A story -one friend of mine, brand-new MBA graduate with F1 visa, worked for 4 months and got her AICPA. In 2 weeks, she got a nice job offer. Of course she had a good experience with big 4 while she was in Taiwan. But the qualification of CPA gives her new credential. In this sense, if you have a CPA designate, you have something setting you apart. You will have much more chances to get a job you want than otherwise hardly imaginable.