From sacrifice to success: How I passed the SIE exam while balancing work, faith, and ambition

Taking the first step toward a financial career

A little over three years ago, I decided I needed to take extra steps in my life to ensure I am not relying on a single thing to secure my future. So, as a freshman at Iowa State University, I opened a brokerage account and began exploring long-term investing. As a Psychology student, I saw different ways in which the human condition shapes the market, through the decisions we make in response to the news we receive and our desire to preserve ourselves.

Over time, I realized I could be really happy making a career out of helping people invest their money to live a freer life down the road, rather than being driven by fleeting thoughts that could lead to self-sabotage. So, I did the research on how to do that, and taking the SIE was the first general step. After getting myself settled in a few different areas and speaking with a set of experienced individuals, I was finally able to begin studying for the exam this past January.

Making sacrifices for personal success

The biggest challenge during my preparation period was balancing a full-time job with other time-consuming responsibilities, not to mention my desire to continue growing spiritually in my c-group and college ministry. It resulted in a few weeks towards the end of my study campaign, of studying until 2 AM, and only pushing my exam date back one week from when I originally wanted to take it. Achievable has an amazingly flexible program that is in no way punishing if you need to tweak a few things.

It did require a lot of sacrifice: saying no to social invitations, spending entire lunches at work on my computer, and many late nights when it was time to wrap things up. I even had to turn down a whole evening of walking around Washington, D.C., while at a conference. I could have altered my study plan, but it was worth it. Time and dedication were the two big tools needed for this. Achievable provided the rest. Prior to the last three weeks of study, I would spend maybe two or three hours on the material a day. In the final weeks leading up to the exam, after I had gone through the textbook and finished my notes, I would go to the library for hours until 2 AM, re-reading the textbook and taking the tests over and over again.

The power of motivation and purpose

What really helped me get through this was just my desire to be better and prove to myself that I could do this. I left college to follow this dream, and I felt that if I failed, I wouldn’t be able to aspire to the level I saw myself at in high school and college. I didn’t want to disappoint the past me, and I wanted to show that I am a good steward of the resources given to me. I thank God very much for His role in all of this.

I also really just want to help others. I love talking to people and helping them. The entire finance industry is centered on working with people and moving their money. There are stories behind that, and the thought of hearing them and working with those potential future clients was a big boost. People need someone they can trust and who is personable here. I want to be that person.

From calm to confidence

Going into the testing center, I actually felt really calm. It was finally time to just get it out of the way. I only really got nervous while reading the testing center's rules. I was worried I might do something that would get me kicked out. As I finished the exam and went back to spend 40 minutes reviewing my answers and categorizing how I felt about them, I became incredibly certain I would pass. It was only when I had to go through multiple finishing pages on the computer after clicking submit that my anxiety rose. The prayers of my friends and family, as well as their acknowledgment of the amount of time I had spent studying, really helped steady me as I went in. I passed on the first try!

Processing the journey

If I were to do anything differently, I would attack the review questions more thoroughly sooner. As I took about three months to study, I quickly realized in month 3 that I was forgetting some basic things I needed to go back and review/apply. So perhaps at certain thresholds, I would have gone back and retested more aggressively.

Now that I have passed, I am going to take about a month to spend time with family, pick up some things I had to put down, and speak with some of my industry mentors about next steps. After this month-long period, I will begin studying for the Series 66. I do not work for a firm, so I do this on my own. It’s been nice not to have the pressure from anyone but myself to do this, but there will come a time when I will need sponsorship, and so I need to be more aggressive in searching for a position that can provide that. I have a prospect, but I am not banking on any one thing. A wavy offer can disappear in an instant.

Reflecting on Achievable’s course

As I reflect back on Achievable, the first thing I thought about the program after I saw that “PASS” come across my screen was, “man, this program really overprepared me for this”. I am so thankful for that, and the fact that the cost for the material was only $99 was a wonder. I would much rather have this outcome, where I feel like I way overshot with Achievable, than underperform when I felt confident with another program that may prioritize other things.

For that reason alone, I will continue my journey toward becoming a registered representative with Achievable, beginning with the Series 66. If I had to pick out anything from the program specifically, it would be its material comprehension box and the exam preparedness score. It was great to have that benchmark in front of me the whole time. It let me know that going through things once or twice wasn't enough; more work was needed.