[MichaelScoon]

I don’t know what I want to do in life. I don’t have any accounting experience. I have an accounting degree from kind of a no-name school. All the accounting professors at my school, other CPAs I’ve talked to, and others have all told me to get a CPA license, take the exam, etc., etc. That it’s really worth it in the long run. So I’m taking AUD in 2 months.

I have the time to study, no expenses, and nothing else to do. Should I go for it and take the exam? Or should I quit now, apply for a job at McDonald’s, and move on with my life and forget about the CPA exam altogether?

[kevin_bacon]

yes

[MichaelScoon]

So is that a yes I should take it? Or yes – I should give up?

[ReneeNC]

I would say to work on the exam, but find a job in accounting of some sort so you can start gaining some experience.

REG - 89
BEC - 82
FAR - 87
AUD - 81
Used CPAexcel, Wiley Online Practice, and NINJA!

[kevin_bacon]

I was saying yes to giving up.

[mla1169]

This is far too much of a commitment and requires too much dedication to do it half heartedly or to do it simply because someone else thought it was a good idea. You have to be in it 150% to even have a remote possibility of passing. Maybe do a bit more research on it and decide if you can throw yourself completely into it.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[MichaelScoon]

@kevin_bacon

Why say give up? Isn't a CPA license (assuming I get the work experience eventually) a great thing to have on a resume?

@mla1169

Okay. Let's say I DO pass in within a year if I try. Should I take the exam today? Or should I give up on it altogether?

[rmm91909]

I am not too sure why people are telling you to give up when you have time to study. I think you should try it if it is something you really want and not something you want because others are telling you to do it. I agree with your teachers and CPAs that you have talked with that the exam is something worth it in the long run. I am not sure why you think you should just give up now? Is it because of not having experience? A lot of people on here don't have experience are just out of school and are studying for the exam and some have years of experience. I think you just have to ask yourself if you are ready to commit to this whole heartedly. It is a very trying process but if you have the time and energy to do it I say go for it!

[MichaelScoon]

@rmm91909

Thank you 🙂 Yes, I have the will/dedication/determination. Been studying a lot the past couple weeks. When you put so much time into something like this you have to ask yourself if it's worth it. And so this is something I've been wondering. So yea, I don't do stuff like this halfheartedly at all. I think I knew that going into it what it would take.

About giving up… Yes, because I have no experience I was wondering if it was worth passing the exam (i.e. never finding a job after passing). But it seems that eventually I would find a job after passing.

Thank you again for the encouragement. I will post again in this thread in a year or so after I pass 😛

[Anonymous]

The question is…. are you determined to give it everything you got to study for this exam? I mean, REALLY determined?? If you can answer that question with “yes” (a sincere “yes,” that is), then yes, go for it.

The key to passing this exam is not how smart you are or how confident you are. The key is how determined you are.

[MichaelScoon]

@CPAMan

Thank you for your input. I've heard before that it ‘doesn't matter how smart a person is', etc. Which is good because I'm not that smart hehe. But yea, I've heard it's just a matter of doing the studying. LOTS of material. So takes lots of hours. I'm treating it like a job and studying everyday. So far retention seems pretty good. Good luck on REG.

[senbi575]

I agree with the posts, this is a process that you can't go into half-heartedly. I was in a similar situation when I graduated with a degree in accounting, I had no real drive to study for the exam and just started to work in the industry. After awhile I realized two things, first I got tired of having to tell people that I am not a CPA, and second that not having those three letters behind your name really makes landing those higher paying jobs an uphill fight. It took me 9 years to finally get my head into this process, and another year to finish it but I can tell you there is no better feeling than openning up that license-approved letter. At the end of the day, it is a personal choice and you don't need the certification to be successful in your career, but it is a fullfilling experience (albeit painful) and in my opinion a personal life achievement.

[mla1169]

IMHO, first you should get a general idea of what you want to do in life. The way I read your initial post was that you are kind of ho-hum on accounting in general. It can't come down to a toss up between McDonalds and the CPA. (I realize that was sarcastic). You should at least be somewhat convinced that a cpa WILL benefit you in whatever you decide to do.

You don't have to have experience for this to be worthwhile (although depending on where you're sitting for the CPA there may be an experience requirement to get your license). But frankly if you're already registered to sit in 2 months and asking the question if you even should, you don't sound committed to this yet.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[MichaelScoon]

Okay, so based on the responses I should do it if I am willing to do the studying required to pass (which I am). While I still don't know exactly what I want to do, I do have a basic idea of what I want to do – work in an air-conditioned office. So passing should help me with that. I've got nothing to lose. If I pass I make a bit more money for the same type of job (a/c office work). If I fail at least I tried. Thanks for all the input. Now on to studying!

[jenuno01]

I think the fact that you're asking whether or not you should sit for the CPA exam shows how uncommitted you are…as others have mentioned, you have to be more than 100% committed to these exams in order to pass. I suggest you re-evaluate the reasons why want to be a CPA and only buy an NTS when you are absolutely positive you will not only take the exams, but do eveything humanly possible to pass and get your life back! The journey is tough and going through this process is pure agony… is it worth it to me? Absolutely.

Class of 2012

[khum2011]

Be sure to check the experience requirements for your state before applying and studying! If you're planning on working in industry, be careful because a lot of things won't count as experience! (At least in CO anyway, not sure about your state).

FAR - 82
BEC - 77
AUD - 79
REG - 81

Done 🙂

[Author]

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