This week I celebrated my 27th wedding anniversary. And as we celebrated, such an important milestone made me come to a realization: things in life that are worth obtaining require a great deal of work. Having a successful marriage, raising children (extremely difficult these days), graduating from college, and as many of us are realizing (daily), obtaining CPA certification.
For some, getting through high school was such a “chore”. Forced to get up early to go someplace you didn’t really want to and learn about things that may or may not have interested you followed by nights full of homework was, to say the least, painstaking. But going to college and other post- high school accreditations was different. These actions are completely voluntary and therefore require self-dedication and commitment; a commitment to a “better” you.
I use this example as an analogy for CPA certification. On the one hand, studying for the exam can seem like a chore, forcing yourself to master concepts that may or may not interest you followed by practice questions, lectures, and review. But after you receive that first passing score, you’re reminded of the importance of the journey that requires self-dedication and commitment; a commitment to a better you and all the doors the CPA designation will open for you once you’ve passed the exam.
To those of you that have decided to sit for the CPA exam as a young adult fresh out of college, I applaud you. You could easily say, “I have my degree; I’ll take a year or two off, work, and then take the CPA exam.” You have already developed a successful study pattern and are accustomed to long, potentially late, study periods. Keep going strong a little longer…you’re almost there.
To those of you that are not quite as young, like me, sitting for the CPA, I applaud you, too. We have to “learn” how to study all over again. My high school days were pre-computers; when we wrote papers, our references were on index cards labeled “Bibliography Cards”. When I went to college it was “Works Cited”. In high school I remember staying up all night cramming for that exam and how effortless that seemed. Now, studying for the CPA, (usually until midnight after working all day) seems very difficult at times. I have even had people say, “You’re almost… (cough) fifty years old. Why do you want to do that now?” To them I say, “Because I can!!!”
This path is not easy for most, no matter what your age, and whether or not you have other commitments and distractions, but it is attainable with hard work, commitment, and most of all…a positive attitude!
-Donna Elish, guest blogger for Roger CPA Review