Oh my.

Let's see. Where shall I start? Perhaps I'll start with the bad/annoying news, then go to the good news!

As many of you know, I have applied for the CPA exam. The plan was to take the first (of 4) sections the weekend of April 2 (either April 2 or 3). However, it looks like that won't be happening now. Why? Because the people who approve applications are absolute morons. Let me explain. I submitted my application and paid the $963 (YES... almost $1000...) application fee on 1/20/2010. I purposely submitted this really early because I knew I wanted to start taking the exam the first weekend in April, and I also knew that they promised you'd receive your Notice to Schedule (NTS) in 6-8 weeks. 6-8 weeks from 1/20/10 was 3/17/2010 at the latest. The LATEST. Well, it's 3/24/2010 and I still haven't received it. The NTS is what gives you a code to take to Prometric and use to schedule what time/day/where you'll take the exam. So like... I really need it. I've essentially planned my entire YEAR around taking this exam, and not receiving my NTS is really messing up that plan. Like... a lot. If I don't get it in the next week, I'm going to have to take at least one section of the exam while I'm working. This is just... completely insane and no one in their right mind does it. Like, sure, let me work from 8 AM until quite possibly 7 PM, then come home and study for 3-4 hours. False. Not happening. That's why I PURPOSELY APPLIED EARLY so that I could get it all done by August.

So anyway. I've been in the 'final review' stages for 3-4 weeks now. My online application status says this should take 'no more than 5-7 business days'. Um, yeah. It's clearly been more than that. So I've contacted the Ohio coordinator for NASBA which is the ONLY contact info I have for ANYONE at NASBA. He literally has not responded to a SINGLE one of my 3-4 emails or 3-4 voicemails. My voicemails HAVE been getting progressively more bitchy, but I mean... it's your job. Please just answer me.

I literally think about this maybe every 20 minutes. That's how stressful it is to me. So yesterday, I decided to contact the Accountancy Board of Ohio. Let me explain - NASBA is an organization that receives my application and decides whether or not I'm legit and whether or not I should take the test. The Accountancy Board is who actually CERTIFIES me... that is, they're the ones that give me my license once I pass all the parts of the exam. I talked with my mom, and she said she's always been really impressed with the board, so I decided to email them. Best decision ever??? Yes. Definitely. I emailed a random woman whose email address I found off the website... it said she was involved with licensing, so I was like 'Hmm, maybe she'll care that NASBA is ignoring me." She emailed me back this morning and 1) was very apologetic 2) said herself that the Ohio coordinator is frustrating and won't respond to their emails either and 3) that she would forward my email to another woman who deals with inquiries like this. Within 20 minutes of reading that email, the 'other woman' emailed me, also apologizing and saying that she would personally contact the Ohio coordinator and get an answer for me by tomorrow at the latest.

HOORAAAAAY!!!!!!! So excited. Anyway. So that was the bad news that literally turned good WHILE I was typing this email because that's when I got the response email from the Accountancy Board haha.

Now I'm tired of typing. Good news entry (aka visiting Atlanta) will come later today hopefully :)