Accountant's Musings: CPA Exam & Life Beyond

What is like being a CPA? This is a loaded question depending on what one is willing to share, to accept as a comprehensive enough answer, and what the focus is. For example, are the following answers good enough?

1/ It is like winning a marathon

2/ It is like winning a Swiss Chess tournament

3/ It is like being validated

4/ It is like getting a dose of confidence

5/ It is like joining a special community of really [.......] people

6/ It is like getting a huge load off your shoulder

7/ It is like people expect your to be an accounting-Superman

8/ It is like opening doors of opportunity

9/ It is like any other tough professional certification

10/ It is like nothing changed

Sometimes it is hard to answer seemingly easy questions. Sometimes it is hard to understand/accept a seemingly easy answer. Sometimes you just have to go through it to get it. Similar questions:

1/ What is it like being the President of the USA?

2/ What is it like driving a semi/truck from California to New York?

3/ What is it like being a resident (Doctor)?

4/ What is it like being the son/daughter of a famous/rich/… person?

5/ What is it like to be a slave?

6/ What is it like being God?

7/ What is like to be discriminated against?

8/ What is it like going through a hurricane/earthquake/tsunami?

9/ What is it like to wait for judgment?

10/ What is like to be a champion?

11/ What is it like to live in a place where you have no choice, no options, no opportunity, no way out?

If you ask 100 people who have gone through whatever situation you are inquiring about, you will get so many varied answer because individuals are different, their situations are unique, their motivations and interpretations are different. However, thinking and getting an idea of certain situations may help prepare you in case you end up in a similar situation, or it may help you empathise with somebody who has gone through a situation or is going through it.

Now, what is it like being a CPA for me?

I became a CPA bit by bit. When I passed an exam, I thought I was 1/4 or 1/5 of the way done. [1/4 if you exclude the Ethics exam.] Each time I passed an exam, my confidence grew. As I studied, procrastinated, recovered, prayed, waited for exams to come out, found out that I had passed or failed, checked the results, hoped, read my positive thinking note, etc, I learnt a lot about myself. So in a way, for me, being a CPA brings some self-awareness on how you deal with things, how you manage yourself. Along the way, I wondered why I wanted to be a CPA. I answered the question in my mission statement or motivational notes. I regularly try to find a reason why I am doing certain things. I have found it very helpful. I have found out that depending on who you are talking to, the CPA certification may or may not carry much weight especially when you are out of the USA. Some people give it too much weight. May be not. May be my expectations were not as high as they should be. I have since adjusted them for the sake of myself, and for the sake of the profession. So being a CPA brings a lot of responsibility.  You don’t want to be the one that makes people say, “these new CPAs are up to no good”. I found that being a CPA has opened doors that otherwise would not have been open, or as open. I have found that I reviewed a lot of material as I was preparing for the exams that it becomes handy at unexpected times. I have also found out that I have forgotten a lot of material.  I have found out that if I had known the benefits of being a CPA way back when, I could have taken the exam earlier, I could have studied harder, I could have complained less,  and may be, I could have wished the exam was a little harder. I have found that if I were to live my life again, and I was asked whether I wanted to go through the CPA exams, I would say yes in a heartbeat. I have found that knowledge and experience are not the same thing, nor do they give you the same result all the time; preferably, you want to have a lot of both, and find a way to get them to talk to each other so that you can be more effective. It is great to be a CPA. I would like to say I haven’t changed much, but I also know I have changed much. I am still me for the most part, but I am a little bit changed, for the better (I would like to think), because of my experiences studying for the CPA exams and also being a CPA.

If you are a CPA or a certified somebody/something, what is it like?

If you want to be a CPA or certified somebody/something, why do you want to be that? What do you think it is like being a CPA or a certified somebody/something?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

Popularity: 10% [?]

During my preparation for the CPA exams, there were times when I didn’t want to study, think, work, or study. I just needed a break, something that would cheer/freshen me up quickly, or just sooth my mind, heart and soul. There were times when all I wanted was to go to bed with a smile, and there was not much that could do that [to me]… During those days, I would just rush to 1000 awesome things and read a few posts, and by the end of it all, I would be happy that I was alive, and I looked forward to tomorrow. It made me realize, again and again, that there was more to life… that I could choose what to focus on… that in the world of galaxies, the micro and the nano matter. So, here is a shout out to Neil! His book has been out a couple of weeks now… so if you have a moment, go take a look at his site, and if you share my feeling, grab the book of awesome!

Here is one of the posts that I remember reading way back when and I laughed my heart out.

Here is one of the posts that made me … swallow hard.

Here is one of my many favorites.

Popularity: 14% [?]

This is a series in which I am thanking those who helped me pass the CPA exam.

I have been lucky to have met and been taught by some great Professors. At first, I thought I could just thank one Professor (whose name I had forgotten!) because he led me to a student (whose name I had forgotten!) who led me to Gleim! A few weeks ago, as I was preparing to move, I found my old class assignments and notes, and I came across the Professor’s name and the student’s name! What a joy!

This morning, while thinking about this post, I realized you that I cannot limit it to just one Professor. I have great memories of so many of them, and they each played a role in how I thought about business, accounting, life, and God. I suspect that most of them did not intentionally send the message they sent or if they did, they did not know how I would interpret it, or how long I would hold onto it, or what impact it would have. Well, even for me, it is only with hindsight, and with other developments in life that I am able to see their impact.

