Recently I started putting some boundaries at work to focus on passing the CPA exam and getting my health on track. I was recently let known that I have not been performing as I should, and that I am spending more hours that I should in different tasks. Which is true, mentally I am very fatigued and drained and there is little to no energy left in me. Additionally, there have been a few tasks that have gone south do to my own inefficiencies and client problems.. continue comments.

Pass your CPA. You can always reset people’s view of your work by going to another firm.

Don’t worry man

Ur CPA and ur health are more important

In ur later years you’ll be happy you got ur CPA

When ur healthy and everyone fat with back problems you won’t regret ur decision

Who cares if u don’t get work

Catch up on ur work and you’ll be fine

Have a transparent conversation about your goals and workload and see if you can pick up tasks that allow you to show your serious about improvement. Being inefficient is likely due to procrastinations and lack of communicating your needs.

Realistically, a lot of people feel this way when studying toward the CPA. Get your CPA no matter what. If you want to leave and try something else, doors that were previously shut just open for you when you have your CPA. Also, when you're done studying, you will have more time and mental energy anyway, so you will perform better. But think about all that later. For now, just put your head down and focus on passing.

Also, be realistic with yourself. If you’re not performing as you should and you’re run down, then that means something is not balanced.

You may need to pace your studies differently or use a different strategy. Are you organized? Are you communicating? People will think what they want. Period. But, you have to take ownership and accountability of what you can control. Part of that is advice from TM1 and the other is self-assessing if or how you can better align your efforts.

I got let go by the littlest, crappiest small office CPA firm 3 years into my career - I wasn’t meeting expectations technically, I was slow, etc.

Fast forward 14 years and I’m at a top 20 firm, making partner this fall. Everyone’s path is different. Some people need a hard reset. Some people need to focus on getting their health and mental strength in tact first (e.g. diet, exercise, meditate, etc).

If I can do it, you can do it… but only if you really, really, really want it and are willing to put the work in to develop yourself personally and professionally.

I am sorry you are going through this. What you are doing is hard. Juggling full time job with strict deadlines and client facing can easily take a toll on you. Not to mention finding time to study. CPA exam is hard not only because of the content and volume but also because it requires an enormous effort and self discipline. It is good you are recognizing this and seeking the best plan of action.

Just sit down and write out your priorities and decide in what sequence you can do what you need to do. Consult with close family or someone career minded to help you sort through what you need to focus on first.

You will get there. Have a plan and surround yourself with people who can help you get there.

Adjust what is in your influence to change to find a better balance between work responsibilities, health (primarily sleep and exercise), and studying. Beyond that, some variables are just not up to you. Make peace with that part of life.

Like others have said, once you pass more opportunities will be available whether in PA or industry. I had a terrible first experience when I started my career. I tried to study at night and on the weekends my first audit season and it was a complete failure. The firm were toxic and laid me off when I asked about the PTO policy to take a half-day for my birthday after busy season ended. I was devastated.

I took a massive pay cut to work for a smaller firm and moved back home into my old room (humiliating). I reset and crushed it in the offseason both with work and testing. I got my license, got engaged and married, and a stellar review.

Don't let one awful work experience define your career. Just let it fuel you to move forward.

This👆

As a senior manager, I can 100% say transparency goes so far with me.

I think for all of us, if we have someone not performing up to standards on our teams, we think of all of the possible negative reasons - maybe they just don’t care, maybe they’re actively looking for a different job, etc. If someone who works for me comes to me and lays out their situation and asks me for help in balancing, I respect them so much more - and I trust them so much more. Losing trust is easy when not performing up to standards or letting things slip. But if you’re honest about the reasons, you want to improve and you just need some additional guidance to get back on track, that’s a managers dream to hear that. And if you have a good manager, they’ll work with you on that and if you are able to do what they lay out, it will help to build back that reputation.

Of course, as others have said, you could also just focus on the other aspects of your life and know the situation won’t matter anyway once you have your cpa and get a new job :)

Don't worry about it. Put most of your time and effort into passing the exams. You can always start over fresh at a new job and you'll likely get better pay with your CPA license.

All this mix of circumstances have created biases on people about the type of work that I can take, and I feel I will not be able to recover from this. I feel like a total failure and seen as a low quality worker. I wish I could be it all, but I can’t be different things. I know If I push more I would collapse at the end of the road, and I would neglect other areas of my life. I need some advice since I am not sure what to do next.

Look into taking FMLA for the time period. There are a lot of hoops and it's unpaid (may be able to get short term disability, if you meet the requirements). Remember your health is paramount and this is just a job.

Discuss an SWA with your supervisor during a specific timeframe while you pass the CPA. It’s best to do this than having a terrible year where you don’t meet your hours and are not meeting expectations. As someone else said, you need to rebalance and be honest at what you can and can’t take.

I feel the same way, so I quit my audit job as soon as I passed audit and then Passed the other 3 exams in 6 months

Your feelings are completely valid and natural. I went through similar situations while studying for masters and CPA and was stretched too thin. Have an honest conversation with your team and ask them to help you prioritize your client work. Getting your CPA should be your utmost priority. You’ll have folks tell you that clients come first but this is your career so have these discussions to see how you can best balance work and personal goals. It also really depends on how supportive your teams are. I had certain people on one team that was completely all in in making sure I was successful so they stepped up more and took things off my plate while others were self serving and wanted to sabotage my career. Avoid those people if possible. But just communicate clearly and firmly.

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