For those who ever put off the CPA exam until further down in life…

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  • #161450
    ROACH
    Member

    why?

    My work is pretty demanding… I don’t even work many hours– 40 + some change every week. But still I feel so unmotivated at the moment that I want to just put the CPA exam on hold until I can get myself together. Also, I have no friends and no hobbies and it’s making me sad panda.

    I just want to hear some stories from the community right now. What kicked started your butt cheeks back to studying for the exam etc.

    BEC: 66 | 69 | 7/23/2013
    AUD: 8/28/2013
    REG:
    FAR:

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 29 total)
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  • #318773
    T-rex
    Participant

    @Roach,

    I'm in my late 30s and I've been out of school for awhile. I have a demanding job, too, that requires reading and writing accounting and related-content all day. I only put in 40 hours per week, but they are intense and require brain power. I also work in a highly stressful environment where morale is terrible. To add to this, I have a long commute. I'm worn out after work each day, and studying isn't something I ever feel like doing. I do it anyway because I want this exam experience to be over sooner rather than later. And, over the long haul, I think having a CPA license will benefit me immensely by opening up opportunities that might not otherwise be available to me.

    This experience has been very lonely because I'm not able to spend time with friends or date. I very much look forward to having my social life back, and that's another incentive for me to wrap this up.

    Also, there's nothing like having my job threatened a few times over petty nonsense (showing up 5 minutes late, requesting that my job title be changed to something that actually describes my job) to get me motivated. I don't want to join the gang of folks who are out of work and can't find a job. I'd be in big trouble.

    Finally, a good friend of mine is in his late 40s. He's an extremely intelligent guy who has worked as an accountant for over 25 years. He has an MBA, but no CPA. He worked as a controller for many years, and then as a VP of finance. He lost his job a few years ago, and it took him over 2 years to find a new one. Part of the problem was that he doesn't have a CPA or Big 4 experience. I have no doubt that he knows just as much if not more than most Big 4 CPAs, but this doesn't seem to matter. You've got to have that license and, ideally, Big 4 experience, too.

    Anyway, it's unlikely that you'll ever feel like studying, so don't wait for that to happen. Just get on with it and get it over with! You'll be glad you did when you're done.

    AUD - 95, BEC - 85
    REG - 85, Rawrrrrrr FAR - 88
    Used Becker for all sections.
    CA candidate not residing in CA

    #318774
    mla1169
    Participant

    I didn't go to college right out of high school, I was burnt out (believe it or not I was a straight A student back in the day) and had a meltdown from the pressure of trying to please everybody.

    One failed marriage and 2 great kids later I decided it was time to follow my original path. Started my undergrad in 2003, and think I have taken ONE measly semester off in the last 8 years. Will have my M.S. in accounting in December, and figured if I've worked this hard to get my education I may as well get a few letters to put after my name (picture the movie Tommy Boy, “people DO go to school for 8 years”, “yeah, they're called doctors”)

    Follow your heart, lord knows I did nothing until I was 33, and I can say I would never have appreciated the accomplishment as much if I were younger. But I thought you were pretty well into this already? Haven't you already passed a few sections?

    So I'll be 42 in November (the 1169 in my name is my month and date of birth)

    FAR- 77
    AUD -49, 71, 84
    REG -56,75!
    BEC -75

    Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

    #318775
    kb24
    Participant

    Even if things had gone ideally, I'd have been doing this much later in life than most people. I'd been a stay at home mom for over 10 years before I started grad school in 1/04 at the age of 47. My plan had been to go to school full time for 2 years and get my MS Accy, get a job, and take the exam as soon as possible after that. However, during my last year of school we learned that my mother had dementia. I was able to graduate on time but delayed my job search for what I thought a few months while we got Mom moved to assisted living and her house sold. Things didn't go as planned, though, and I wasn't able to get a job even on a part-time basis because of the frequent, unpredictable demands on my time. I started studying for the CPA exam, but never even got as far as scheduling an exam. I blamed all the interruptions, but, while they were a big factor, I also wasn't studying effectively. As time passed my motivation decreased until I'd essentially given up. What was the point of taking the exam if I couldn't go to work. Last year, things settled down, and I began looking for a job in January of this year. In school I discovered that I have a natural aptitude for accounting, and I wanted to see if that would be true in the real world. However, I quickly saw that I was going to have serious trouble finding work even with my degree and high GPA–5 year old degree, old work experience, no accounting experience, and my age. I decided that I could improve my chances if I took all 4 parts of the exam. I'd refresh my accounting knowledge and demonstrate how motivated I was to potential employers. I hoped to pass all 4, but I kept telling myself it was OK if I failed one or more of them. I set a goal of 5/30, and this is what kept me going. I wouldn't let myself break that commitment even when I couldn't get FAR in late February as I originally planned. It was obviously difficult to keep studying so hard without a break. However, every time I'd get discouraged or burned out, I'd remind myself that the harder I worked, the less likely I'd have to do this again.

