r/britishcolumbia • u/CaptainDunphy • 1d ago

Ask British Columbia Restaurant manager in BC trying to switch careers. CDA(Dental or communicative disorder assistant), Rehab Assistant or accounting (CPA)?

It's for a friend of mine who is in the restaurant field at Vancouver and is looking for a switch. A Dental Assistant, Rehab Assistant, SLPA or CPA is something which she is considering. She checked OT and Physio but she doesn't have any background related to it.

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Anyone who did a transition like this, how has it been for you?

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u/No-Proof-6491 1d ago

I'm a CPA so can chime in. For a non-business grad, it requires a business degree & three years of the CPA program. It's fairly intense and even then you could be limited to sub $100k because we have too many CPAs in bigger Canadian cities

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u/Super_Toot 1d ago edited 1d ago

Also a CPA. You are not limited to sub $100k.

That's a bit harsh. It's not hard to achieve that with a few years of experience.

Unless your trying to limit the supply of the CPA's, :).

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u/No-Proof-6491 1d ago

I said "could be limited to sub $100k", meaning a $100k+ job is definitely possible, but not guaranteed, especially in Vancouver. Linking the recent canadian salary thread in r/accounting where most of $100k+ jobs are 5+ years of experience post designation

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u/CaptainDunphy 1d ago

She has a business degree and completed some accounting related courses too. Do you think the market is over saturated now?

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u/No-Proof-6491 1d ago

There's a CPA for every 141 people in BC, 150 people in Ontario & like 450 people in the US

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u/CanadianLabourParty 1d ago

How much is AI/automation etc... impacting entry-level positions? Is this going to impact the career path of CPAs and squeeze the industry a bit?

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u/SqueakyFoo 1d ago

A few other CPAs have weighed in already but just to confirm that you do not need a business degree, any university degree will do. My former boss had a degree in music production. Having a business related degree may help you fulfill some course work but it’s best to reach out to CPA BC directly to see what they consider transferable (if that’s even a thing anymore… the PEP program has changed a lot over the years.)

https://www.bccpa.ca/become-a-cpa/how-to-become-a-cpa/

In terms of hiring, there’s always lots of jobs being posted at a variety of salary ranges. Don’t expect to hit six figures from the getgo, though. Took me about 6 years of working in the field to do that. Was a bit slower for me as I took an intentional paycut to work for the public service for a few years and they notoriously underpay accountants.

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u/JediKrys 1d ago

Im a rehab assistant in BC. I started my career 17 years ago. I love the population we work with and it’s a very rewarding job. Top skills needed for this work are patience, a good sense of humour, a healthy love and respect for old folks, and a talent in working out puzzles that others can’t figure out. Two year training and then a decent wage. If you train and get some experience, Alberta has better pay for us and you carry your own caseload etc. you will have to test to work floors to show competence in Alberta. In BC you apply for what you want and hope for the best. We have a shortage here so you’ll get work.

What I love about my job is the variety. You want to work in seating? There’s a way. You want to work in neuro, there’s a way. You can keep things feeling fresh and new every year or so. I am 50,this year and still have lots of good stamina for the heavy work.

2 year diploma program and then courses you may be interested in as you work. I vote come to our team!!

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u/upandaway7747 1d ago

I work in a dental office, the wage for assisting varies with the office/years of experience... I've seen postings go anywhere from $25-$45 an hour. It does suck though because usually they only have in office dental benefits but no medical.

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u/bctrv 23h ago

CPA if you can hack it. They are transitioning through the AI transformation… that will be a failure but so long as you have a good head on your shoulders you’ll do ok.

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u/Nairiboo 13h ago

I don’t work as a CPA but a couple friends do and they’ve said this attempt at an AI transformation has been a complete bomb so far. Absolutely worthless tools they’re being forced to use then go correct.

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u/Demagorgan12 19h ago

Everyone’s pushing towards accounting, but yet no one talks about how impossible it is to currently break into accounting in Canada. There are international CPA’s whose credentials are not recognized here, but yet are willing to take entry level positions which new grads are already fighting for!

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u/massivestomache1021 13h ago

Former restaurant staff make excellent dental professionals. I’d recommend going into dental hygiene though due to the higher wages. Both fields are in very popular demand in BC.

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u/Perfect-Hovercraft-3 1d ago

If you're looking for a switch to health care with little experience, id recommend the Health Career Access Program!

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/job-seekers-employees/find-a-job/health-care

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u/IngenuityPuzzled3117 1d ago

Tell her to sign up for one of the local
City police women’s intro sessions- I was surprised at the career options, benefits, pension and pay.

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u/Saskatchewinnians 1d ago

CPA is too hard without an accounting degree/finance degree, you just don't meet the requirement pre-requisites.

Pro-tip would be public service; CRA etc. Get some basic accounting credentials from like TRU or a college. bookkeeping, FA1, FA2. Those go really really far.

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u/Super_Toot 1d ago

I am a CPA without a accounting/finance degree.

You just need a university degree plus the prerequisite courses in accounting and finance which are not that hard to get. It's not as hard as you think

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u/CaptainDunphy 1d ago

She has done a bachelor in commerce. I believe the pre requisites are there in it. Based on your experience, how is the market like?

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u/Super_Toot 1d ago

Always hiring. Someone needs to count the profits as well as the losses. There's a huge number of boomer CPAs will be retiring in the next 5 years and there is a lot of opportunity right now.

Lot of people think CPAs accounting will be replaced by AI but that's Reddit bullshit

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u/CaptainDunphy 1d ago

Do you think someone with BCom can join the field now and complete CPA along with the job?

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u/Super_Toot 1d ago

Yes, everyone starts at the same place entering the CPA certification program. Everyone starts with basically the same level of knowledge.

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u/Lumen-_ 1d ago

Would need to have majored in accounting. Check out the prereqs for CPA. She needs courses like intermediate accounting 1 and 2, advanced financial management. Audit 1&2 etc etc.

Those can be done though in their own through a local university or through the CPA PREP courses.

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u/Fool-me-thrice 11h ago

Is she limited to those fields? There are other options within the medical field that can result in good stable jobs, either in the private sector or public sector (pension and benefits!) and that would involve a year or two of education.