To this day, I will continue to kick myself for not attacking the CPA exam straight out of school, before child number two came along When I first started working in my current position, my boss even encouraged me to study on my downtime at work. Did I? Not so much
I had the time. Or at least more time. Those with 2+ children know what I am talking about. Something strange happens to time when you have more than one child, almost like it disappears exponentially.
Adding anything besides work and family to the mix is a challenge, especially something as difficult and all consuming as trying to become a CPA.
So here I am, attempting round two with Audit. I have been extremely bitter, and it has been like pulling teeth to get motivated to get back at it again. I have enjoyed not studying a bit too much. I felt like I really prepared for all of the exams I took, but in hindsight, I dont think I used my limited time efficiently.
Lunch and right after work are really productive study times for me, already being in the work mode. The late night studying in front of the TV made me feel like I was learning, but probably a bit pointless.
I would have loved an additional week to prepare for each exam, so now I wont schedule until I feel ready. I am hoping for Audit, I will feel ready by late April. Even from the get go, the whole highlighting thing threw me a bit. That was never the way I learned before, but I figured with the review company's great reputation, they must know something I dont. Again, in hindsight, I should have done what worked well for me in the past.
I am now armed with the Wiley MCQs and NINJA Materials in addition to a review course, and am taking a new approach, trying to better use my time. I spent about 4 hours of my Sunday rewriting the NINJA Notes, and listening to the Audio.
The NINJA Notes are great because the essentials are in an easy to use format. They help me feel a little less overwhelmed. I also love that am able to download the NINJA Audio to my phone, and listen to it no matter where I am. I have even listened to some of the lectures today at work.
The audio really allows a working mother of two to fit studying in at random times. I plan on listening to another lecture tonight during my workout, and hope to study on lunch, and after work the rest of the week. Maybe my second attack at Audit, NINJA Style, is possible in April!!!
