Studying for the CPA

A coworker was just talking to me about the CPA exam. I've passed all four parts already and she only took her first test yesterday. She said she was jealous that I passed them all so quickly and easily. What she didn't know was that I studied a lot for these exams. It also took a lot for me to be able to stay up all night studying, sleep for less than four hours, and still be a functioning individual the next day. I had to work hard to get that ability.

I was in college full time when G was a baby. That was not easy. I was also working. The job started out as part-time to make sure I could handle the school work. Then I switched to full-time. Then I added an additional part-time job. All of this while watching G almost every night. (C worked nights back then so he could watch G during the day. We couldn't afford day care back then.) G didn't suffer from my crazy schedule. He developed close bonds with his dad and his grandparents in addition to me. He was also extremely smart. He was able to read all his letters by the time he was 18 months old. Where was I going with this again? Oh yea, my school.

I made sure to try 110% in college. If I failed, I wouldn't get a second shot. If my grades slipped, I'd lose my scholarship and have to drop out. I needed to keep my GPA above 3.5 to keep my scholarship. I worked my butt off. The first two semesters after G was born, I made the Dean's List both times. I got less than 3 hours of sleep a night and survived mostly on caffeine. My day would start with two cups of coffee. I would supplement with energy drinks and quad lattes (4 shots of espresso) during the day as needed. Nights were filled with another pot of coffee and several sodas. I've since cut back dramatically on the caffeine but that was the only way for me to stay awake at the time.

Compared with college, studying five hours a day for the CPA exam while raising G and working full-time was a breeze. I've earned the ability to function on little sleep. No one can take that away from me. However, I wouldn't wish my "training" on my worst enemy.