That’s right, that millisecond of time that it takes to move your hands, from the keyboard to the mouse, actually adds up over the day.  There are literally hundreds of shortcut keys in every program, but in the interest of being concise I’ll just list some of my favorites for the “programs” that a majority of businesses use every day.

Windows:

ALT+TAB – Use this keystroke to toggle between running programs.

Window(s) +D – this minimizes all of the windows that are open and displays your desktop.

 Window(s) +L - This shortcut key locks your computer. As an accountant it is important to protect the data on your computer. Confidentiality is critical in our profession.

All office Products:

Ctrl+S – Save. Ok it may seem like an obvious one but if you have ever lost work you will find that you will hit Ctrl+ S at least 30 times an hour.

Ctrl+C – copy

Ctrl+V – paste

F7 – Spell-check and grammar check (Use it often!!)

Ctrl+Z – undo

Ctrl+P – Print

Word:

SHIFT+F3 – If you have ever typed something just to realize that CAPSLOCK was on, this keystroke is for you! This shortcut will change the case of the selected text; hit it multiple times for different cases.

Excel:

Ctrl+1 – opens the format cells menu

Ctrl-Page Up, Ctrl-Page Down – cycles through worksheets in your workbook

Ctrl-Space – select column

Shift-Space – select row

Hopefully some of these will benefit you while you complete your studies and when you enter the workforce!

I will not assume the superciliousness of suggesting that I am righteous enough to point out to you what may be wrong with society; nevertheless, woe to me if I never utter the words that are inside my heart and in my head.  I want my life to have meant something to others to whom I had no blatant obligation other than that pervasive obligation I believe is inherent in every capable person to serve those incapable of serving themselves.

I pray that what I give is never done so in accordance with corporate social responsibility, nor in the season of giving.  My wife and I do not buy each other gifts, nor do we celebrate certain holidays.  I do not wish to suggest that you should do as we do, for it is what we are content in doing, but I make this statement to explain why.  We do not feel giving should ever be expected among 2 capable and reasonable adults; furthermore, we believe this generates a habit of expectations and obligations that will begin to supersede the underlying spirit of giving.  (Again, I do not say this as a judgment on what you are content to do, and what brings you happiness.)  This same mentality I wish to be a part of the core of who I am in the future, specifically in my interactions with others, beyond just my family.

I hope to be able to give of my time, energy, money, etc. when I feel the urge to do so, not when I am scheduled to do so.

You might be asking what this has to do with accounting, and for those who have been in the field of public accounting, or in the corporate environment for any time, I would hope you already know the answer.  At the risk of condescension, I shall, nonetheless, explain.

The field of accounting is interwoven with ethics, even to the point that we, in order to become a CPA, must pass an ethics exam.  As ethics deals largely with ensuring that we consider WHO is affected by our decisions, our actions in business, and outside of business must always be tethered to such considerations.  We must ALWAYS be considerate of whether our decisions are (beyond the scope of statutory limitations) the best financially while also being disadvantageous to the fewest number of people who have had no consent in these decisions.

As I mentioned before (with respect to the obligation to give gifts on certain days), when this consideration is forced upon us, it is easiest to meet the minimum obligations when times are tough, and to seek admiring recognition in our beneficence when we go beyond those expectations.  I wish that I never do succumb to this sentiment, and so, I believe that the beginning of not doing so is, at the very least, my confession to others that I wish to not do so.

I ask your pardon for this rant, it is where my heart has dwelled in recent my moments of quiet.

When I tell most people that this is my typical finals week, I get looks from even the most revered “all-nighter”-ers. People seem to marvel at the sheer insanity that it takes to do this for a straight week, even though I think they more than make up for it with their one-night sans sleep to study. The truth is, though, we’re all cut from the same cloth. We all did pretty well during the semester, but we’re focused on grades, not learning – ends, not means. Yes, we love learning, but we let the stress of grades take precedence. We’re doing this to ourselves. The truth is: we don’t study hard enough before the real pressure hits. We don’t take time to learn, we take time to get ourselves the grades we want.

Be honest with yourself: is this you, too?

All of us – readers and writers of this blog alike – know what it’s like to be in school. We all know what it’s like to study and have the pressure to do well on us like an anvil. Many of us are studying for the CPA exam, and several of us has reached great success. But several of us are also pulling out hair out. Now granted, everyone is different when it comes to learning and knowledge, but let me ask you this: did you do well on tests because you studied everything the night before/day of, or did you actually take the time to learn and, dare I say, enjoy what you were learning?

When my dad first took the FAR section of the CPA exam, he did it after having holed himself up in a cabin in Flagstaff for 2 months. All he did was study, he says. He thought he was so ready, and why wouldn’t he be, after all that time? Only after he got a below-passing score two separate times did he finally realize it was time for a change. And change he did – several months of paced, patient studying later, my dad was a brand-new California CPA.

