Navigating the CPA journey: Honest advice from Jacob Giroux

As public accounting recruiters, we speak with tax and audit professionals almost every day, many of whom are either CPA-accredited or working toward the qualification. A common theme in those conversations is just how challenging it can be to earn a CPA, while managing the fast pace and long hours of a full-time public accounting role.

While we see the dedication it takes from the outside, we wanted to share a firsthand perspective. So we reached out to Jacob Giroux – an active voice in the accounting community and a newly qualified CPA – to reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what he wishes more people knew.

In this article, Jacob offers practical advice, encouragement and an honest take on what it takes to navigate the CPA process. Whether you’re in the thick of it or just starting on your CPA journey, his insight is well worth a read.

What initially inspired you to pursue CPA accreditation?

I was in a director position at the YMCA, focused on after school care and summer camps. The director position came with many financial responsibilities associated with managing a budget. And I really just fell in love with numbers all over again.

As an adult I had already finished my first degree – criminal justice – and so when I ended up getting let go by the YMCA, I decided I was going to go back and get either an accounting degree or a finance degree. I started taking the basics and the accounting professors convinced me that if you have an accounting degree, you can do finance. If you have a finance degree, you can’t necessarily do accounting. So it was better to get an accounting degree and then decide which one I liked once you’re doing the actual work. 

I dug into accounting and then somewhere along the way, all of my professors were saying it’s really only worth it if you get your CPA. So that became the end goal – go through all the undergrad accounting classes, get the degree and go for the CPA.

When I was getting the degree, pretty much all of the professors tell you to do some amount of time in public accounting. I attempted to get a job in audit, wasn’t able to for a while, then got one in tax. Fell in love and just haven’t looked back.

Balancing a full-time role in public accounting with CPA study is no small feat. How did you manage it?

It’s a work in progress. I think you just have to end up doing what works for you and your schedule and your rhythm. When I started, I was a night person – I wasn’t keen on waking up early. I failed Audit twice before getting my first pass, so it was really just an experiment on what I could get to stick.

What worked for me was leaning into evenings. Once the kids and my wife went to sleep around 8 or 8:30 pm, I’d spend the next 2-3 hours studying. I didn’t do a lot of weekends – that was reserved for family.

I used UWorld and their app to do ten-question multiple choice quizzes during downtime. If we had a 30-minute car ride, I’d tell my wife, ‘Hey, I’m going to check out for a bit and do a quiz.’ It was about making sure I was touching the material and progressing every single day.

I knew it would take me longer than someone fresh out of college with a master’s, cramming everything into six months. I had time constraints, and I had to work within them. But in hindsight, that slower pace was good for my mental health. Having weekends set aside helped me reset and recenter, reminding myself why I was doing this in the first place.

Do you have any practical study tips for balancing rigorous CPA exam prep?

[Make sure you have] good study materials. I didn’t really use Becker beyond the one section that was gifted to me, but I did use UWorld. I’d make sure to go through all the videos, all the content for the section I was studying and go through all the multiple choice at least once.

My method was: if I felt really good about a section, I’d lock that one away for a few weeks and focus on the ones I felt less comfortable with. Once I started to feel good about all of it, I’d do big 25 to 50-question quizzes covering the entire test to get a better grasp of what might be thrown at me.

I didn’t spend a whole lot of time on the task-based simulations; that was a personal choice because I hated doing them. But I figured – and it worked for me – that if I understood the multiple choice well, the tasks were just the application of those same concepts. Still, I did try to touch on at least half the task-based questions, just to get a sense of their rhythm and structure.

My advice to others is to hammer the multiple choice. But again, it all comes back to whatever works for people. It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s important to move things around and see what works.

What would your advice be for anyone who’s just failed a section?

Give yourself space to experience what that feels like. It sucks, but you really only fail when you give up. Failing the test just means you need to study a little more – and that’s as simple as it is.

Most people fail at least one section, if not more, so accept that. Don’t get upset at the people who said, ‘I know you’ll pass’ – they’re just trying to encourage you. Let them be part of the journey.

It was important for me not to shelter those interested in my testing journey from my failures. They’re part of the victories, part of the losses – you have to be willing to experience both.

Even if you’re not outspoken online like me, be open with those close to you. There’s accountability in that and it helps having people you love and trust support you through the good and the bad.

What role do you think firms can play in genuinely supporting staff pursuing CPA accreditation?

In public accounting, the standard is that firms promote it because it benefits them – it allows you to promote beyond senior, so there are wins for both sides.

At my firm specifically, they allowed several test days as part of our PTO package, provided UWorld test material at no cost and offered a bonus once you pass all four exams and get your CPA. So they showed support through PTO, materials and incentives.

What was particularly beneficial for me was the understanding from leadership. The partners knew I was studying, so if I closed my door at lunch to study or came in early, that was okay.

During slower times of the week before a test, they gave me a little more flexibility to touch the material when I needed to. That support made a big difference.

What’s your overarching advice for aspiring CPAs?

Don’t quit. If you set your mind to it, do it.

It sounds simple, but what I mean is put a test on the calendar and actually sit for it.

Many delay because they don’t feel ready or struggle with the study material. Giving yourself a set date – like December 25th – means you know how much time you have.

Even if you’re underprepared, take the test anyway. It motivates you, helps you see what to improve, and stops the cycle of endlessly pushing it back.

My biggest advice: get a test date, take the test, then adjust your approach – whether that means switching exams or materials – and keep going.

What was the CPA accreditation ceremony like for you?

It was a really nice day. Not all states do that ceremony, but Texas does.

It was a great culmination of the process that my family could also be part of. When I got my last exam score – on a Tuesday night at 7:00 pm – I told my wife I passed and we celebrated together. That was enough since she was the one involved most throughout the process.

But having my dad and sister fly in from Georgia, plus other family from Austin, where the ceremony was held, to celebrate and see me receive the certificate made it feel like a true graduation – a perfect way to be done.