Sarah is a new NINJA CPA Blogger.

About a year ago, I decided it would be to my benefit to obtain my CPA. I’ve worked in various accounting positions for over 10 years and decided that if I want to have the opportunity for more in the accounting world, I needed that CPA designation.

So almost a year ago, I started taking the necessary accounting classes to be able to sit for the CPA. I took these through a graduate program at University of Phoenix.

I have an undergraduate degree in Finance and an MBA so I had the necessary 150 hours but not the specific account classes.

I took 6 classes over the span of 7-8 months and thought I was good to file my paperwork for candidacy. I gathered all my transcripts, filled out the paperwork, and sent my application in online.

In December 2012, I started studying for AUD. I spent the entire month dredging through the material and on December 27th, I finished. I had called our state office in mid-December but there was a snow storm that had shut down that region for several days.

I touched base with them before Christmas and they said they were missing one of my transcripts. I reordered that transcript and thought I was good to go. I had already decided, after I finished my AUD material, to take a few days off till after the first of the year then spend a couple weeks on the MCQs and SIMs hoping to take the test in mid-January.

New Year’s Eve, I get a call from the state office saying I’m missing Accounting Information Systems and I would have to take that class before my application would be complete. I was shocked! I had an IS class in my undergrad that spent time covering AIS so I thought I was okay.

My mistake, I was wrong, very wrong. Even after they received the course description they said it was a core requirement and I would have to have a specific AIS class or I could not sit for the exams. I hadn’t come this far to just quit.

So, I found an AIS class at University of Phoenix, started it mid-January and finished it last week. I’m waiting for my final grade so I can send a final transcript (again) and hopefully get qualified.

Assuming they are no other hiccups in the road, I’m planning on sitting for AUD during the first week of April if I can get my NTS in time. I then plan to try to squeeze BEC in at the end of that window in May, but only if I can take AUD during the first week of April.

If not, I’m moving on to FAR and I’ll pick up BEC down the road. I’d like to be done with the exam by the end of the year but that may not work since I’ve missed the first testing window. Let the adventure begin (for real this time)!