Terrell is a new NINJA CPA Blogger.

Hello fellow NINJAs.

I’ve been on the journey to becoming a CPA now for what seems like a lifetime. I took my first test after college in 2009. Test after test I got back in the mail with the same results – fail.

So far I’ve used a total of three different review courses. (Next time I look at my financial position, I’ll understand that’s where all my money went. LOL.)

Last year I got my first passing score. No one believed me. I told my mother, my wife, my sister. They were so use to the same sob story. The easiest person to convince later that day was my wife. I showed her the passing score for FAR on the computer screen and shouted “In your face.”

Around March in 2014, I was able to share this good news once again to family and friends. I had yet passed another section- Auditing.

After passing two tests, I have asked myself countless times what has changed. My conclusion is that I am more disciplined, focused, and more mature. I strongly believe the CPA exam is a test of discipline and anyone can accomplish this goal if they put their mind to it.

Also, I nicknamed myself the “Yes Man.” When I moved back to my hometown, I said yes to everything. I committed myself to so much there was absolutely no way I could put in the time and energy to pass the test.

Then life happened and my father became sick. Because I’m a ‘fighter’, I was still determined to become a CPA while being a caregiver.

Another aspect that is different from when I began the CPA journey is that I found the NINJA method. I ordered the NINJA Notes first. I hesitated with ordering anything else, but finally ordered the Audio after saying that Jeff must be on to something. His approach, while simple, has worked great for my learning style.

I have two more tests to pass before the end of October. I now know what it takes to become a CPA and am more than ready to tackle Regulation on July the 5th and my rematch with BEC in August.

Until next time………..