I think when I was in 6th grade, a certain teacher, Mr. Chavula, happened to mention that the three most important things in Mathematics (Arithmetic) were Accuracy, Speed, and Neatness. For some reason, even though I was 10 or 11 years old, it made a huge impression on me, and I never forgot it. When I prepare(d) for a test, when I fill out forms, when I took tests including the CPA exams, those three things were/are there in my mind. You want to turn in correct/accurate answers, you want to answer as much as you can, and finally, if it is handwritten, you want the marker/grader to be able to read what you wrote. Accuracy, Speed, and Neatness.

In Secondary School (=High School), I had a few great teachers. The one I remember most is Brother Cajetan (sp), a Marist Brother who taught Mathematics. I had sucked at Mathematics for a long time, and I remember my mom got me a tutor when I was in 8th grade to help with my school. I just didn’t car. I just didn’t pay attention. When I went to high school, my brain sort of “opened up” and I started to get it, and then when I was in Form 3 (=junior in High School), and Brother “Cagey” turned Mathematics into my favorite subject. I just got it, and by the end of third year, I knew that I would get “1 point”, the highest distinction, when I took the Form 4/University Entrance exams. Looking back, I can see that I used Brother Cagey’s method to study/prepare for the CPA exam. His method was to do all the problems, and when you were done, to do them over again. You will get a bunch wrong, you will see all the tricks that have been used before, you will get tired, and you will develop discipline in the process. I did not go through the questions twice for the CPA exam, but I went through all the questions in either the Gleim Testprep CD or the Wiley 14.0 CD.

What are the other things I remember about my teachers and professors?

- One Professor of Cost Accounting once told me, as we were saying good byes after the end of the semester, that I had “talent” for accounting! Ha ha! I had not thought of myself as having anything special, or that I had done anything extraordinary in his class to be described as talent. Anyway, it was a huge compliment and it gave me confidence in my other classes.
- One Professor of Intermediate Accounting used to say, “this is a tricky question!”, after he asked as a question. I told my girlfriend about it, and we used to call him “tricky questions”. He is one of my all time favorite Professors. He is the one who started me thinking of Accounting or Financial Statements as a sory, not just a set of numbers.
- One Professor of Accounting Information Systems, and I think she also taught me another class where we did lots of research and financial analysis… I enjoyed her classes; her classes were not difficult, they just took lots of time to do. There was no way around it. For example, part of one class was using SAP, and you had the manual right in front of you with instructions on how to do everything, but there was no way you could get things done without going line by line, familiarizing yourself with the menus and reports, to get the assignment/homework done! Another was researching a bunch of companies at the SEC website… lots of 10Qs and 10Ks, and reviewing restatements. Not difficult, but time consuming. I would like to think that the search functionality was not as user-friendly, but I could be wrong. Through all that, I learned the need for patience, how to effectively search for information, and how to “read Financial Statements.” The search obviously became handy on simulations. The other skills became indispensable at work, which led to taking the CPA exams, …
- One Professor for Tax (Federal Taxation, Tax Research, and another class I cannot remember), did various things that were helpful. For example, for one of the classes, the assignment and exams came from an old book with tons of old CPA exam questions. I want to say it was a Gleim book, but I am not sure. That exposed us to CPA exam questions while in school. He was also very strict in his grading. I got a “B” in one of his class and my score was 89.75 or something like that. I emailed him to say I was “frustrated” by that grade. I don’t think he wrote back! I later found out, my email didn’t ask him if he could round that up to 90 and I would get an “A”. Anyway, when I got 74 in REG and failed that CPA exam, it was like his spirit was hovering over me again! Anyway, the 89.75 is in the past, so is the 74. But he graded for all sorts of things that other professors didn’t grade. He invested a lot of time in his grading, but it made us better students. One last thing I remember about him, he had been a “problem child” – well, even adult. I think he was “born-again” in his 30s and that changed his approach to life. Though younger, I could relate to his transformation. I wanted to know how God can make you tick. That is my life long goal. To be the best I can be, for His glory.

I will cut this post short. Points to take home:
1 – A lot of people play a role in getting us where we get to… sometimes we don’t think about it. In academia, it is hard for me to envision one making it without the help of good teachers and Professors along the way.
2 – I had some luck to meet some very good people along the way. I am lucky that I paid attention to some things that were said and used them as motivation.
3 – I was lucky to go to a good school or a few good schools. They help even if you are not the best student.
4 – “God never wastes an experience.” Sometimes you go through “tough” or unexciting life experiences without knowing what use they are for. Only later on, when you are in the right place, and you take time to look back, can you see/understand/appreciate the importance of those experiences.

Professor, thanks for your help!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Praise be to God in highest! What can I say? This is one of the many blessings I have received in my life, and especially in the past couple of weeks. I hope I will share them all some day. For the time being, let me share one: I have passed the remaining section of the CPA exams, Regulation (REG), with a score of 89. It feels good to be done with the endless studying. Now I can spend a day to study Ethics and get that out of the way. To all who encouraged me, supported me, and prayed for me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. To those who are still studying, or are still waiting or did not pass, I wish you good luck! [To those who are wondering what State I took the exams in, so that you can check your results as well, it is Illinois - you may see that in the clipped screenshot below.]

REG results for cpastories

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

Popularity: 12% [?]