Introducing NINJA CPA Blogger Trisha

Hello fellow future CPAs!!!

My name is Trisha. My path to pursuing CPA status is a round about one…

I graduated with my Bachelors in Criminal Justice from WSU in 2000. At the time I wanted to work in law or social work, eventually obtaining a higher degree in my chosen field.

Straight out of college, I worked as a parole officer with felony offenders in Washington. It took about 8 months to determine that was not the line of work for me.

I bounced around work wise, got married and had a beautiful daughter in 2004. After being a stay at home mom for a year, I decided it was time to work on my career path again.

I enrolled in Portland State University’s Post Baccalaureate Accounting program. It took me about 2 years to finish because I had never taken a business or accounting course in my life… I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I entered recruiting in the fall, and was fortunate to receive an internship with KPMG in Tax. It was a wonderful experience, but in the end I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. It was an extremely tough decision, but in the end it was for the best.

The employment I took in place of the position with KPMG is where I have been since, just over 4 years now. I am currently a Senior GL Accountant for a large group of eye doctors, and I love my job.

When I started working, my boss, a CPA, encouraged me to study and pursue my CPA license. I had the review materials from my internship and was fresh out of school. Unfortunately I didn’t listen.

Fast forward 3 ½ years, and now I am a mother of two beautiful daughters, and still not a CPA. I decided in July to reregister (and repay) for review materials. I applied and paid for all 4 exams, thinking with a lot of hard work and sacrifice I could knock all 4 out in 6 months. Boy was I wrong…

I did live classes for REG in July and August. I took the exam in late August and failed with a 72. They actually mixed up my address and mailed my score to my work. It was hand delivered by my boss. Mortifying would be an understatement.

Next was BEC. I decided at this point the live classes weren’t beneficial for my learning style, and watched the lectures independently. I took this exam in early October, and passed with an 80!!!! So exciting!!!

After BEC, I tackled FAR. I was an idiot and scheduled it November 30th, the week after Thanksgiving. I felt unprepared, but was too stubborn to reschedule. I got another 72.

I had lost steam going into AUD, but gave it what I could. I took the exam late January, and in March got the horrible news… 73. Brutal!!!

Now I am trying my best to regroup. My heart is deflated, but I am not a quitter. I have reapplied and paid for AUD and FAR. I am planning on taking AUD in late April, and FAR again in August. I am now using the NINJA material in addition to other review materials. Hopefully round 2 will do it! Thanks for listening to my story!!!