These were words I’d often hear come from my mother’s lips. She had a bright smile with perfect teeth and a deep dimple for each side of her face. My mother’s legacy however wasn’t limited to objects like money, art, jewelry, or beauty as the later was the only potential possession. They instead included a deep-seated trust in one’s purpose, one’s ability, and one’s determination. She would freely proclaim, “you can do it if you put your mind to it”.
I enjoy dropping comforting quotes from great people like my mom/dad, Frederick Douglas (“without a struggle there can be no progress”) or even John F. Kennedy (“victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan). However these quotes meant very little until I embarked upon my journey (who knew it would be an actual journey) to become a Certified Internal Auditor.
My journey was predicated by my landing a position with a local government’s compliance team. Mrs. U was my highly educated manager and she stressed the importance of education, training, and credentials. Mrs. U stated that she wanted all of her compliance staff to become Certified Internal Auditors. The only CIA I’d ever heard of was a vastly different thing. Nor did I know the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) existed. After diving into the world of Internal Auditing and being required to earn the CIA; my journey began. I was naïve in thinking my manager would hold our team firmly to the CIA accomplishment as I saw nearly none of my colleagues focusing on the CIA exam and preparation. After the first year under Mrs. U’s leadership it was clear that only I paid any attention to the CIA exam. Mrs. U didn’t require the CIA actually; but rather it was her hope. She hoped she’d have a team of highly credentialed auditors to make her division shine and grow. She hoped her entire team would be committed to the independent study/exam/study/pass required to better strengthen the armor of her compliance and monitoring unit. I had no idea how local government worked initially, as it was apparent that hopes varied greatly from goals. My manager’s hopes soon became my goals.
Hopes vary greatly from goals. My manager’s hopes soon became my goals.
I had completed undergraduate school in 1998. Although I’d earned an MBA in 2006, it was now 2019 and I had nearly no frame of reference for this new goal. Having never earned credentials which required CPEs (continuing professional education) I was egregiously unprepared and unaware. Having minimal resources from Mrs. U and the local government I served, I found myself alone in desire, resources, and mentorship. Mrs. U was highly educated but it wasn’t in Internal Auditing. Although there were knowledgeable professionals all around me none were CIAs, none could substantially assist or guide me. My initial engagement of the IIA’s study guides (The IIA’s CIA Learning System) gave me confidence that I was certain to “Ace” the CIA; that was until I failed my first exam. I decided to go in order, pass part 1 Essentials of Internal Auditing, then pass part 2 Practice of Internal Audition and finally pass part 3 Business Knowledge for Internal Auditing. The very first thing I learned from failing my first CIA exam was that I needed proper and abundant resources. The IIA’s CIA Learning System was critical to passing the CIA but it wasn’t all that I needed. I invested in prep study materials from sources outside of the IIA, I dusted off my old accounting books, and I began to freshen up on forgotten concepts, principles, foundations, and bodies of knowledge; some forgotten and some never learned (google, Khan University, GAAP/GAGAS, etc.). That first exam was in April 2019. I took my last exam was on April 4, 2023.
Earning my CIA took longer than my MBA.
Earning my CIA took longer than my MBA to complete. My first CIA exam started before the pandemic in 2019 and just as I began to get comfortable with the idea of pushing forward and earning the CIA; the world shut-down. I passed part 1 (Essentials of Internal Auditing) of the CIA in December 2019 and wouldn’t comfortably be able to test again until nearly 12 months later. Although testing centers closed and mental/social/personal issues began to engulf and flood the world, my goals remained solid. In late 2020 I began testing again and focusing relentlessly on my new goal. I was over 40 years old, with no frame of reference to the field of auditing, no peer support, no professional support or investment. I still had no idea what I was committing to when I passed part 1 after only 3 attempts. If you want to know how to pass the CIA in the first try—this is not the article for you. I had no idea I would test 15 times in total for all three parts. My success in completing part 1 gave me fuel and arrogance. I had no idea that part 1 was to be the least difficult part for me; parts 2 & 3 were totally different. My accounting foundation wasn’t the strongest, my research and organizational skills weren’t the best. I found that there were concepts I’d seen for the past 20 years but didn’t fully understand. There were policies/principles/processes which I should’ve known but didn’t. I quickly saw that earning my CIA was not going to be a quick cliff note recap, payment of a fee, and then success. The breadth of knowledge tested on all three parts and the reiteration of audit/accounting/management concepts and principles would force me to embark upon a mission of self-discovery and true determination.
In spite of the fact that I wasn’t fresh out of school with resources, mentorship, and memory to rely upon, I passed the CIA. In spite of the fact that neither my manager nor colleagues could relate or contribute to my efforts, I passed the CIA. In spite of the fact that I faced mental/emotional stress and turmoil during the pandemic, I passed the CIA. In spite of the fact that no one in my family had ever held such credentials, I passed the CIA. Acquiring knowledge of concepts, principles, models, and strategies aided in my becoming a Certified Internal Auditor, but no book could teach me what my mother taught….”You can do it if you put your mind to it!”
…the CIA was not going to be a quick cliff note recap.
Ms. Tonya Crawford serves as a Senior Revenue Specialist in Washington DC where she is an elected official and serves as a Board Member on the audit committee of The United Planning Organization, one of largest non-profit organizations serving residents of Washington, DC.