CPA: A Devastating Road to Success?

by RONALD B. MERCADO

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The culmination of my tertiary education has already ended and I have gainfully ascertained the professional path that I wish to take. Having learned the know-how’s of accounting, I am already adept of what it takes to be a Certified Public Accountant though I haven’t taken the board exams yet. In its strictest sense, it is a must to pass in order to secure a license. But the heck of it, as my reviewer once said those examiners are corrupt in that they give examinations that are one helluva brain squashing and mind boggling tests. In certain points, I do agree with him since they keep on giving examinations which are beyond the syllabus or if not they give topics out of another subject. Or if you’re pretty unlucky the examiners assigned may not now how to arrive at the correct answer; therefore no answer is available on the choices. Anyhow, the important thing is that I am already ready to face the future. Right now, I am still wide awake and reviewing for the board exams. Few more weeks and the big event would finally arrive. The biggest question is: “Will I pass the said exam?” which depends solely on how the questions would be given. Would it cover the things I know? For your information, the syllabi are lengthy enough for you not to sleep all day in 6 months just to finish reviewing. A huge capacity is needed in your brain in order to accommodate the infinite formulas, periods, and rules in Accounting, Taxation, and Law. So many principles need to be studied. But of course, since the required weighted average would be 75% and at least two subjects having a floor of 65%. Basically, it’s only a reasonable assurance that is needed. Hence, there is still time to sleep. Hmmm… maybe for about 5 luxurious hours. The funny thing is that I once answered a set of examination getting an-almost-satisfying grade of 76% but on one subject I got a falling-star-grade. The subject is Auditing Problems. Would you imagine giving a branch auditing problem? The mere fact that it focused on topics in Practical Accounting 2 can already put you to a shiver. The heartless examiner even gave it for an audit test. These sadists really do not know how it feels to be tortured.

Let’s move on… Forget all about those pointless complaints. Nothing can be done but to pray that those things will not happen on our batch of examinees. During the past months I’ve been a prisoner of my own will. I experienced being locked-up in a room wherein I have no choice but to study, to study, and to study. It seemed like a mandatory procedure to go to the library and start reading the provisions of law and to drag myself in expediting my understanding on internal control and risk assessment. It’s such a shame that my undergrad professor didn’t teach us the basics of auditing theory. On the other hand, Business Law is inherently hard to understand unless you have a blood of a lawyer. Sometimes I do not know the reason behind giving Business Law as a half-subject in the board exams. My rationale is that we wouldn’t really practice them once where employed. We only need to know them but not master the provisions not unless where going to become CPA-Lawyer, which was once my goal. Forget about that! My mind is not set for studying that crap. I really hate that subject for so many reasons. One, why would legislators enact provisions with all due complexities? They could have set it at a uniform basis like for example the simple rule on sale of real properties having inferior quality vis-à-vis a sale of real property lacking size on what was stipulated on the contract. What is it really? Less than 10% or not less than 10% to rescind the contract?! Why the difference? Geesh… there are tons of loopholes that can make you fall in your seat simply thinking of them. As I was saying my life has been but a disaster. I keep on studying. It seems stress is already coupled in my career as a student, as an examinee, and finally as an auditor. When would this difficulty end? As they always say generally all the hard work would be compensated later on. EXCEPTION TO THE RULE: the accountants. Only a few can be a very successful CPAs but as for us, nah?! Where just gonna sit our asses and indefinitely working for so many hours with of course many sleepless nights and overtime hours in our respective offices. But then again, we chose this path and the courage of conviction can only be tested by persistency in the choices we made. There’s no going back now. It’s rather too late to back-out. I could have shifted from another course if I have to but I did not. This is simply because I have a belief with myself. My friends could attest to my strong character and I could always get out in a situation where I put myself into. In the end, all of us would finally say it’s not that bad after all then maybe holding keys of a BMW and of a house & lot at Corinthians’ Garden (who knows?). Whatever our endeavors would be it will always be coupled with trials and difficulties. The risk-return trade-off is the great principle that I believe in. In that it says that if you are a risk-taker then it would most probably yield on a high return. In parallel with that is the choice we made and how we go on with our life with the path we’ve taken. Now, is it really a devastating road?