[Anonymous]

I am thinking about quitting my job to study full time for the CPA. I am a mom of a 5 year old and I work full time. I have an MBA and an accounting degree. My current job is not very challenging at all and they already told me there is no room to grow so I am trying to get a better one. Every time I look at the descriptions of the jobs most of them require a CPA. I don’t want to get another job that will make me unhappy, life is too short. I really want to take the CPA but I am not sure how people can have the time to work, have a family and study. As a mom I need to take my kid after work to different activities, take care of the house, cook, etc. I am not sure how long it would take me to be done with all the four parts if I study full time. I just think that on the long run it would be more beneficial to get the CPA. If I don’t work for some months I would be ok financially…..By the way I am originally from South America but I studied my MBA and B.A in Accounting here in the States. Also I will appreciate advise about the different CPA courses. I have been out of school for almost 5 years.

[Anonymous]

If you don't work for some months you will be ok? You need to have enough of a cushion in case it takes you longer than expected to pass these exams. I would recommend possibly going part time and studying. I wouldn't quit just go study for a few reasons. 1) you don't have another job lined up 2) you have a child to support 3) you've been out of school for awhile so it might take awhile for you to get back in the groove of studying. Personally, I quit my part time job primarily to study for the CPA exam. But I was working on my last class and I had just got a job offer. Also, I live at home with minimum bills and I had approximately 10,000 saved.

[cpagal]

I am a mom of two boys ages 7 and 3. I am the primary source of income for our family. i am gone from the house from 7 am to 6 pm each day with activities and homework each night. I am studying 1 hour in the am, 1 at lunch and 2 at night for a total of 4 each day. It is hard but doable. My plan is 1 section per window so hopefully only 1 year.

FAR - 08/30/15 - 90
AUD - 11/12/15 - 92
REG - 01/19/16 - 82
BEC - 02/29/16 - 83

Passed all on 1st attempt using GLEIM (full program) and NINJA (MCQ only)!!!

Louisiana Licensed CPA

[jbarwick]

Having an MBA should get you into a lot of jobs already depending on where it is from. I have the same qualifications as you and the only reason I am sitting for my CPA is my boss said I should get some sort of certification.

Journey Started - January 2015
FAR - 4/2015 - Passed
AUD - 7/2015 - Passed
BEC - 8/2015 - Passed
REG - 11/12/2015 - Passed

[Missy]

There are many factors to consider. Aside, from the CPA, aren't these, jobs looking for a certain type of experience? The CPA is a great tool in a career but it is only one of many. Once you've finished the exams will you be able to be licensed. I'm always, shocked by how many people finish the exams but were never clear on the license requirements. Also once you finish the exams if it took a, year to find a job would you be ok financially? Many opportunities that require the cpa even in industry come with long hours, during at least part of the year, will such an opportunity be too much with your personal demands? My advice is not to quit your job and make the time to study for the cpa.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

Or you can do it over a few years like me (though obviously you have to test within 18 months). Can you stidy at work? I ended up doing that a lot.

[Anonymous]

You can do it. I'd say make sure you have at least a 1year emergency fund (or other provider that can cover) so that you have time to study AND get a new job and don't take more than 6 months off (for resume gap purposes) even if that means you'll have 1-2 (hopefully the easier ones) still left after. Also if you are able to financially pull that off (and therefore don't mind losing job) instead of quitting, just ask to go part time.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your replies and input on this difficult decision. My job right now does not require a CPA so it is difficult to study there. They have also told me indirectly that there is no room to grow in the company. What it makes it difficult for me is that they hired me for a position and then the company merged with others and all my goals and objectives were shifted to other department. I am leaning towards resigning and looking for a part time job. My husband is also supporting me in any decision I make. Now I have to decide what course to buy. Thanks again for all your inputs I really appreciate it:)

[Anonymous]

I'm not going to lie, studying without a job is a lot easier to do than studying with a job. I studied for and took FAR before starting my current job. I did AUD, BEC and REG while working and it was much more difficult to stay motivated after working all day. AUD especially was rough. I simply didn't want to study it and my score reflects that.

