One of my favorite me stories is about how I became an accountant. You’ll often hear people say that everything happens for a reason, and maybe that’s true. There were certainly some coincidences that led me to being a CPA. It wasn't a choice. It was fate. This isn't a long story. Don't worry. I don’t really have time for long stories during tax season, anywho...
The year was 2008 (probably). I wasn’t too many weeks from graduating from a local community college with an associate’s degree in Business Administration. This was my chosen area of study because I was drawn to the business world — the professional look and cold corporate ascetics. I enjoyed making big decisions and directing others. This seemed like a path that might lead me there. Well, my guidance counselor told me I needed to choose something different because Business Administration was too broad and likely wouldn’t lead to a job. Back then, my level of motivation was low, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about being in college. So my guidance counselor and I pulled out the list of business majors and I uninspiredly read from the top of the list, “Accounting. Let’s do that one.”
From there, I took my associate’s degree in accounting to Middle Tennessee State Community college. At some point, I started enjoying my accounting classes and taking my path seriously. After graduating, I began taking the CPA exam, which is probably the toughest challenge I’ve overcome in life. It was split into four tests back then. Two of them were four-hour tests, and I think the other two were three-hour tests. Thankfully, they didn’t have to be taken all at once. Of course, I aced them all my first try. That’s a lie, but we aren’t here to talk about my failures. So we’ll gloss over that part.
The year was now 2011. It was fall (I think). I was still working on passing all the parts of the CPA exam, but my parents said it was time for me to get a job. Alexander was still a bit of a rebel, and that manifested as a powerful urge to depart my parent’s care and leave middle TN. I uploaded my resume to onto a website called Monster, applying for jobs in eastern TN for silly reason which I’ll not mention. In a couple of weeks, somehow, a local recruiter found my resume online and misinterpreted that I was already a CPA. She was looking to hire a CPA for a local tax office. There was some confusion to clear up about my status as a CPA, but I still got the job. I think it was November 2011. In November 2012, a CPA firm purchased the tax office. In December 2012, I got my CPA license. As of March 2024, I’m still with that same firm, fighting through another tax season.
It’s funny how things work out. I never left middle TN, but I found what I was looking for a stone’s through from where I started. Randomly selecting my college major and being mistaken for qualifications I didn’t have worked out well for me. Certainly, life is a box of surprises.
CURRENTLY LISTENING:
Actually, I'm watching something that's been on my list for about twenty years. Wow. That makes me feel old. I'm on episode 50 of Yu Yu Hakusho.
I remember catching some of the earlier episodes on Cartoon Network back in the early 2000s. Since then it's been on my list, but I've just never found the time until now.
So far, it's been great.
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