[rentyson]

Hey everyone. This is my first time posting here, so I apologize if I break unwritten A71 rules or something 🙂 I would like advice. Imagine you are a full-time staff accountant at a small firm (<30 people), but you are also an MBA candidate taking night classes to get to the required 150. You have 2 summer classes and 2 fall classes left before graduation in December, but you will actually have your 150 hours after the summer semester is over. You are married to an RN who would like to eventually go back to school for anesthesiology, so possessing your CPA is very important because you will be the sole provider while your spouse is in school and because the two of you will likely have to relocate for his anesthesiology schooling. Given that info, would you:

A) start taking the CPA exam during the fall semester to get a jump on it before tax season comes and steals your soul, and also to potentially pass all 4 parts sooner, or

B) wait until after graduation and tax season, and start taking the CPA exam in summer 2015. This would be less stressful than taking the exam while also writing papers, giving presentations, and taking school exams, but may delay your spouse in applying to anesthesiology schools

Thank y’all so much in advance!

[Anonymous]

hmmm, my instinct says delay. If you pass an exam or two this fall while working and going to school (which might be difficult) then you would have started your clock only to take an immediate break for tax season. So a few months of your 18 months will not be spent testing.

I'm not sure how delaying the exam would delay your spouse's schooling? You can take the exam anywhere and if you're just working it should be easier to find the time. I guess I'm not seeing why you must finish your exams before you spouse can start school. If you're thinking you will get a large pay increase when you become a CPA, then your are likely mistaken. You may have to think outside the box and consider downsizing or having your spouse work part-time while in school if you think finances will be tight.

You know your situation better than anyone, if you can study 20-30 hours per week while working and going to school, then you might be able to swing it. I found the fall/winter a hard time to study, Thanksgiving and Christmas can bite into your time depending on the demands of your family.

[Anonymous]

hmmm, my instinct says delay. If you pass an exam or two this fall while working and going to school (which might be difficult) then you would have started your clock only to take an immediate break for tax season. So a few months of your 18 months will not be spent testing.

I'm not sure how delaying the exam would delay your spouse's schooling? You can take the exam anywhere and if you're just working it should be easier to find the time. I guess I'm not seeing why you must finish your exams before you spouse can start school. If you're thinking you will get a large pay increase when you become a CPA, then your are likely mistaken. You may have to think outside the box and consider downsizing or having your spouse work part-time while in school if you think finances will be tight.

You know your situation better than anyone, if you can study 20-30 hours per week while working and going to school, then you might be able to swing it. I found the fall/winter a hard time to study, Thanksgiving and Christmas can bite into your time depending on the demands of your family.

[LongShot]

One person's priorities will always be different from someone else's, so take this for what you will-I'd say get on it the second you can and not wait even one day longer than you have to. I'm currently working full time, studying for exam, and wife stays home with 3 kids. I've missed so many things in their lives because of this test, but try to look at the same way as I did college-I'd personally rather have a few crazy hard, stressful years now to allow myself and my family to have many better years later than to just have ok years indefinitely. Kinda sucks that the best part of my 20s has been spent working and studying my butt off, but my 30s and later will be SO much better for having done so!

FAR - 75
AUD - 72; 87
REG - 64; 74; 84
BEC - 88

Done!!

[LongShot]

One person's priorities will always be different from someone else's, so take this for what you will-I'd say get on it the second you can and not wait even one day longer than you have to. I'm currently working full time, studying for exam, and wife stays home with 3 kids. I've missed so many things in their lives because of this test, but try to look at the same way as I did college-I'd personally rather have a few crazy hard, stressful years now to allow myself and my family to have many better years later than to just have ok years indefinitely. Kinda sucks that the best part of my 20s has been spent working and studying my butt off, but my 30s and later will be SO much better for having done so!

FAR - 75
AUD - 72; 87
REG - 64; 74; 84
BEC - 88

Done!!

[rentyson]

@bluegirl – I mostly want to pass it ASAP because I think it would be easier to find employment wherever we end up going if I have my CPA. You're right though, there's no reason he couldn't start school before I actually pass it. Good point about the holidays, too!

[rentyson]

@bluegirl – I mostly want to pass it ASAP because I think it would be easier to find employment wherever we end up going if I have my CPA. You're right though, there's no reason he couldn't start school before I actually pass it. Good point about the holidays, too!

[rentyson]

@LongShot – that's my thought process too. I want to just get it out of the way as soon as I can, especially before we start having kids!

[rentyson]

@LongShot – that's my thought process too. I want to just get it out of the way as soon as I can, especially before we start having kids!

[Anonymous]

@rentyson I would avoid putting pressure on yourself to pass the exams before X date. Remember that many people don't pass all four parts the first time. The exam is difficult and it is very easy to get frustrated/depressed/angry at yourself. You don't need the added stress.

You could also experiment and start studying now and see how you feel. Many states let you take the exam before you have all 150 credits. If that is not the case in your state, you could still study with the goal of taking the exam right after you have finished 150. If you decide that studying while in school is too difficult with your schedule, then you could bag it until after tax season.

Yes, having a CPA will help you find employment, no doubt.

[Anonymous]

@rentyson I would avoid putting pressure on yourself to pass the exams before X date. Remember that many people don't pass all four parts the first time. The exam is difficult and it is very easy to get frustrated/depressed/angry at yourself. You don't need the added stress.

You could also experiment and start studying now and see how you feel. Many states let you take the exam before you have all 150 credits. If that is not the case in your state, you could still study with the goal of taking the exam right after you have finished 150. If you decide that studying while in school is too difficult with your schedule, then you could bag it until after tax season.

Yes, having a CPA will help you find employment, no doubt.

[Tripp11]

In my opinion, the sooner you can start the process and get it behind you, the better. For a period in my life, I would continually come up with one reason or another why it wasn't the right time to start studying again. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gotten it out of the way much, much, much earlier in my life. The Exam is a beast, and one which takes many people many, many, many attempts to pass.

I wish you all the luck though, but preparation is the key – then you won't need the luck.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[Tripp11]

In my opinion, the sooner you can start the process and get it behind you, the better. For a period in my life, I would continually come up with one reason or another why it wasn't the right time to start studying again. If I had it to do all over again, I would have gotten it out of the way much, much, much earlier in my life. The Exam is a beast, and one which takes many people many, many, many attempts to pass.

I wish you all the luck though, but preparation is the key – then you won't need the luck.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[mla1169]

I've shared this before. When I took the exams I was working 45 hours a week as a staff accountant, working Sundays at Kohls ( best PT employer ever!), taking 2 classes at SNHU for my masters and was the leader of my daughters Girl Scout troop (tougher than the jobs, school and CPA exam together lol). It was miserable at the time and I was a mess. But I got through it and am glad I didn't wait.

It absolutely 150% can be done if that's what you want most. But there's nothing wrong with waiting until you have less on your plate.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

I've shared this before. When I took the exams I was working 45 hours a week as a staff accountant, working Sundays at Kohls ( best PT employer ever!), taking 2 classes at SNHU for my masters and was the leader of my daughters Girl Scout troop (tougher than the jobs, school and CPA exam together lol). It was miserable at the time and I was a mess. But I got through it and am glad I didn't wait.

It absolutely 150% can be done if that's what you want most. But there's nothing wrong with waiting until you have less on your plate.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[rentyson]

@mla – WOW that is impressive! Kudos to you, haha. Let's hope I'm disciplined enough to pull off results like that 😛

[Author]

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