Sergio's CPA exam fund
Donation protected
Hello!
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page and reading my story. I created this page after finally approaching the homestretch of my education. In a few short weeks I will graduate from the Rutgers Business School with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting. My post-graduation plan is to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination starting the second week of January. For those of you that know me, you know that graduating college and starting a career has been a long time coming. For those of you that don't know me, let me give you a little insight into the long route filled with many setbacks I took to get here.
Going back to school as an adult was the single hardest thing I have ever done. In December 2011 I went back to pursue a career in my dream field of working in aviation. Specifically, I was studying to be an Air Traffic Controller. After three successful semesters in school for ATC and nearing graduation, I was diagnosed by an FAA surgeon as having an extreme case of red-green-blue colorblindness, which automatically disqualified me from any FAA and Aviation work.
Instead of being discouraged after this major blow, I was more determined than ever to be the first of my immediate family to graduate college. My mother and father are both Colombian immigrants whose education did not get past the 7th grade, my older brother long ago decided that college wasn’t for him (rightfully so), and my younger brother was just starting middle school at the time of this devastating news.
Thus, I started all over. I went forth into college as a 28 year old with priorities that were completely different than your typical college freshman. But I had one thing that most of my peers were lacking: a renewed sense of purpose found in the support of my family and the love of my new fiancé who stood by me every step of the way as I embarked on a scary and potentially financially disastrous chapter of my life.
So I put aside all the distractions of adult life and maintained a job, two internships, and a full course load. I’m proud to say that in three years and despite of every set back, I am graduating later this month with a 3.85 GPA from the Rutgers Business School having completed the 150 credits required to sit for the CPA exam. I am even prouder to say that stemming from my highly competitive internship, I have accepted a full time position as a Business Tax Consultant at one of the top professional service firms in the world.
Which brings us to now. What is the next step for me and how are you involved? This job is just a stepping-stone to my career as a whole. In order to become a CPA and not just an accountant, I need to successfully complete the CPA examination. This professional license is instrumental in starting my career. The CPA exam is similar to the MCATs and LSATs in that there are many courses and reviews that are highly recommended (and almost required) to help achieve a passing score for each section. Each part of the 4-section exam has a required study time of at least 90 hours (plus homework time), are about 4 hours long and also extremely expensive. This huge time commitment, finals at Rutgers and my regular job, limits the amount of free time to seek out more work.
In order to be able to take the CPA exam, I have to pay the following
· A fee of 225$ to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy for a both a background check and an education requirements check
· A fee of 75$ per exam registration
· A fee of about 200$ per exam for “examination fees”
For a grand total of 1,325$ plus travel expenses.
I have set the goal for 1,500$, but will honor any and all donations placed after the goal is reached. A soft deadline for the first week of January has been set.
I need your help to be able to take my exam. I have been successful thus far in paying for the necessary review courses, however I am struggling to come up with the funds for the exams themselves as an independent student and the main breadwinner in my household of three, which consists of my wife, my puppy and myself. It is difficult for me to swallow my pride and to ask for help, as I believe that anything worth it in life should be earned, but i may not be able to do it without you.
I am also asking that if you can’t help with a cash donation, please help out by sharing this page and helping spread my story.
Any help, small or large, will help actualize my pursuit of the true American dream: to always improve not just myself but the lives of the people around me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for hearing my story.
Sergio Gomez
Future CPA
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page and reading my story. I created this page after finally approaching the homestretch of my education. In a few short weeks I will graduate from the Rutgers Business School with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting. My post-graduation plan is to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination starting the second week of January. For those of you that know me, you know that graduating college and starting a career has been a long time coming. For those of you that don't know me, let me give you a little insight into the long route filled with many setbacks I took to get here.
Going back to school as an adult was the single hardest thing I have ever done. In December 2011 I went back to pursue a career in my dream field of working in aviation. Specifically, I was studying to be an Air Traffic Controller. After three successful semesters in school for ATC and nearing graduation, I was diagnosed by an FAA surgeon as having an extreme case of red-green-blue colorblindness, which automatically disqualified me from any FAA and Aviation work.
Instead of being discouraged after this major blow, I was more determined than ever to be the first of my immediate family to graduate college. My mother and father are both Colombian immigrants whose education did not get past the 7th grade, my older brother long ago decided that college wasn’t for him (rightfully so), and my younger brother was just starting middle school at the time of this devastating news.
Thus, I started all over. I went forth into college as a 28 year old with priorities that were completely different than your typical college freshman. But I had one thing that most of my peers were lacking: a renewed sense of purpose found in the support of my family and the love of my new fiancé who stood by me every step of the way as I embarked on a scary and potentially financially disastrous chapter of my life.
So I put aside all the distractions of adult life and maintained a job, two internships, and a full course load. I’m proud to say that in three years and despite of every set back, I am graduating later this month with a 3.85 GPA from the Rutgers Business School having completed the 150 credits required to sit for the CPA exam. I am even prouder to say that stemming from my highly competitive internship, I have accepted a full time position as a Business Tax Consultant at one of the top professional service firms in the world.
Which brings us to now. What is the next step for me and how are you involved? This job is just a stepping-stone to my career as a whole. In order to become a CPA and not just an accountant, I need to successfully complete the CPA examination. This professional license is instrumental in starting my career. The CPA exam is similar to the MCATs and LSATs in that there are many courses and reviews that are highly recommended (and almost required) to help achieve a passing score for each section. Each part of the 4-section exam has a required study time of at least 90 hours (plus homework time), are about 4 hours long and also extremely expensive. This huge time commitment, finals at Rutgers and my regular job, limits the amount of free time to seek out more work.
In order to be able to take the CPA exam, I have to pay the following
· A fee of 225$ to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy for a both a background check and an education requirements check
· A fee of 75$ per exam registration
· A fee of about 200$ per exam for “examination fees”
For a grand total of 1,325$ plus travel expenses.
I have set the goal for 1,500$, but will honor any and all donations placed after the goal is reached. A soft deadline for the first week of January has been set.
I need your help to be able to take my exam. I have been successful thus far in paying for the necessary review courses, however I am struggling to come up with the funds for the exams themselves as an independent student and the main breadwinner in my household of three, which consists of my wife, my puppy and myself. It is difficult for me to swallow my pride and to ask for help, as I believe that anything worth it in life should be earned, but i may not be able to do it without you.
I am also asking that if you can’t help with a cash donation, please help out by sharing this page and helping spread my story.
Any help, small or large, will help actualize my pursuit of the true American dream: to always improve not just myself but the lives of the people around me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for hearing my story.
Sergio Gomez
Future CPA
Organizer
Sergio Gomez
Organizer
Rahway, NJ