Check out the newest addition to our blog, a Q&A session with Bryce Welker from CrushtheCPAExam.com.
Q: How has passing the CPA Exam impacted your personal and professional life?
A: It gave me the confidence to leave my job and start my own consulting business. This allowed me to move overseas, make U.S. dollars, and spend Thai Baht (baller on a budget!) I’ve visited more countries in the past 6 months than I have in the previous 28 years of my life and this wouldn’t have been possible if I had never passed the CPA exam.
Q: Can you recommend any study tips for students currently studying for the CPA exam?
A: Be engaged when you study! Your goal is to learn the material, not get through chapter 8. Write notes during the video lectures, make flashcards of all the key definitions, or create a notebook with all the multiple-choice questions you get wrong. If you want to pass the CPA exam you need be active in your learning and not just going through the motions. After I changed my study habits I was able to decrease my total study time and increase my scores.
Q: What was the worst part about taking the exam?
A: Not being able to attend all the different activities during that time because I had to study. Although looking back on it, I realize none of those concerts or parties actually mattered. I learned a lot about self-control and discipline during this time, areas that were previously non-existent in my life
Q: Best part?
A: Honestly, the money. I got a 5k bonus and a raise after I passed. That was fun 🙂
Q: Would you recommend CPA Candidates to use Roger CPA Review for their CPA Review?
A: I have personally used and demoed 13 different CPA review courses to provide my readers with an honest opinion of the pros and cons of each. I can say from experience that Roger CPA Review is one of the best overall courses on the market and offers a very unique and energetic approach to learning that you will not find anywhere else.
Q: You currently run one of the most highly used CPA Exam websites, tell us how you got there in a nutshell.
A: I got Crush The CPA Exam to where its at today the same way I was able to pass the CPA exam; Hard. Freaking. Work. When I started it a year and a half ago I didn’t know anything about building websites, writing code, or internet marketing. So everyday after work I would read relevant books, listen to podcasts, take online coding classes, and consume pretty much anything I could get my hands on about the subject. A couple of months later I started showing up on the first page of Google for various search terms, I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q: What were your initial goals when creating this website? Where do you see this website going in 5 or 10 years from now?
A: My initial goal is still the same as my current goal; to help people pass the CPA exam. I see the website evolving into something more interactive in the future, in the form of a tight knit community. I’ve been fortunate to have really amazing readers who comment on my blog posts and email me regularly. I would like to create a way for them to connect and learn from each other as well.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: Travel! I’ve been living in Thailand for over a year now and love it. Once every month or two I load up my backpack and go visit one of the surrounding countries. Next week I’m heading to Macau, China to do the highest bungee jump in the world! Excited would definitely be an understatement.
Q: Favorite quote?
A: We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence in not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
He’s basically saying that the root of all success is hard work and consistency. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to passing the CPA exam.
We’d like to thank Bryce for taking the time to give us insight into his career! We hope we’ve inspired to you see that passing the CPA exam isn’t JUST about becoming a CPA; it’s all about what you make of it!