the theoretical basis for the most complex accounting and financial problems, important tax and business law issues, etc.

You also learn about what issues auditing firms are most concerned, i.e. they are more concerned about exposure/risk to their firm than whether or not the client's financial statements are fairly presented.

You suffer through 3 years at a prestigious CPA firm, keep your head down, work hard, then get hired by one of your clients, move into management, and into the executive ranks.

When you become a CFO, you only have to deal with the fun larger accounting stuff, like working through the complex financial and accounting issues, determining where you want to take the organization over the next 5-10 years (while hitting the interim milestones), what kind of policies you need to implement to get there, what kind of leadership help you need to get there, and where you need to allocate resources to achieve those ends.

Do all that well and you can become CEO. Leveraging a few years at a CPA firm doing grunt work is one path to get you there if you have the capability.

If you don't like leading people, that may seem boring also. Become a professor if you don't want to be a managerial leader.

Now you know.

Or you can choose homelessness.