Day in the Life of an Accountant | Studying for the CPA Exam |

[@PenniesNotPerfection]

I don't want to be an accountant but I find these videos so intriguing! You're such an awesome working mom btw!

[@SaraMarie]

Haha I'm glad :) I love watching vlogs of doctors and teachers... it's just nice to see what their days are like :)

[@dragonsps100]

Keep at it. Just push through. I passed all of my exams. My techinque was just to watch the lectures and do the homework. Do the homework like 4-5 times.

[@SaraMarie]

Thanks for sharing! I think it'll be better once I take the test so I have an idea of what it'll actually be like.

[@bethachey3785]

That was so much fun! Thanks for taking us along! Would LOVE an updated office tour video!!!! Absolutely adore Maci and seeing the part where you're reading to her and then daddy time was just so special 💖. Thanks always for these great videos!

[@SaraMarie]

Thanks Beth! New office tour definitely coming soon :)

[@jenniferbanda7625]

Absolutely loved the Maci cam😂💗. You are such a wonderful mom, wife, and student. God bless you 🙏🏻

[@SaraMarie]

Haha she LOVES the camera! Awww thank you :)

[@courageouscpa5546]

I like how you take notes in the actual text. Im currently studying for AUD, I am also using Becker. I feel like going through the MCQs first gives me context, then going through lectures helps me learn a little better. Good luck in your CPA journey.

[@SaraMarie]

That's an interesting approach! Good luck!!

[@courageouscpa5546]

Sara Marie I actually heard about this way of studying from Nate over at SuperFast CPA.....he has some great supplementary material. You should look into it, if you need some other material than Becker.

[@nicolelee8667]

Hello, Sara. I’m a little bit confused about CPA and CA. Could you film a video to specific explain what is the difference between them. Please , I will reaaaaally appreciate that.

[@WithStephie]

Maci is adorable and I love Salata! Girl!! Come to Texas, sweet tea on every corner 😉

[@SaraMarie]

Haha definitely high on my list if we move :)

[@congosrevolution8625]

Your guys are so motivated 💯💯

[@Victoria610k]

Maci is so cute!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@songsdaddy5629]

Thanks a lot Sara, i am pursuing CA Final(india) along with full time job, After watching this video i feel more confident..💯😍😍

[@MaketheMusicFasion]

I have been looking for videos like this! I need to take a few more courses at Community College to get me to 150 credits, and then I have to buy my course review! I am very certain that I will be purchasing Roger CPA for my course review, I just have been out of school ever since December 2017 so I'm trying to find my motivation to study again haha. Good luck to you, and I hope you make more videos like these soon!

[@SaraMarie]

Haha that's exactly why I jumped right into it after finishing my MBA. It sucks not to have a break but I know the sooner I start, the sooner it's over! Good luck!!

[@sreedevimadhu4696]

wow...I really enjoyed the video...

[@maximasforrester8689]

You should consider fine point fountain pens

[@taffyadil192]

Completely out of topic but you really have nice skin 😍

[@SaraMarie]

Thanks!! That’s so sweet!

[@jensnewtube1612]

MACI 😍is adorable and such a smart happy little girl ! Great to see you also have time for you nice family. You look soo young and was it your plan to have your family young and juggle work and life? Well done to you! Loved this video the best 😊

[@SaraMarie]

Haha thank you!! Yes, our plan was always to have kids young. It’s definitely harder, especially with school and the CPA ,but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

[@jensnewtube1612]

Your strength and determination gives others motivation on here to see how you can manage and it’s really helped me 😊

[@Chubbee_cat]

Great video! Maci is beautiful! I am a senior now in business management, I am also originally from the same area as you! I was wondering if you could do a video about how you were able to accomplish a BBA, MBA, marriage, house, and baby all at your age? I know it is expensive to live over there and I worry so much about the future! I want an MBA, house, child(ren) etc. AAHHH.

[@SaraMarie]

Thank you! I honestly think that all ties in with the fact that Jason and I budget. I do a bunch of budgeting videos and I definitely recommend watching them. Our area is very expensive yet we’re still able to live on one income. It’s all about deciding what’s important and cutting unnecessary spending. That’s really worked for us! Hope that helps!!

