I was an accountant back home. Now I stock shelves at night. How do I manage?

The question

An illustrative letter.

The answer

My dear, I know this season well. I rebuilt my own career in a new country, and I remember how strange it felt to be very good at something and then start again near the bottom. Please hear this first: your twelve years did not stay behind at the airport. Your skills, your judgment and your discipline came across with you. Right now, you are simply in the space between who you were back home and who you will be here. That space has a cost, and it has an end.

You are also far from alone. The Migration Policy Institute has found that about one in five college graduates educated abroad works in a job well below their training or cannot find work, a higher share than among graduates educated here. It is a common path, and many have walked it all the way back to their profession.

How do I treat my license as an investment?

Give it what any good investment has: a price, a monthly budget and a target date. Write down everything the license will cost. That usually means having your foreign degree evaluated, the exam fees for each section, a review course if you use one, any extra college credits you may need, and the license application itself. Then add the cost no one writes down: the hours you are not earning while you study.

Once you have the total, divide it by the months until your target date. That is your monthly license budget. Open a separate savings account for it, so the money is never mixed with rent. Overtime, shift premiums and any tax refund can go straight into that account. When the license fund is separate, every exam you schedule is already paid for, and that is a great comfort.

What does Maryland require?

Maryland, like every state, sets its own rules. Since October 1, 2026, it offers three ways to qualify after passing the CPA exam: 150 semester hours of education, a qualifying graduate degree, or a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years, or 4,000 hours, of supervised professional experience. The new route can be a real help to people whose degrees from abroad come out at fewer credits.

Your first step is having your education evaluated. Maryland accepts international evaluations only from NASBA International Evaluation Services, which compares your courses with U.S. requirements. The report will tell you where you stand and what, if anything, is missing. The Maryland Board of Public Accountancy can tell you which experience counts toward the new route.

How do I manage money on a warehouse wage?

Live lean, but not miserably. Cover the essentials first: rent, food, transportation, insurance and any money you send home. Then pay your license fund, then your emergency fund. Many people aim for one month of essential bills in savings before anything else, so that a missed shift or a car repair never becomes a credit card balance.

Look closely at your employer's benefits, too. Some employers offer health insurance, retirement savings with a match, or help with education costs. If yours does, using them stretches the same paycheck further. And keep borrowing for things you do not need to an absolute minimum during these years. Debt makes the in-between season longer.

Are there jobs between the warehouse and a CPA license?

Yes, and one of them may raise your pay while you study. Bookkeeping, accounts payable, payroll and staff accounting roles do not require a license, and your experience is directly relevant. Tax season brings temporary work preparing returns. Another credential to know is the enrolled agent: a federal license from the IRS to represent taxpayers, earned by passing a three-part exam. It does not require a college degree, and some people use it to work in tax while they finish the CPA.

If you cannot find paid accounting work yet, volunteer. The IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program trains volunteers to prepare free tax returns for families in the community, usually on evenings and weekends. Sign-ups for the coming tax season open in the fall. It gives you U.S. tax experience, a line on your résumé and a room full of people who know other people.

How do I keep my network warm?

Your next job is more likely to come through a person than an advertisement. Join your state's society of CPAs or an association of immigrant professionals. Reach out to former colleagues from home who are already working here. Ask people in accounting jobs for twenty minutes to hear how they got there. Most people are glad to help someone who is clearly working hard. Keep a short list and stay in touch every few months, not only when you need something.

How do I look after myself through all this?

Nights in a warehouse and days with a textbook are hard on any body. Protect your sleep as carefully as your budget, because tired study does not stick. Give yourself one evening a week with no work and no exams. This is a season, not a life sentence.

One day, perhaps not so far away, you will sign your name with letters after it again. And you will know exactly what it cost, because you budgeted for every dollar of it.

One thing to do this week

Write down every cost of your license, choose a target date, and open a separate savings account for it.