[Tootsie]

So the long hours have begun and I get sooooo sleepy. I need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night, and I am not seeing that this week. Got here at 9 and have been here almost 13 hours. Anybody else feel my pain? Boo.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Anonymous]

I feel you…I'm exhausted. I don't know what I was thinking, trying to take the CPA exam with everything that I have going on. Wife, two kids, a new career, a business, Church duties, etc.

I re-started a career in Accounting/Finance after a 12 year hiatus (thanks to mark hurd) in July of 2011. After passing the SEE exam (Enrolled Agent) in 2009 and being back in Finance, I got the itch. Passing exams is somewhat intoxicating. It wasn't a well hatched plan…I just knew that I needed it to be able to advance (in addition to my MBA and EA License). Competition out there is amazingly stiff. So somehow it went from an idea to having registered for a CPA review program in a day's time. I guess if you are going to be impulsive, be impusive about something good right? So here I sit having registered for this beast of an exam going “wait, I did what?” 😀

Anyhoo, I just rolled out of our month/quarter/year-end at work while studying the Audit section (took it 1/18). I'm trying to manage the BEC section (taking it 2/27) while fending off my tax clients until after BEC–I also have a small Tax Preparation business on the side. Then I'll take REG right after tax season. Finally, FAR in August. Then I'll clean up any which I do not pass after August…hopefully will not be any.

I'm looking forward to getting rid of this exam. It will give perspective on life when I don't have it hanging over my head any longer!

CPAPending

[Tootsie]

@CPApending, this is my first busy season as an auditor. I have never worked more than 10 hours up until now. It shouldn't last more than a few weeks, thank goodness. I am taking AUD in May and FAR in July. REG is my beast so I'll be taking it last, probably in Q4.

I have a husband and a dog and really want a child within the next couple of years. I have only been able to spend time with my family a couple of days a week. I can tell my husband is sad about it. I am thankful that I get a good amount of PTO. Taking a week off in April and May to study and go on vacation (hopefully).

You sound very busy. Don't forget that life is too short, so try to take time off and spend as much time as you can with family/friends. Good luck with your exams. May we both become CPAs very soon.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Anonymous]

You are smart to take this beast before having kids–I started down the path back in 1994 but after passing two parts, I changed careers. I couldn't get my CPA because I didn't work for / under a CPA so I just stopped. I had no intentions of coming back but then life intervened–but I am happy again.

The hardest part is missing the time with the kids. I try to spend a few minutes of focused time with each every night so that they don't miss me too much. Between 2/27 and 4/15 (my tax season) I will make sure I catch up on my sleep and spend a lot of extra time with them. My tax business is small for now, which is fine.

The Lord willing, if my plan goes according to–well plan–I will have Audit and BEC under my belt by March. Rest and do taxes during tax season. Finish up Reg after being rested. Then hit FAR in August. I hope that works.

Best of luck to you. I've learned through my EA exam, this is just effort and determination. Study study study and have a plan and it will work out.

CPAPending.

[katiekanton]

@CPAPending

I had to laugh at your description of going from an idea to a plan in a day. It seems like so many things in my life have happened that way. I don't even really remember “deciding” to go down this road, but I somehow found myself in school getting my extra accounting hours, and then suddenly I have an NTS and am sitting for AUD. It's almost as if someone else is in charge, because if left to myself, I don't think I'd accomplish anything.

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[Anonymous]

@KatieKanton, I am a man of action.

Our first child, a son, was born in q4 1998 and around Valentines Day the next year I was joking with wifey about going on a fishing trip to the Bahamas for VDay. Well she said to go ahead and book it. She got up the next morning and I already had my itenerary. Very much unlike me (but it was in the middle of my last career crisis). Was gone three days.

We still can't believe that she allowed it and I actually went–very unlike either of us. She asked me once what I was thinking, going without her. I told her that I booked the trip before the ‘mother ship' came back for it's version of my wife. I've since made it up to her and reciprocated with a trip.

I'm a planner so it is refreshing to do something off the cuff. At least my latest ‘mind melt' is productive and costs less than a trip to the bahamas. I ordered my materials on a Friday and woke Saturday thinking “I didn't really just do that did I?”.

CPAPending

[Tootsie]

I am a planner too and sometimes it's really annoying. My husband is the total opposite. He told me once, “Don't plan. Just do it.” And that's why he's my husband.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Anonymous]

Not busy season related, but I have been putting in some heavy hours the past couple weeks, so I feel your pain. I'm going to be intentionally vague in my description of the engagement, but we basically created a model to assist with the processing of stock transactions. Everything appeared to be going smoothly until we discovered a processing error during final review with no apparent explanation. So with a little over a week until our client deadline, we had to rip through our code and SQL statements to diagnose the error and figure out whether it was code related or rule related. Turned out to be a combination of both related to a very specific set of circumstances that only impacted a handful of transactions out of the millions we were analyzing. Ended up averaging ~90 hours/week these past two weeks, but fixed the issue and met our deadline. Good times. Enjoying a very slow day today and intend to leave before 5PM.

[Tootsie]

@Aviator, wow! Glad you are getting off earlier. We have been working hard Monday – Thursday. On Friday, we leave by 5:30 and are off on the weekends. Hoping it stays like this throughout the audit.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Givemesleep]

Busy season is killing me, didnt even look at the material today, so pissed at myself. I had 4 appointments, so what can I do. I did tote the book around, in my bag, in my car, on my coffee table jeez………….

Reg 11/15/2011 - 80
Aud 02/28/2012 - 81
Bec 05/31/2012 - 78
Far 08/31/2012 - 83 Do you believe in Miracles, YES !!!

CPA License received 10/2012 !!
CFE License received 04/2013 !!
EA License received

Givemesleep

[Tootsie]

Last night was bad. Got home after 12. I don't know if I can do 3 more weeks of this, and it could be longer. I just want my sleep and then I'll be happy, maybe. Oh and I also had thoughts of quitting. I won't, not yet anyways.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Tootsie]

Getting off early today and not working (again) this weekend. Wuhoooo! Busy season still sucks though, lol.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Danielle]

Busy season is just starting – not too many individual taxes in yet but plety of SCorps and 12/31 audit planning going on. Plus I get to train the intern and the new guy (whose been here since August). Missing Saturday in the office for the live Becker course for REG. Will be nice to escape for awhile.

AUD 6/7/2016
BEC
FAR
REG

[jelly]

Everyone here gets a beer!

It's maddening. My client at my full-time gig is a failing trainwreck, which my boss knows about and is helping out, b/c we will have to unwind the monster. I've got grant reporting for two side clients, have to prepare and schedule the year-end audit for one of them. I finished up the 4th quarter and year-end filings for myself and a friend. Trying to stay focused for a standardized test in mid-February (no, not The Exam). I really can't wait until that test is over, and getting through the corporate filings in March will be less crazy.

Couldn't pass again!

[Tootsie]

Well, I have about 5.5 weeks left of busy season. Not too bad, lol. I can't believe I have made it this far. We've been getting out early on Fridays (by 5) and have had the weekends off, so that's good. Monday – Thursday varies. The latest I've worked is until 11:30. I worked 13 hours that day. Was so mad I wanted to punch someone.

Hope everyone is getting through their busy season. I will be so glad to be done.

FAR - 76
AUD - 88!!! DONE!!!!!!!!
BEC - 76
REG - 77

never, never, never give up

[Anonymous]

Looking forward to April 17 🙂

Truthfully, though, I kind of like the busyness of tax season. There are pros and cons…

[Author]

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