Is Passing The CPA Exam Worth It in 2024?
How Becoming A CPA Changed My Life & Why You Should Do Everything In Your Power To Do The Same
It’s no secret.
Passing the CPA exam all but guarantees that if you play your cards right you will make well over $1 million dollars more during your entire career than if you never passed the CPA exam.
Imagine what you could do with an extra million dollars!
Would that change your life?
Of course it would, but thinking of it in such a big number seems distant and unattainable right now.
So let’s look at some realistic numbers.
My Results After Passing The CPA Exam
I passed the CPA exam in 2010 after spending 2 years figuring out the right way to study, cracking the code to recovering from failure and being lucky enough to find a job during the great recession of 2008-2009.
After being laid off from my first public accounting job due to the economy, the only jobs available were general accounting positions.
I leveraged my accounting network and a partner I knew hooked me up with a CFO at a small private commercial real estate company called Cassidy Turley.
Now fun fact, this accounting job only paid $40K per year... this was due to the fact that the position didn't require a CPA license.
Since position did not require a CPA, after I passed the CPA exam I obviously asked for a raise.
They weren't able to give me anything which meant I had to look outside the company for job that paid me what I deserved.
I put out my resume to all the major public accounting firms in my area and within a month I got an offer from PwC as an experienced associate making $54K.
A 35% jump in annual salary overnight just because I had 3 letters after my name!
After putting in my 2 years at PwC, I was able to quit and receive an offer for $65K per year as an assistant VP in the financial reporting department at CitiGroup in their mortgage business.
A 62.5% or $25K/yr jump in annual salary from my pre-CPA days!
In just 2 years I increased my annual salary by $25K!
Do the math and over the next 30 years that $25K is going to turn into $750K and that doesn’t include any additional raises or promotions that I will likely earn.
If I had not passed the CPA exam I can assure you that I would not have be making even $50K per year after 2 years.
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What You Need To Do To Get The Same CPA Exam Results
Now obviously I cannot guarantee these results for you (angry men in suits would come knocking on my door if I did…)
But if you do pass the CPA exam, I guarantee that if you want these results, you will find a way to accomplish them.
Passing the CPA exam will open doors for you that you didn’t even know existed.
Best part is that these doors don’t have to be in accounting.
I have friends who passed the CPA exam and now work for the FBI, are school teachers, and are now pursuing their PHDs.
Every industry at least recognizes that CPAs are determined people who are a cut above the rest.
Isn’t that cool!
I always disliked this clique as a kid, but it is actually true if you can pass the CPA exam! “You CAN do anything you want when you grow up (and by grow up I mean become a CPA :D)”
What is the next step?
Now obviously I have you all jazzed up about the thoughts of becoming a future millionaire.
In the meantime you still have to pass the CPA exam!
So how do you do that?
Well unfortunately it will require a significant investment on your part.
There are no “cheap” shortcuts to passing the CPA exam.
Passing the CPA exam is all about which CPA review course you are using.
The number 1 mistake I see candidates all around the world doing is trying to cheap out on a review course.
And I totally understand why…
The majority of candidates (like yourself) are probably recently graduated or are still young in your careers.
So money IS an issue for many of you.
Now the good news is that based on how you study and learn best you should only have to spend $1,200-$2,000 at the most on a fully featured review course that will give you everything you need to pass.
You can also always check out my discount code page to ensure you are getting the most affordable price on the review course that works for you.
Link: Best CPA Exam Review Course Discounts
Now while I never ordinarily recommend going into debt, you should NOT look at buying a review course as an expense but an investment.
If I was too scared to buy a 2nd review course because it would cost me $1,200 after already spending over $1,000 on CPA exam fees + my primary review course…
I would have regretted it for the rest of my life and my bank account would have never forgiven me!
Would you spend $2,000 on a review course if all it did was help you earn $25,000 more per year every year for the rest of your career?
HECK YES you would!
Investing in yourself to pass the CPA exam is one of the MOST profitable investments any accountant can make.
Best part is that you are totally in control of your destiny and not at the whim of Wall Street.
Regardless of whether you are brand new to the CPA exam process or are struggling to pass, you need to make sure that you are using the BEST CPA review course for you.
I recommend starting your research with my comparison of the top 14 CPA review courses currently available.
Link: Compare Best CPA Review Courses Here
I reveal the inner workings of each course and provide you with my opinion on the pros and cons of each course.
Based on the features each course has I recommend that you look at how you study and learn best and ensure the review course is going to amplify that strength.
What I mean by that is if you prefer to self-study and teach yourself the material don’t look at a course that has long lectures but focuses more on text and questions.
Or if you have a bit of ADHD make sure that the course is going to help keep you focused by keeping you constantly moving between lectures, reading and questions so that you don’t give yourself a chance to lose focus.
Does that make sense?
If not email me at bryan@cpaexamguide.com and I would love to assist you in finding the best CPA review course for you.