[refinnej]

So I passed the exam last month. What a relief, right?
Not so. I have been bouncing off the walls with a racing heart ever since. I already have a great job and I got a big raise for passing so it’s not related to a job search. I think it’s because I’ve spent the last 9 years studying (AA, BS, MBA, CPA) and now I have so much empty time.

I’m actually considering a PhD or law school because I am a mess without something to focus on. Anyone else go through this? How did you resolve the issue?

BEC - PASSED
REG - PASSED
AUD - PASSED
FAR - Not scheduled yet

[NeedsA75]

If your anxiety is really that severe I'd consider seeing a doctor for some meds…Not joking

[Ne’O]

Get really really fit.
Gym, Crossfit, P90-X, whatever.

PhD is just kicking the can down the road, unless you want to teach.
Also, not as many PhD programs as you'd think. It is rather impossible to do where I currently live.

Newbie CPA Candidate

[Anonymous]

If you want to learn, go to Khan Academy or CourseRA or something and learn about things you've never learned about, just for fun. Or go to Duolingo and learn a couple languages – those are even useful job skills.

If you want something to keep you busy, find a new hobby or pursuit.

Spending 10's or 100's of thousands on additional education without a plan for it probably isn't the best move; with a plan, go for it, but just to study, nah. Find a new way to study or a new pursuit to keep you busy.

And….before long, you'll wonder what time you were looking to fill; somehow the simple things like cleaning house take longer when you're not studying than when you were!

P. S. And yes, as prior poster said, if it's that bad, might want to see a doc.

[tg7174]

After this journey is over I am going back to my passion: math. I may go for another cert like the CIA for internal auditing…oh, and having kids might be a good idea. Plenty to keep you busy!

[Missy]

You don't have to be enrolled in an official program to find something new to obsess over. Go to the library, find a topic that intrigues you and read every book on the subject.

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

[Anonymous]

Not severe anxiety, but I feel a little lost without having something to study.
You're not alone.

[Anonymous]

Just try to learn some programming languages like python or some big data tools – Hadoop..get into financial analytics…definitely it will be interesting..there are lot of useful websites..

Useful links for online courses :
1-www.edx.org/
2- http://www.coursera.org
3- http://www.udacity.com
4- http://www.edraak.org
5- http://www.class.stanford.edu
6- http://www.venture-lab.org
7- http://www.education.10gen.com
8- http://www.openhpi.de
9- http://www.ocw.mit.edu
10- http://www.khanacademy.org
11- http://www.oli.cmu.edu
12- http://www.oyc.yale.edu
13- http://www.webcast.berkeley.edu
14- https://lnkd.in/dknxV4W
15- http://www.see.stanford.edu
16- http://www.ck12.org
17- http://www.udemy.com
18- http://www.skillshare.com

Try to do a marathon or maybe crossfit or ultra running

Take some risk and join a startup..60-80 hrs work week is the norm..

Enjoy 🙂

[Trele6]

@esenthil, any of those links teach VBA or SQL? I want to learn to code more within Excel and Access.

First go at the CPA! Only using Becker
Reg / Nov 2015 - 87
Far / Apr 2016 - 79
Bec / May 2016 - 80
Aud / Aug 2016

[raymondsfamily]

I haven’t experienced severe anxiety but I tend to get impulsive when I get bored sometimes (hard to think that happens with a f/t job, 4 kids, a VP hubby – sometimes I feel like I am a single parent…hahaha!) and when I was done with the CPA exam I actually was searching for the next thing. Sometimes I think it’s hard to turn that switch off so I’ve learned to turn it down low  For me, this means I take on learning new skill sets that will make me more marketable in the work place – I am currently taking on SQL training and am actually enjoying it. I am also working on my CPA side business – I really think it depends on what makes you happy and keeps you engaged and provides a meaningful challenge. Try a few different things (professional/personal) and see what works.

F - 5/8/13 81
R - 74, 2/7/14 86
B - 74, 12/6/13 82
A - 70, 11/4/14 89!!!

I'm done 🙂 Many thanks to Jeff, A71 and Roger CPA!!!

MBA and CPA

[Author]

Replies