Are you working toward becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)? Do you feel inclined to take as much time as possible? While it’s true that good things are worth waiting for, you don’t always have to wait.
It’s possible to get your CPA license quickly
Working on a professional license is a time-consuming process. You can’t cut corners with studying and expect to pass your exam. However, you don’t have to take your time if you can study efficiently in a shorter period of time.
Although you’ll need to study hard, getting your CPA license is a straightforward process. After you take your CPA exam prep course from EfficientLearning.com, you’ll be ready to take the first of four exams. Once you complete your first exam, the clock starts ticking. From that moment, you’ll have 18 months to pass the remaining three exam sections. That’s a year and a half.
Many people see this timeframe as an opportunity to take their time. However, some people have gotten their license in as little as 9 months.
Although 18 months is plenty of time to be leisurely about taking your exams, there are several reasons to push yourself to get your CPA license quickly.
1. You’ll make more money when you’re certified
Once you’re certified, you’re automatically worth more money to employers, even at entry-level. An official CPA certification makes it possible to get hired in the first place. In other words, your job opportunities are greater the minute you obtain your certification.
With a this license, you can find a company that will advance you in position and salary as you gain experience. This isn’t possible without certification. Certified job candidates – even at entry level – are worth more to employers because they know you’ll gain experience and expertise as time passes. Many employers are willing to start new CPAs at a high base salary that gets increased as experience and achievements increase.
There’s no reason to postpone your certification by taking your time if it’s unnecessary. If it takes you 18 months to pass your exam, that’s perfectly fine. However, if you want to start earning more money and get a job as a CPA sooner, step up your game and study a little harder. It’s worth the effort, even if you just shave a few months off the standard timeframe.
2. The challenge is rewarding
Some people need the entire 18 months to complete all four sections of the CPA exam. If you need the entire time, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you’re the kind of person who can push for excellence in the face of a challenge, it’s worth lighting a little fire to move faster.
Try making an effort to meet a tighter timeline – you might be surprised to see what you’re capable of achieving. If you can get your CPA license in less than 18 months, you’ll get hired faster, and you’ll know you’ve achieved something wonderful.
3. You’ll earn money from home during lockdowns
If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you probably know the world is still experiencing problems from the pandemic. This has led to another set of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders across the globe. With variants spreading quickly, it’s safe to assume we’ll see another lockdown at some point.
If you get your CPA license quickly, you’ll be prepared to earn money online during the next series of lockdowns. For instance, you can prepare tax returns from home and consult with businesses over the phone or through Zoom meetings.
There are plenty of online income-generating opportunities for CPAs and not all require crunching numbers or working directly with clients. You can even branch out beyond your CPA duties and start a new YouTube channel for other CPAs to share tips, tricks, and strategies.
You can create a blog dedicated to helping new CPAs and then find a way to monetize your blog. For instance, if you generate enough traffic, you might be able to land a partnership with a CPA-related product or service.
If you can come up with a high-ticket item or service to sell, you can write ebooks and give them away as free downloads in exchange for email addresses.
4. You’ll learn amazing study strategies
Studying for any exam can be challenging and the CPA exam brings plenty of challenges to the table. To pass the exam at all, you’ll need some strong study habits. To pass the exam in a short period of time, you’ll need to study smarter, not harder.
One of the best study strategies is pretending to teach someone what you’ve learned. Research shows that people learn quickly by teaching others. If you don’t have anyone to teach, just speak out loud as if you’re addressing a room full of people. You can do this at home, in bed, in the car, or even in the shower.
Pretending to teach an audience is a trick plenty of people use, including coaches, teachers, and speakers. When you need to learn new material, you can’t just cram information into your head and hope it sticks. The act of verbalizing what you know forces you to recognize what you don’t know.
In addition to pretending to teach other people, you can prepare your notes and lessons as if you’re going to teach what you’re learning. Identify your key points and organize your information in a way that would facilitate you teaching the material. Organizing your information in this manner will help you remember the information even better.
Don’t rush, but don’t hesitate
Find the balance between acting quickly and studying thoroughly for your CPA exam. Don’t rush into taking your exams, but don’t hold back and hesitate, either.
If you can, press yourself to move faster and take those extra study sessions. If pushing harder doesn’t feel right, that’s okay, too. Commit to a pace that works for you, and you’ll have your CPA license soon.