How did you start your CPA journey?
It has been about 20 years since I had a mind to have a CPA license after completing CA. Back in 2003, becoming a CPA was a cost-heavy procedure and on the other hand, you have to fly to the US to appear for the exam. Furthermore, CPA awareness was limited to CA communities and as per my observation, there were no CPA training centers remotely available around Ahmedabad. Yet I didn’t lose hope and it took two decades to mobilize my dreams to become a CPA and Miles had been incredible throughout my CPA journey.
What was your choice of study material for CPA preparations?
The subjects covered under the US CPA syllabus are very much related to the practical applications of the matters themselves. Serving the industry for over a decade so I had an advantage over concepts and Miles CPA prep books gave me a theoretical foundation to apply them at the CPA exam. For me, Miles’s books and OTB were more than enough to clear my CPA exam.
I have only attended classroom courses only for AUD, for BEC, REG, FAR I was completely dependent on Varun Jain’s video lectures. Every time I had doubts, I went back to his recorded lectures, often twice and it never failed to surprise me with the detailing of the contents. Varun’s video lectures definitely made my CPA journey a wholesome learning experience.
Your message to the professionals who want to reboot their careers with CPA
Age should not be the barrier to knowledge and there is no existence of things like study-gap. It only takes you to have the drive and need to make the career leap to get that global accounting accreditation to your hat. Plus if you have 10-15 years of experience in serving this sector, it becomes much easier with higher chances to clear CPA. You will have an understanding of the real financial market accounting taxation then you rather correlate better and clear it faster.
My message to the early birds pursuing CPA would be, to clear the exams in India itself. This way it will save you a lot of expenses and would be a hassle-free ride to the credential of your choice.
Any tips to share for our fellow CPA aspirants
- Miles Books are your ultimate guide
- Revisit Varun Jain’s lectures whenever you have doubts
- Stay focused and keep revising