There are numerous resources there that tell you “how to study”. We all have our different methods that work for us, but in the spirit of reducing stress and encouraging active, rententive learning, let me offer you something that’s always worked for me (and apparently, my dad): make studying a gradual, incremental thing. Crazy, I know, but it pays off. Imagine if you took 30 minutes a day to study for the CPA exam for 12 months, giving your brain the chance to absorb and process information, giving yourself the chance to fully understand things in-depth…a brain without an overload is a happy brain indeed!

In short, I guess my post tonight was less of a “How-To” and more of a suggestion. Study long-term, really. Don’t be like me – I’m only doing this because I’m crazy. Hey, maybe it’s the late-night daze talking. Nonetheless, I hope I’ve given you something worthwhile to think about!

Best of luck to finals and CPA exam takers, everyone. You’ll be seeing more of me after winter break!

Best,

Haley O’Bryan

If I had to offer some advice to anyone preparing for the CPA Exam, I would like to offer 5 general tips:

Choosing your career can be a very intimidating decision.  The added pressure of leaving home adds a dimension of complexity to this already challenging decision.  Nevertheless, if there exists within in you a desire to see more of the world, nurture that craving.  I do not at all think any less of staying at home; this message is merely for those with the craving to go out, whether permanent or temporary.  Also, I want you to understand that, especially if you have family here, it is far easier to return than it will be to leave once you have chosen your path.

I spent roughly 8 years of my life in the military.  During that time, I had to move across country no less than 5 times, with another 2 long distance moves.  All of these moves were with my wife, and most of them with our daughter.  I know how difficult it is to go through the moving process, but I have learned a lot because of these moves.

When moving, familiarity dictates difficulty.  This means that if you have a great deal of experience in that locale, your move will be easier; whereas, if you have little to no experience and/or knowledge of where you are going, relocation becomes exponentially more difficult.  Returning home, to where you were raised, is easiest, and made even easier when you still have family to return to.   Returning to a location that you had previously lived in is also fairly easy.  The most difficult of all moves is when moving to an unknown location where you have no roots, no friends, and no experience.

When you look at the whole of your life (or expected life), when do you honestly think is the best time to do that most difficult of moves, and when do you think it is most fair to your family to do this move?   I believe the easiest and best time to do this is immediately following college.

I encourage you not to rationalize postponing this decision or pursuit.  If you do, you might find that those same obligations that are holding you back now only get stronger with the passage of time.  As they strengthen, your opportunities are likely to wane.

Please feel free to comment or email me your own thoughts!

My name is Daniel Presson and I am new to blogging. I am a senior NAU student graduating in December 2011.

When looking back at how fast my 4.5 years of college of gone, I can not help but notice certain skills that I wish freshmen knew in regards to studying. Here are some tips that I have for all incoming freshmen who wish to succeed at the college level.

1) SET A GOAL

At the beginning of the semester, it is important to set an academic goal. Make sure this goal is challenging yet realistic. Don’t make your goal a 4.0 if you have hours upon hours of extracurricular as this is not realistic.  As you get grades from your teachers throughout the semester, re-evaluate your goals. Consistently calculate your grade and see what grades you need to receive in the future to reach your goal. Make changes to your approaches if necessary!

2) TIME AND QUALITY HAVE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP

Do not just do the homework in order to complete it, but look at the big picture instead. Use homework as a guideline to study and to understand the material. The more you soak in as you complete homework and projects, the less stressful studying for tests will become.  The more time you put into homework, projects, and other aspects of your life the better the result will be.

3) GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH

As a student you have paid for both classes and books, use those resources to their full potential. If you don’t understand something ask the teacher and don’t hold back. Try to use all your resources to satisfy all your questions and curiosity about your related classes.  When you are reading the chapter for class read it more than once, which leads me to my next point

4) REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION

It is important to consistently review the material throughout the week, instead of putting things off and cramming the night before. You should think of studying just like working out. Do athletes train the night before their race? Absolutely Not!!! They train for a couple of hours a day for months and the night before the race; they relax and get a good night sleep.  If you put in the time, you will get the results.

Anyone regardless of background can be a strong student if they are able to treat studying seriously and put in the time.

Why did I choose accounting?

Growing up, I never had an overwhelming desire to be a doctor, lawyer, politician, firefighter, or any of the stand-out vocations that, as children, we might say we want to be.  I did not want to define myself by the vocation I would chose; instead, I thought about the roles I wanted to play.  Roles such as father, executive, husband, mentor, friend, counselor, entrepreneur, innovator, conqueror, etc. were all within my grasp.  I am not surprised I am where I am today having had so many desires pulling me in so many directions, and growing up in a society which tells you that once you are in one path, you devote your life to that path, or even that company, or government, and you shall live a satisfied and meaningful life.

What I didn’t know, even a year and a half ago, that I have since learned is that the job of the accountant is probably one of the most flexible a person could choose, in terms of where you can go and what you can do.

