not able to afford anything else.
Whatever you decide I wish you lots of הצלחה.