By Maggie DiCarlo
This past week, I traveled to Tampa, Florida, for a live review course for the Certified Financial Planner examination. Walking into the large conference room on the first morning felt like the first day of school. Tables and chairs filled the room, everyone was quietly looking around, and there was a shared sense of nervousness as we wondered what exactly we had got ourselves into. At 8:00 a.m., our instructor walked in full of energy and immediately plopped 40 textbooks onto the front table. It was safe to say there was no easing into the week—we got started right away!
For four straight days, we spent from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in class, working through an incredible amount of material. It was easily one of the most difficult learning experiences I have had, but also one of the most beneficial. Our instructor did an incredible job of making complicated topics easier to understand by connecting them to real-life situations and sharing stories from his own professional experience. His passion for teaching was evident from the moment he walked into the room, and his enthusiasm somehow managed to keep us engaged even when we were several hours into a very long day. All credit is due to him—he was truly amazing.
The learning certainly did not stop when class ended at 6:00 p.m. Each evening, I went back and re-read everything we had covered that day. There was no way around it: if you did not understand the material today, it would only become more difficult tomorrow as new concepts were built on top of it. After a full day of lectures, all students went back to their rooms and opened the textbooks again. It was a nonstop four days, but there was something rewarding about being surrounded by so many people who were all working toward the same goal and pushing themselves to learn as much as possible.
I am incredibly grateful for the experience and for the opportunity to learn material that I am genuinely passionate about. More than anything, I appreciated being surrounded by people who shared that same passion and determination. Everyone in that room had made a commitment to themselves and their careers to pursue the designation, and being part of a group so motivated to reach the same goal was incredibly inspiring.
The long days and challenging material pushed me in ways that I know will benefit me well beyond the exam itself, and I walked away with a much stronger understanding of the material. There is still plenty of studying ahead, but I am excited to keep learning and I am grateful for the people I met along the way. Now, back to the books!