NorthernPlato
Shared on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 17:06Today I got the last of the marks I was waiting from my winter semester. Technically, once I knew I passed corporate tax, it was a safe bet that I would be graduating this June. It wasn't that tax was hard, it was that I have no idea what the prof was looking for when answering questions. The solutions to homework always included stuff that wasn't part of the question, but would be if information was different. Not that you would know what might be different, but that it could possibly be different in the given scenario, and therefore what would be the impact of the changes. It was frustrating.
Regardless, today I know for sure that I'm graduating, and with an overall average sufficient for it to be "with distinction" or some such thing. When I graduated from college in 2011, I had an over 90% average, but that didn't matter. I'm not sure what "distinction" means at university; I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean "here's some money to help pay down that student loan" though. Perhaps if I didn't already have an awesome job with a great group of people, it would help with that, but I knew that I had a job waiting for me even before I started my last year back in September. Which was simultaneously a great feeling to have while making it tedious to bother going to school. It was like school was an obstacle I had to complete so I could get back to the fun stuff - working.
So now my re-invention is almost complete – just need to complete the professional exams next year and I'll be a professional accountant. Woohoo!
It probably doesn't come across in text, but I'm giddy with excitement. No, really. Giddy. I've been grinning like a fool all day. Back when I started this whole thing back in 2008, it didn't seem quite real. That one day I'd be finished and working. Choosing to go back to school at 29 and get some sort of post-secondary education wasn't an easy decision to make, and having been in a relationship for 8 years at that point, it didn't effect only me. I'm damn lucky to have a partner like Ms. Plato. I couldn't imagine trying to do this without support.
I'm going to go have myself a little 30 second dance party now :D
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Comments
Submitted by CrypticCat on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 17:44
Congratulations, man. Well done!
Submitted by TANK on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 18:17
Nice, well done. Congrats.
Submitted by SarcasmoJones on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 20:17
Congratulations, amigo! There's nothing more exciting than accountancy...except maybe lion taming, but you need a hat for that.
Submitted by NorthernPlato on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 20:47
Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
And anyone thinking about going back to school for something completely different - do it. You'll feel great when you're done, and be able to do something you love. Unless you take English Lit .... unless you live being unemployed :P
Submitted by H2Daddy on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 06:26
Congrats. It's not easy going back to school as an adult. Definately something to be proud of.
Submitted by Vaeridius on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 15:10
That is amazingly epic. Congratulations.
Now go have cake! :D
Submitted by NorthernPlato on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 16:35
Oh...there will be cake! :D
Submitted by Automan21k on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 23:24
as a PSU Grad in Accounting, I can assure you that passing Corp Tax alone is a massive accomplishment. I had the top grade in the entire semister at 40% the only thing that saved any of us was the curve.
Good luck on the CPA, AGA, CMA or which ever cert you are going for. I could never bring myself to take the exams, they are way too intimidating for a lowly Contract Accountant like me.
Submitted by NorthernPlato on Sat, 05/11/2013 - 10:09
Thanks, though I have to say that Corp Tax in Canada is *far* easier than tax in the US. A tax system completely overhauled in 1971, with a catch-all "General Anti-Avoidance Rule" provision ... yup, shit makes sense. Not to say there aren't a lot of piddly little rules (as one professor I had like to say about the ITA) but the crap that people would want to do for complex corporate structures to avoid taxes (as opposed to evade them) is shut-down completely by GAAR.
I couldn't imagine trying to do taxes in the US, even for an individual let alone a corporation.
I'll be going the CPA route now, though. There were 3 different professional bodies in Canada (CA, CMA, CGA) but they've pretty much merged now into CPA. I'll be the last of the writers for the old CA process, which is supposedly the hardest in Canada. By October next year, I should be completely done. I can't wait.
Submitted by Codex on Sat, 05/11/2013 - 20:11
Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of numbers! And extra grats for the exemplary marks in corporate taxation. There were only two accounting classes I didn't pass with high marks. One was due to advanced senioritis and the other was taxation. The one class where they took everything that made sense in accounting and threw it out the door.
Submitted by NorthernPlato on Sun, 05/12/2013 - 07:49
Thanks man. Also, good to see you online again! :)
I'd burn my copy of the Income Tax Act for the catharsis, but I know I'll just need it again next June and September. Only 3 professional exams to go! (At least it's not full-time school...)