It’s been five years since I graduated from law school (June 2008) and eight years since I graduated from college (June 2005). Now, after five years out of the classroom, and holding some temp jobs here and there a few years back, I’m finally heading back to school to do something that I considered back when I was still in undergrad.
Way back in 2005 I considered staying in college an extra year so that I could graduate with double major of History and Accounting. The idea was that I would become both an attorney and a CPA. Instead, I ultimately decided to head to straight to law school and graduated pretty much right in the heart of the Great Recession.
After that I found some temp jobs once I was admitted to the bar, but a little more than a year after that my mom’s health declined to the point that it was best for me to stay home and take care of her. Since she’s been a single parent since I was three, I’m an only child and the rest of our family doesn’t live nearby everything fell on me. I’m not sorry or resentful about that happening. Family is family. That’s my view.
Thankfully, now, her health is good enough that she can pretty much care for herself at home. In fact, she’s now healthy enough that I can go away to visit family for a few days. That said, it’ll be even better once she finally gets her kidney transplant.
Anyway, back to the main subject below the squiggly.
I start classes at my old college on the 28th. I’ve decided to go the JD-CPA route after all. In today’s economy, where everything is about how you can distinguish yourself, it’s something that will really help me. It gives me a little niche. It also helps that it occurs at the intersection of a subject matter that I actually do enjoy.
I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be in school. For that I have to contact the state and see the exact requirements for sitting for the CPA exam, although I know that it’ll require at least a year or so of school. Had it occurred before the rules changed back in 2009, I’d be done after this semester, would sit for the exam and then would audit for a year before I became a CPA. Now, I’ll have to go school a little longer.
My own thinking on this has always been that if I can do it really quickly I’ll just take the classes, get it done and sit for the exam. However, if I’m only two or three classes from getting my degree, then I would find myself hard pressed to not just get the degree, even if it’s only for my own self-edification because prospective employers won’t care as much. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. For the time being I’m formally matriculated as an accounting major.
It feels kind of weird heading back to school in nine days. Back when I graduated law school I thought I was done with classes aside from fulfilling my continuing education requirements to maintain my law license. Now I find myself back in the classroom so I can get a second bachelor’s degree. Back then I was often the youngest in my classes because I was a year ahead of everyone in school; now I won’t necessarily be the oldest in my classes, but I will be one of the older students.
I guess all I can ask for is just some luck to go with some hard work and that it will it all work out in the end.
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