"Too Late - those are the two saddest words in the world. Many people fail the CPA Exam because they just wait too late to get started. They could pass; they should have passed; they wanted to pass. They just didn't get serious about it soon enough. They put off getting serious too long." - CPAreviewforFREE on Facebook
This quote hit me and I thought it worth the share. I'm an aspiring CPA, graduated 2 years ago, took the CPA board twice, had failed twice but still trying. I never thought I would want to be a CPA not until 6 months after my graduation.
I enrolled and studied BSA course without any idea what accountancy is all about. No consulatation at all. When I was graduating for HS, I told my friends I would take any course which won't require too much computations. I didn't attend any career orientation then. I asked my mom what course she wanted me to take but she said whatever I like. Since she's my mother, I thought she could tell me where I'm good at, I was hoping to get an idea what course would fit to me. I was planning to enroll Journalism or HRM back then, but while on the applicant's line, my friends who were enrolling for their chosen courses told me that I better choose what they are about to enroll. One of my friends was enrolling for the BSA course. Clueless about the course(embarrassing but true) I was influenced and convinced by her when she told me that the course could offer me any job once I graduate. And that's how my frustrations started(Lol).
My life during the freshman years was so full of anxiety, I was always agitated. I was busy coping with the course, trying to survive. The friend who influenced me in that course shifted after the first sem of our first year. I told my mom I wanted to shift too but she didn't take me seriously. She thought I was kidding every time I told her that accountancy is not for me. She didn't believe because she couldn't see it in my grades. My grades were acceptable except for the Math subjects that I consistently got the average of 75% from the 2nd sem of 1st year to 4th year. I got frustrated with my Math grades than my Accounting subjects. But I decided to continue with the course since no one forced me to take it. And besides, I wanted to graduate on time. But I learned to cheat, copy assignments and rely on my seatmates work every time there would be a quiz or assignments. I effortlessly passed my minor subjects but never with the major ones. I tried to catch up and love my accounting subjects when I was in the 3rd year. I tried learning on my own. But the professors won't give you high grades for the efforts. They won't bother to know if you're the one who did the work or not. What matters to them is that you pass their tests. So I didn't care about learning, I concentrated on ways for me to be able to pass. It was easy for me to survive than to learn accounting. Luckily, I graduated.
It is when I'm already done with my studies when I felt the urge to study accounting. I was watching the noon time show Wowowee when I felt the urge to take the CPA board. There was a segment there when all the players were newly passed RN's. I was moved by the mothers' tears because of joy. I felt how proud their parents were for them. Then I felt and thought, " I want to make my mom and family be proud of me. I can pass the board too to make them proud".
I enrolled to the CPA review schools with the thought that I could make if I would just stay focus. But four years of not studying what was supposed to be studied could not be learned and summed up in 5 months, nor 6 months, neither in one year. I know I failed because I started too late to get serious. I regret the wasted chance and time that I spent during my college days. If only I knew that I would want to be a CPA, maybe I studied hard back then. I could have passed, because I wanted to pass. I might be a CPA now.
So to all students out there, whether you're a BSA student or not, whether you were forced to take that course or not, study hard! Take your courses seriously. Don't be like me, who waited too late to get started...