An accountant is a person who wears many hats.  

I look forward to the days when I’ll be able to interact with my clients in discussion about business, both formally and informally.  I look forward to the days when I will be required to spend hours ensuring inventories have been accurately reported via physical count or through immersing myself in paperwork.  I look forward to the days when I will have to analyze and interpret mountains of data to discover any inconsistencies.  I look forward to the days when I can help construct databases and spreadsheets that are driven by algorithms that I have created.

I look forward to day when I can choose to stay with my public accounting firm, or branch out into the industry.  I look forward to the day when I can choose to take my family to another country for a couple years because my company wants me to go there and improve our business relationships with that country.  I look forward to the day when I must decide if business is indeed where I want to establish my legacy, or pursue those other things that have burdened my heart since I was young.

This is why I have chosen accounting.

What do you want to do with your life?  Are you like me?  Do you have many desires that might seem to be mutually exclusive when choosing a your vocation?  Consider accounting, just consider it.

Most importantly, know what you want, and if you don’t know, discover what you want!  No matter what set a goal, and pursue that goal unconditionally.  What you might discover is that as you are pursuing that goal, the goal may become something vastly different than what you had originally set out for, but most likely vastly better!

I could say it a million more times, but that still won’t catch up to the amount of times you’ve probably already heard this all-too-popular acronym in the accounting microsphere. We already know it’s important and we already know that eventual convergence is (probably) imminent. Let’s face it, though: while we appreciate the changes being made to standardize global accounting standards and smooth over any inadequacies in the framework, we students are freaking out.

“So, are we having FIVE exam sections now?”

“I heard it’s going to be twice as long.”

“They’re going to put IFRS stuff on the CPA exam this year! We have to start learning all about it, or we’ll fail!”

Amidst a world of confusion and misinformation, I present to you: the truth. The following sections will purportedly have general IFRS questions as of the 2011 exam:

FAR

• The differences between financial statements that are prepared using GAAP standards vs. those that are prepared using IFRS.
• How the first-time integration of IFRS standards will affect financial reporting, presentation, and disclosures.

BEC

• The effects of globalization on the business environment.
• Candidates may be asked to explain the underlying economic substance of transactions.

AUD

• The role of the International Auditing and Assurance Board (IAASB) in establishing International Standards on Auditing (ISAs).
• The differences between ISAs and U.S. Auditing Standards.
• The role of International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) in establishing requirements for the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).
• An understanding of AICPA Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards, AU Appendix B, Analysis of International Standards on Auditing.(1)

I’m a new blogger here and my name is Haley. I’m currently a rising senior in the accounting program at ASU – far from taking my CPA exam, but still well on my way nonetheless.

It’s possible that many readers of this blog are just beginning their core accounting courses this fall. As many of you are just finding out, half the battle of succeeding in an accounting class is knowing what to expect from accounting classes and implementing the appropriate strategies. The question is, what should we expect from accounting classes, and how do we tackle the various issues that come up?

Here are five tips for taking on your accounting courses, whether they’re the lower-division intros or the dreaded tax class.

1. Skim, don’t inspect.

Accounting textbooks, for the most part, are not meant to be analyzed in every detail. Read the “meat” of the chapter several times through, taking note mostly of key words, phrases, and concepts–oh, and financial statements. You’re going to be seeing those a lot in your “real” job, so get used to ‘em!

2. Three words: repetition, repetition, repetition.

If you can understand every accounting concept the first time you read about it, you might as well quit school and recreate the Big 5 with your own accounting firm. Chances are, you are not going to understand everything the first time through. Reading things over a few times will make everything so much clearer. Learn things to the point where you know them like the back of your hand and you’ll be ready for anything.

3. Stop procrastinating now–no, not later.

This may be a fairly straightforward one, but never underestimate the danger that is the “P” word. Instead of cramming your study sessions into caffeine-laced all-nighters and hair-pulling, 3-hour, pre-test run-throughs, try dividing your work up and doing a little each day. For example, say you have a week before a test. Divide up your individual topics/chapters/etc. equally by day, then do a general run-through the day before. The earlier you plan ahead, the less work you’ll have to do each day.

4. “Don’t fall behind”–really though, DON’T!

We hear our teachers say it every semester at the beginning of class, but when they say it, I’m telling you: they mean business. With accounting, the acquisition of knowledge is sequential. In other words, it’ll be difficult, if not impossible, to learn about concept “B” if you don’t have understanding of concept “A” before it. Be especially mindful of this in accounting and make certain that you understand what you’ve just learned before moving onto the next topic or chapter. The further you fall behind, the harder it’ll be for you.

5. One is the loneliest number.

This should be the easiest part: find a study buddy! Although study groups can get a little chaotic, having one solid study partner can help you in more ways than you realize. Whether you need one-on-one help with a certain concept or need notes when you miss a day from illness, a study partner can be your right-hand person for accounting. Just make sure you return the favor!