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Jeanette recently graduated from the Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with her Masters in Science: Accounting degree and is currently an intern for the Rochester Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA).
I chose to attend RIT because I liked the idea of earning a business degree at a school that emphasizes technology and the role of not only technology in business, but also the importance of business knowledge in technology development.
Jeanette was also the President of the Women in Business club on her campus, which gave her the opportunity to tour some of the big tech companies in Silicon Valley. She plans to go into public accounting and thinks becoming dual certified as both a CPA and CIA will be her key to a successful career.
The CPA is an obvious choice for public accounting, but also earning a CIA certification will open up many opportunities. Not many candidates choose to get more than one certification, so Jeanette is guaranteed to stand out to top firms. She will be taking the CPA Exam first because her firm requires it, but knows the value CIAs add to their companies.
I think effective internal auditing is important for companies, businesses, and public accountants. Becoming a CIA would open up my options to work within a company and help the company grow while still ensuring that the company has fair financial statements. I think that it is extremely important for companies to have fair and qualified internal auditors.
With two certifications, Jeanette will be poised to take advantage of any opportunities that come her way. However, with the extra certification comes more study hours, and she needs to make those study hours count.
Everyone has a different learning style. Jeanette uses a computer to take notes initially but then re-writes them by hand when she studies because she finds it helpful. Gleim agrees that one of the best ways to remember something is to write it out by hand.
Repetition can also help with comprehension. Jeanette also recommends accounting students work together and review each other’s work.
Accounting work often relies on multiple levels of review, and working with classmates and reviewing one another’s work can better prepare you for the working world.
But it isn’t easy to work and study all day without something to break it up.
Running outside and listening to music is a huge motivator for me when it comes to work and academics. Accounting work is primarily done inside, sitting down, requiring a lot of focus, and sometimes it can be frustrating when a project is not coming together easily. Running is much more straightforward, and achieving a concrete goal of a specific number of miles or time can clear my head and provide the confidence boost to complete a difficult accounting problem.
While studying for the CPA Exam, Jeanette’s favorite feature of the Gleim Review System has been Simulations. Task-Based Simulations can be one of the main challenges for CPA candidates, and one of the best ways to learn how to answer them effectively is practice. Jeanette’s first exposure to Gleim materials was in her undergraduate Auditing course. Later, a professor told her about the Gleim Campus Representative program.
The Campus Rep program helps accounting students become leaders among their peers. Gleim Campus Reps become experts on the CIA, CPA, CMA and EA exams and share this information with other students.
The Gleim Campus Rep Program was a great way for me to learn more about the certifications available for accountants, as well as share that knowledge with others. I think it is amazing that Gleim is also willing to provide CPA materials—it benefits not only the representatives but also those who are able to learn from them. It shows that Gleim is dedicated to helping students.
We wish Jeannette the best on her CPA studies and look forward to helping her become a CIA when she’s ready! We know she has a bright future ahead of her and we are proud to be a part of her journey to success!