    For me setting a firm target date was key. I scheduled all my exams before I finished studying for FAR and refused to let myself reschedule even when I was nervous about needing more time. I'm such a perfectionist that I knew that if I waited until I felt ready, I'd never get done. You have to figure out why you want to get your CPA and focus on that when you get discouraged. Having a visual aid to remind you of why you're doing this can help. I thought of the exam as an extension of grad school so I hung my diploma in my bedroom. It was the last thing I saw at night and first thing in the morning, and I kept telling myself I wouldn't have fully earned it until I passed the exam.

    Good luck.

    FAR 4/1/11 - 89
    AUD 4/15/11 - 85
    REG 4/29/11 - 80
    BEC 5/13/11 - 85

    #318776
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I've been out of college for 6 years and I am just now pushing my way through the exam. I have given it a shot right out of college but just lost focus. I had moved out of public accounting and was busy trying to learn my new job. I found out I was pg with my first child and was exhausted, in addition to commuting for my job. It had been an incentive at my job to pass the exam, but I just wasn't committed and didn't make it happen. I'm finally to the point where I feel as though it's starting to hold me back by not having passed the exam. So, now that I'm less than 2 months out from having baby #2, I'm hoping to find out in September that I have this beast behind me. I think I understand the concepts so much better with the experience I have behind me, and I think that helped a ton.

    #318777
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I took the exam right out of college in 1988. I came really close to passing a couple of times and then became frustrated and set it aside. I tried on part again in 2005 with the same results. By then the test had become computerized and rules had changed to get certified. Once again I set it aside. And then last year, I became aware that I was eligible to not only sit for the exam but to I could get licensed under the old requirements of 120 hours!! I was granfathered in. That is what got my butt going again. No way I would be doing this if I had to go back to school. I ordered my course materials almost immediately. I sat for BEC in November 0f 2010 and came away with a 68, again in April and got a 66. I was dissapointed but not devasted as I had been out of school for so long. Here it is a year later. I take BEC again tomorrow for what I hope is the last time. Waiting on AUD score(62 the first time February but 10 days after I had to have my dog put down) I took in July and REG is scheduled for November. Who knows about FAR!!

    I will be 50 years old in November.

    #318778
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Obtaining my CPA license is not a requirement for my job. I have worked as an accountant at a hospital for 23 years. This is a personal mission.

    #318779
    Herbieherb
    Participant

    I'm in my early thirties…studied for CPA right after graduation but failed. Worked a dead end job for about 7 years. I wanted a promotion and better job/career. My ex gf also encouraged me alot to study. At the time I wanted to marry her and she told me she wouldn't marry me unless I was a CPA…we broke up before I started to study. After the break up I was a man on a mission.

    Now after passing CPA and getting licensed, got a new job at a top firm in my industry. My old dead end job offered me a 10k raise and promotion to assistant controller…I didn't take it. I also started to date a new girl. A beautiful pharmacist. So why CPA? For a single guy? This quote from The movie Chasing Amy sums it all up…

    “You gotta boil it down to the essentials. It's like Cube says, “Life ain't nothin' but bitches and money.””

    NEW YORK- DONE

    #318780
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Oh, boy, well let's see…I'm 28, fresh out of the Masters of Accountancy program and ready to start a job with a big firm. Looking at where I am now compared to where I started from is like peering down from the summit of Mount Everest. Sadly, much like MLA, I was NOT a good student when I first went to college. I went to college straight from high school primarily due to the fact that according to my parents, there was no other option. Well, considering that I was a pretty sheltered kid throughout high school with parents so strict, they'd smack you for using the Lord's name in vain (thank you, Mexican Roman Catholic upbringing), the moment I set foot on a college campus, the goal of education got immediately replaced with girls, booze, and whatever else I figured might piss off my parents.

    Well, as you can probably deduce, I just about flunked out of college after my freshman year. After my first serious girlfriend broke up with me, it was the straw the broke the camel's back — I dropped out. I spent a few years working full time at a financial institution as the front line infantry (teller window — gulp) making barely $20k a year. I was so depressed about my girlfriend breaking up with me that I turned to certain…um, shall we say, herbal remedies to curb my sadness. So here I was, living paycheck to paycheck with no education, disappointed parents, a severely damaged emotional psyche, and friends that only reinforced my poor lifestyle.

