I am very happy to take this opportunity as a guest blogger to share my CPA story. I hope those who have similar life experiences can relate to my experience by reading this blog. Here in the beginning, I would like to introduce myself and write about my CPA journey.
I am a 34 year old woman from Japan who moved to the U.S. 8 years ago after getting married to my husband who is from the U.S. I received my undergrad in Japan, earning my bachelor’s degree in Political Science. After graduating, I got a job in Japan as a sales representative for a large financial services company. Part of this work was going over my client’s financial records. This planted the seeds for my future accounting career. After moving to the U.S., I took a volunteer job doing bookkeeping for a small non-profit. Accounting seemed to be the right path for me, so I went to graduate school to get my Master’s in Accounting. After graduation, I took an auditing position in New York City for Ernst and Young. Following the birth of my second child, I decided to take a break from work and use the opportunity to study for the CPA Exam. So far, I’ve passed two, and I’m waiting for the result of the third. Hopefully I’ll be ¾ of the way done!
I think accounting is a good fit for me for several reasons.
First, I enjoy dealing with problems where rules and numbers are involved. I tend to think of things logically and I was able to pick up the concepts and math without too much trouble. Math is a universal language, and as someone who has English as a second language, this has been very helpful since I have not experienced a significant language barrier. Second, I have always been curious about the business world and how it works. Understanding financial statements is important for every business person because the financial statement tells a story. It outlines a company’s past and current financial performance as well as their financial strategy for the future. Third, accounting is a global skill. The Big 4 firms have branches all over the world and with the adoption of international standards, such as IFRS, skills and experience become applicable anywhere in the world. Therefore, I thought, and still do think, that I would be able to get a job anywhere I go if I became an accountant.
The idea of becoming a CPA was very natural for me.
I feel that becoming a CPA is more than being an accountant and a CPA license really shows a level of expertise and experience. I am also looking forward to the additional paths that become available as a CPA because I would like to make an impact in society as a financial expert.
My CPA journey has been wonderful after using Roger CPA review.
I have failed two exams with a different review course, but I have passed two exams with Roger CPA review. Staying motivated can be quite difficult, but I enjoy his fun and positive teaching style. Being able to enjoy the learning process helps keep me focused and brings me one step closer to my goal. I hope other candidates truly enjoy Roger CPA Review as much as I do!
J. Frazier, Guest Blogger for Roger CPA Review