[@junaidmahmood8795]

What’s the process for the CPA designation? I am from Canada so it’s different here and I might go to the US to do it.

[@SaraMarie]

It honestly depends on the state. For Illinois, you take the four parts and then you have to have a year of experience to get your license.

[@erinkezar9853]

Hi Sara! I am a 24 year old from MN & graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2016. I have always been very interested in the accounting field (I took accounting in high school years ago and loved it!) and I decided to take a leap of faith and enroll in a Financial Accounting class (that I am currently taking) to get a feel for it and decide whether I would like to go back to school to earn a second degree in it. Since graduating with a psychology degree two years ago, I have been a little lost and have been exploring what sort of jobs would suit my personality and what field I would actually find satisfaction and a purpose in. A few details about myself: I am very introverted and anxiety-prone. I love working with numbers and find satisfaction in balancing equations and staying organized. I am just wondering if this is a career choice you would recommend for a person like me or if you have noticed a certain personality type that is common among accountants that you have come across in your career thus far? You are such an inspiration and thank you so much for making videos!

[@SaraMarie]

Hi Erin! Honestly, a lot of what you described is me. I personally like private accounting just because I'm not constantly dealing with new people. I can warm up to people and become extroverted at times but I'm an introvert down to my core. Hope that helps :)

[@denisseh3946]

Thanks for a new video!:)

[@dianedancer]

Love Salata and Riverdale. Maci is adorable. ❤❤❤👍

[@SaraMarie]

Thanks :)

[@dontrellthomas070]

I can not wait to be an accountant. It has been a dream of mine for a long time now. Still in college but these general ed classes are killing me. What is the best way to study for them? is there a certain routine you use? I usually try to study for about 30 minutes at a time, but after high school, I became a procrastinator and am trying to fix this bad habit.

[@SaraMarie]

Gen Ed’s were hard for me too but mostly because I was impatient and wanted to start my “real” classes lol. I’m my experience, professors usually test directly on what they have you take notes on, so for tests I would literally just go over my notes until my head hurt. I know it sucks, and the topics are somewhat boring but trust me you’ll look back and wish you could do it again!

[@dontrellthomas070]

Thank you and I agree, my problem is I just want to dive into my main courses lol.

[@minnienartanaid]

Hi Sara, I'm about to graduate with my Global MBA degree with a concentration in Accounting this May and I was planning to start studying for the CPA exam? How do I know whether or not I have enough hours to qualify to take the exam? Do we need working experience beforehand? I also live in Texas and any input is much appreciated! Btw, love your videos and you inspire to work harder for my dreams!

[@dorcasoluyede4749]

Please I really want answers thanks I want to study chartered Accountant but I don’t know what course to take in university and what to do after 🇬🇧 🙏

[@michaelmitchell6353]

What is the study material that you use to study for the CPA EXAM?

[@SaraMarie]

Becker 😊

[@shiyuewang399]

I like to watch your update office tour and more vlog like this video. I'm preparing CPA now, and I really like your study plan:D

[@SaraMarie]

Thanks! I'm hoping to do another office tour soon :) Oh how fun!! Good luck!!

[@sdcht2338]

Did you do concentration(s) for ur MBA?

[@SaraMarie]

Yes! My concentration was finance

[@AbdulAli-rs8ck]

Thank u for this good with the cpa Do u think I should start in mba after i finish college n which better mba studying or cma

[@SaraMarie]

Most schools I looked at required a 3 year gap so you could get real world experience. Although I'm sure you could find schools that don't require it, I think the experience is important.

[@bew1972]

You are one bada$$ momma!!! Between being a wife and mother, working full time, graduating with your MBA and now studying for your CPA, I have NO idea how you still manage to make videos for us!! I swear just typing out all you do made me tired!!! You seem to have such a wonderful family and supportive husband so I'm sure that's one of the main reasons you're able to keep it all together. That's some serious spousal support (and i'm sure you support him in everything he does too). Maci is such a cutie and is going to take over your job making videos soon!!!!

[@SaraMarie]

Haha THANK YOU!! It's hard at times but honestly I'm living my dream! I've been dreaming of the days I would get to study for the CPA exam and although it's hard and I'm tired, I love it! Plus, KZbin and planning is more like a hobby to me. I love it and it helps me relax. Haha trust me I see it coming soon too! She's been asking me about the camera all day! :)

[@SaraMarie]

Zaid Reviews I think the majority of people would disagree.