    3 years after I dropped out I started seeing my friends getting ready to graduate college and prepare for their “real” jobs while listening to their unsolicited advice about “college isn't for everyone” and “you'll be fine! plenty of people never went to college!”. Finally, I was at a function with my mom who introduced me to one of her business clients. The client proceeded to ask me if I was going to school or not; before I could even open my mouth, my mom chimed in with, “well, he tried going, but he couldn't quite cut it at the college level”. I was so angry, I could have spit nails…I decided that I was sick of people thinking I was unable to “make it” in college and made the decision to return immediately. From that point forward, I chose the most difficult path possible whenever I could.

    I went back to school, retook classes I failed, got into the Accounting program with a lot of begging and this very sob story on a probationary basis. Subsequently double majored in Computer Information Systems and got accepted into one of the top 3 honors colleges in the nation at my university. Authored an honors thesis needed to graduate through the honors college that focused on motivating factors of Hispanic students in attending college and how to improve the disproportionate representations at the university level. I finally graduated Summa Cum Laude and shoved my diplomas in my parent's faces. However, I decided that my catharsis wasn't enough — I wasn't done yet. I went back for my Masters degree in Accounting at the same university while teaching an introductory managerial accounting course for sophomores and taking/passing all four parts of the CPA exam.

    While my motives may have been a little twisted, the point is you have to figure out what really DRIVES you in life and set your goals to the same RPM. For me, I hated people thinking that I wasn't good enough; so I was willing to do ANYTHING to prove everyone wrong. If you look at some of the people on here (especially the ones who did it while married with kids!), that should be inspiration enough to tell you that you can do anything you set your mind to. You just have to figure out what you're motivated by and set that goal as your finish line…please don't let anything ever stop you…no matter what.

    Sorry for the long post!

    #318781
    T-rex
    Participant

    These are some really awesome and inspirational stories!

    AUD - 95, BEC - 85
    REG - 85, Rawrrrrrr FAR - 88
    Used Becker for all sections.
    CA candidate not residing in CA

    #318782
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Yeah, seriously. Some of these people had to have summoned herculean strength and mental fortitude to accomplish what they have!

    #318783
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I just cannot read and …not say my opinion as well…It's me, Camelia…I decided not to post until I have a grade to post, no matter what grade….I gave up so many times CPA, and each and every time, I felt guilty…I did not study, and I did not enjoy time as well…Divorced mom w 2 kids, immigrant by the way, but now proud to be USC. I came here w/ no skills, no education, no english…first job….ofcourse…housekkeepper…(:))))…I went back to college- got my BA in Accounting, divorced, again 2 kids, mom – who was never happy with me…(she thought since I moved in USA, I would probably be neighboor with J Lo, or Madonna eventually)…..and lots of bills. I got my MBA right after college, I bought a nice house and I moved from the Apple CIty (my such a beautiful city)…to OHIO. Are you kidding me? My “luxury” house comes with so many trade-offs…

    Anyway, I worked for a yr and a half in a Bank as a collector….(with so much experience in accounting).. It was a disaster…Finally, I got a job in a NFP…where I was working from 7 am till 7 pm no lunch, forever….a few good months. I think that was…abuse. Is it me? Anyway, I am getting laid off because of …budget cuts…

    The idea is that not only I signed myself up for the FAR- October 11, but I am studying. Seriously! I already know 10 chapters from Gleim, 3,000 Q already, and I am planning to have 15,000 Q at least. I have the Wiley test bank, and I am plannign to get the lambert cd test. My office (which is the wardrobe- it's pretty ok ) is full with writings on the walls (I mean I kept writing things on a piece of paper) and just hang them on the walls.

    I do not want to give up. Period. I am going to sit for the FAR in Oct, or Nov, and AUD in Jan (I already know the AUD book), and FAR is not that bad. I mean if I keep reading..I ll get it eventually. But I am so impressed guys with your stories, and I keep reading them from time to time.

    If I do not pass CPA, I ll be screwed, completely no chance to get a better job. I mean Ohio is dead in terms of jobs, and I do not want to be exploited by all these “bosses” like the job I just had. And of course, in 14 yrs of USA, this is the first time I will be on Unemployment Benefits….just to be at home, in my office, and do the questions. I wish I can show you pics on my office… with “how not to give up”….things like “one more question done is adding one more point towards 75.

    #318784
    mla1169
    Participant

    Wow Camelia! You are my hero! What an inspiration you are. Can't wait to hear you are a CPA!

    FAR- 77
    AUD -49, 71, 84
    REG -56,75!
    BEC -75

    Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

    #318785
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    What a beautiful thread. So many backgrounds, so many different motivations, but we all have one common goal. I want you all to succeed!!!

    #318786
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    A conditional promotion to manager – if you work for a public accounting firm ;)You really don't have a choice then.

    #318787
    misanthrope87
    Participant

    No friends, no hobbies? Sounds like a great time to study..

    B 2/12 87
    A 11/11 90
    R 8/11 86
    F 5/12 88

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 29 total)
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