Now with that out of the way you also need to look at the bigger picture. A lot of employers are getting candidates who took the exam while full time and passed and they may be your competition. You won't be nearly as impressive to them as someone who showed that they could meet the challenge of working full time while taking the exam. So if you do go that route I would be very careful of explaining the employment gap along the lines of “I took time off so I could study for the CPA exam.” Plan what you want to say ahead of time and you should be OK though.

Final thought. It's much easier to find a job while you have a job. Employers have a really bad stigma against hiring people who are unemployed. So that's worth keeping in mind. But on the other hand you don't owe your current employer any sense of loyalty either. If you feel it's in your best interest to quit or to leave than do so. Your current employer will be just fine. And remember, if they could save a buck by firing you, they will do so.

[Anonymous]

I disagree. Saying you took time off to study is actually a great explanation (as long as it is not excessive) and would be pretty easy to explain in an interview (work was not giving me enough free time to study so took time off, treated it like grad school, and passed …). Way more impressive than someone who failed again and again and again because they never gave themselves the time they needed to pass. Although like I said dont be excessive, try to keep at around 6 months but if you are going to take like over a year may be good to also take some classes or something at the same time just to help explain if needed.

[Anonymous]

I always advise against quitting your job to study. Getting a job after you get licensed isn't guaranteed (look at all the threads on here of people saying “So I passed, now I can't get a job – help!”), and telling a future boss that you quit to study when s/he passed while working isn't going to elevate you in their eyes. At least give it a shot to study while working first. If it doesn't work, then maybe quit to study, but at least try first. Having kids does make it more difficult to study around work, but also isn't something that's going to really matter to a future employer.

That being said, quitting to study does work for some people, and if you feel it's the best option for it, it can be done and made to work. Just make sure you're OK if you don't get a job for quite a while after you finish studying.

[JohnWayneIsGod]

I'm already in this situation as I quit my job a few months ago and decided to focus on the CPA rather than looking for a new job. Fortunately, I have the resources to be able to make such a decision and I assume that you do as well. But keep in mind that you should have at least 6 months to a year to study and pass and then a few extra months to obtain a job.

I think you are making the right move as you have career goals, but you are also a wife and a mother who has to live for others. But I would strongly advise that you work as hard as you possibly can on the CPA while you are out of work. Everyone who works while studying sacrifices, so people who don't work should sacrifice even more. I've already made the mistake of going ‘half-speed' during my first couple of months of study, and I know that I'm going to have to pay the piper for this later one whether it be an angry wife or a lost job opportunity for taking too long.

As for courses, I am using Roger CPA for lectures and notes, and Wiley for questions. Roger talks fast, but I think he added subtitles recently. However most CPAs and candidates that I know used Becker. My advice is to go onto Youtube and watch videos from some of the lecture courses to get an idea of what works for you. However if you pick Roger, in my opinion the questions are too easy.

Good luck!

FAR - 80

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.

-John Wayne

[More_Coffee]

I can definitely relate to this struggle. I have a full-time job and am also a mom to a 6-year old. It's not easy, but you can do it. 🙂 Do you have a good support system? My husband has done a good job at stepping up to the plate and has taken on a bigger share of the cleaning/cooking/etc. I basically only do laundry these days. He also will take my son out and do stuff on the weekends so I have time to study. It's not fun… my house definitely doesn't sparkle and I don't linger at family dinners at the in-laws anymore, but my family knows that I love them and they support what I'm trying to accomplish. They also know it's not permanent, and I still am able to make some time for them… just not quite as much. 🙂

You said that your job isn't challenging… do you have time to study at work? This has helped me in the past, although as I've been gaining more audit experience at work, I've found myself with less unscheduled time where I can hang out and study at the office. I personally don't study at all on weeknights (except for the last week or 2 right before the test for review purposes) and will do Becker modules only on the weekends instead, because I find that more manageable. It's all about finding what works for you! It may be that you do need to take time off from work to fully concentrate on studying, but I can tell you that it's definitely possible to continue working and being a part of your family (for the most part) while you're studying.

As for courses, I can only provide insight on Becker, which I'm using because my firm paid for it. I really like the format and I feel like it has prepared me well for the tests I've taken so far. I wish you luck on your CPA journey and I hope this helps 🙂

REG - 86 (4/11/15)
BEC - 92 (5/29/15)
AUD - 99 (7/23/15)
FAR - 89 (11/23/15) It's over!!!
>> Becker Self Study

[Author]

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