Dear Owly and to the iCPA,

Good day!

I do really have second thought about writing and sharing my life to others but because I wanted to inspire those of my same standing in society-a destitute and an ordinary individual, I compelled myself to reach out those people who have dying hopes and any moment ready to cave in. My story is just mediocre and maybe others have the same tale too the way I have.

I came from a poor family. Our bread and butter is just farming and fishing and everyday is a struggle to sustain our quotidian needs . During my elementary and secondary years, we were not used to have an allowance even a peso just because my parents have nothing too. If there was a peso, it was spared for buying salt and MSG. It was a scratch and pick life like how a chicken lives. That's why, I really dreamed that I must study so that I can help  assauge the condition of our life. Though,it is easy to dream but things are difficult to begin especially when you are down-and-out. There even no sliver of hope that I can further my study in college but an idea dawned upon me and that was to have a part time job while studying. I took accountancy without batting an eyelash since I did not really knew what was that course. Actually, my first choice was education but with the whirlwind I decided to choose  accounting.

It was not an easy plight to simultaneously attend my work and my study. I worked as service crew and my schedules were like a circus. I did not even ate at regular time and sometime I just have to resort on bread which my meager money suffices to before heading to school hungry and weary. My focus at school was so devastating that I have no time to study even at major exams but I still managed my grades overwhelmingly. And because  my resources were so scanty that I have to be stingy, in my entire years of my study, I had only one basic accounting book. The rest, I have to borrow books and reading materials and I was not even used to photocopying those since I was keeping my scarce allowance for most indispensable needs. To wrap up,  everyday was a burden and I have to surmount the quandaries along the way. I always told to myself that this pain is just temporary and passing every time the thought of giving up insinuated me. That four long years was an Everest-like hardships and trials, a tug-of-war of surrender or push through and a life that tested my faith to God.

After graduation, I decided to trudge my fate in Manila and with my promise to our youngest sister to send her in school, I eagerly landed a job. Here came again, the same story of steepish struggle that I have to make both ends meet. It seems that I've got all the yoke when God scattered those that even with all my might and tenacity, circumstances find its way to push me down relentlessly. With Him, problems were not able to cow me but instead I still persisted with the dreams I have. Two years have gone, I was fortunate that the company I am working with change our work schedule removing Saturdays and compressing it in weekdays. I grabbed that chance and I enrolled for a weekend review. I siphoned all my management skill in time and budgetting in money since my sister was still studying at that time. Again, it was pretty difficult to be a slave of two masters. It was a very taxing months in my life and was not able to guarantee a dedication to my review. Yet unprepared, I still hurdle the board exam and as expected it did not yied a fruit. There was no pain at that time because I knew I was not doing my best.

I never succumbed to my failures but instead I stand up valiantly, gathered myself and walked positively again and again. After that first attempt, I decided to have a self-review because it made me realized that  I cannot handle the review with the lack of resources and time.  It took me two years before planning to take the board exam again. With no proper review, I staked my last pawn with me. I was so devil-may-care believing that I can handle the board exam without stringent preparation. So, not surprised by the result, I was conditionally given the chance to take the remaining subjects I failed. With complacency, I rather spent more time on social media and with self-review only, I still took the removal exams. As a result, I never made it. It was all too late to rewrite my wrong practices and redo the stupidity. I remorsed so hard that I blamed myself for all the recklessness and jeopardy I have done.

On the other hand, after four years, my sister successfully graduated in college. It was a good riddance on my part, that finally I was able to fend and make her dreams come true too. Back to me, I was already exhausted and in vain to take the review again. I could not give up my job because no one else will help to support me. But with prayers and guidance by Him, I established myself again, picked up the smithereens and built my dreams anew. Now, it is an opportune time to face the battle once again after amassing all the strength and courage for a hefty and ambitious challenge in life to get that precious three letter title. I removed social media and television in my system and focused on my review. Even though, I gave more time for my work because of the compressed work week, I still coped up to study at night and have the review during weekends. It was not a joke to have the review, it means a lot. It means your future. I have only two weeks leave from work for the examination days and I was already  staggering in my final review. I came to my dead end and find no other way but to submit everything to God, all my fears, my worries and His better plans for me. I have no assurance at that time because part time review is not really enough but with all my faith in Him, I took the board exam and I swore to myself that this would be the last exam because if fiasco would happen again, I would gonna leave this dream and redirect it.

Finally, by God's grace, the long wait is over and I  am now a CPA. It was really a journey replete of bottlenecks and stumbling blocks. One thing I had  realized in my pursuit of dreams is to humble yourself always before God and do not lean on your own strength and understanding but trust in Him with full confidence. And if you cannot achieve your dreams, do not change it, but rather change the way how you wanted to achieve that dreams. For me, life is not all about who succeeded most and who got the good grades but rather who came out strong in the battle that God has laid before us. Never let poverty be the reason not to succeed and do not allow yourself be consumed by pity and only ifs. To the aspirants, do not be cowered by failures but used these as springboard to leap higher more than you could possibly imagine. Be focused on that dreams and no matter what fight for that dreams, do-or-die. Make your parents be proud of you. There must be no lame excuses that you cannot achieve it. And never ever give up on that ambition. Just hold on tight to Him and for sure He will not leave  you nada.

Thanks.

 ALMER M. DORING, CPA by faith.