From EA to CPA: My 9-Year Journey and What I Learned
Hello, readers,
Today, I’m excited to share my lengthy and transformative journey toward becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Over the span of nine years, I gained valuable insights that I hope will resonate with those considering this path or feeling a bit discouraged along the way.
My journey began in 2014 when I earned my Enrolled Agent (EA) license while still pursuing my college degree. I believed this credential would offer me a competitive advantage, yet my expectations proved to be a double-edged sword. While larger firms viewed me as overqualified for entry-level positions, they also deemed me too inexperienced for more senior roles. Although I found some opportunities at smaller firms, it wasn’t the major breakthrough I had envisioned.
I graduated in 2016, successfully passed the Regulation (REG) exam, and then faced an unexpected challenge: my mother fell ill, which caused me to put my CPA aspirations on hold. I attempted the Auditing (AUD) section in 2017 but unfortunately did not pass. I convinced myself that my EA designation would suffice for the time being.
As I witnessed peers achieving their CPA licenses around 2018-2019, I felt a renewed motivation to try once more. During the pandemic, I made the brave decision to leave my job and managed to pass the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) and REG exams. However, balancing a new job with study proved difficult, leading to an expiration of my exam credits by 2022, which pushed me to abandon my goals once again.
It wasn’t until 2023 that I found my motivation rekindled. Watching two junior colleagues pass all four sections in just nine months, along with encouragement from my managers, inspired me to revisit my CPA ambitions. After logging into my CPA portal and discovering that my credits for FAR and REG were still valid due to a credit extension offered by my state board, I was determined to move forward.
In October 2024, I passed the CPA section for Taxation (TCP) and made the bold choice to take an unpaid leave of absence to prepare for AUD, a section I had struggled with in the past, having failed it four times before. This decision meant sacrificing 2.5 months of salary, bonuses, and living expenses, but it all paid off when I finally passed the exam.
So, how did this transformation affect my life? For starters, it simplified
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