[@bew1972]

Zaid Reviews congratulations on being so motivated and accomplishing so much at such a young age...that's something to be proud of as most 20 year olds (not all, obviously) are only beginning to really think about what they want to do with their lives. I respect the hard work that you must have done to achieve that so young however, I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of how "many women in the corporate world who are mothers become CPA"s without much effort". I agree that there are people out there who have a lot of balls in the air that they are juggling and they love the challenges it presents almost as though that alone fuels them. Where I disagree with you though is that while you're seeing women (and men) who are juggling a lot of responsibilities (being a parent, going to school, working full time, being a spouse etc) without outwardly exhibiting a lot of stress, you also don't live in their homes or inside their heads to know how they are actually feeling about the effort it takes them not to drop any of those balls. This is has never been so apparent to me as it has been lately as we hear of so many men and women committing suicide who we have otherwise thought to be happy, healthy, successful people who have, and do, it all. We don't know what people are going through which is why I am very careful to not place judgement on how others feel or behave because i don't know what is really going on in their lives. When we go into our offices or to school's, open our social media accounts or even just to our local grocery store...we see only what people want us to see. We don't see the the hard things that may be going on in their lives, things that are stressful for them, because they don't want us to see it. So while I agree that there are, I'm sure, people out there who are juggling a huge load of responsibilities and that energizes them, I know that on the flip side, there are many, many more who juggle the same amount of responsibilities happily, but with a lot of stress over how they are going to make it all work successfully. WIth all that being said, I wish you the best of luck in your future...it sounds as though you are very motivated and that's a wonderful thing.

[@bew1972]

Zaid Reviews My point in the comment that I was trying to make was that yes, everyone has stress and many people...old, young, man, woman, divorced, married, gay, straight, religious, non-religious...has stress, a lot of it. Some of it you create for yourself and some of it is simply circumstantial. Regardless, no one can (or should) judge how hard someone's life is without being 100% in their shoes. Yes, some people whine about a lot of things (men or women) and some just buckle down and do what they have to do which I believe was your point. HOWEVER, for you to say that "western women tend to pat themselves on the back too much" is thoroughly disgusting and while I was very clear in saying that I respected how hard you worked to get your MBA by age 20, I am repulsed by your blatant, overgeneralized comment that women pat themselves on their back too much. Do you know me? Do you know what I'm going through?? Absolutely not. My initial comment to Sara was that she's a badass for all that she does and you know what? I meant that. I didn't mean that she should have "super hero status" because of all she does, plenty of people do it, and more, but I think hard work and accomplishments should be recognized regardless of age, sex or circumstances. While you have accomplished a lot in your 20 years, maturity is clearly not there yet.

[@bew1972]

Zaid Reviews You continue to prove my point about the lack of maturity simply by the things you've said. As for looking past your points, I have actually agreed with pretty much everything you have said except the whole women patting themselves on the back thing. Again, I will repeat myself in saying that based on the information you've given me, you are 20, have an MBA and that you have accomplished quite a bit as a young man. That's something to be respected and again, I will absolutely give credit where credit is due. As far as you being "successful", I cannot and will not say that someone is successful or not based on a 2 second conversation about their accomplishments. Everyone measures success differently as it is not simply defined by the amount of money one has or jobs they have gotten. Again, I will not disrespect the fact that you have clearly worked hard to get your degree at such a young age but I will not say that you're "successful" or that you are happy simply based on that fact alone. By assuming I have not "ventured out of America" and that I didn't accomplish as much as you have by your age (or more considering my "days are over" lol) you have proven my point that you still have some growing up to do. You say we like to pat ourselves on the back too much for the things we do yet have I even once mentioned a single thing I have accomplished? Have I said one thing about the stress I deal with daily in my life? Have I said how much I have sacrificed to get where I am today? While you assume that western women pat themselves on their backs too much, the only one who has brought up how much you have done in your life, continually, while assuming I have done nothing and need a "safe space", is you.

[@IamtheCitizen1110]

I'm a 2nd year accounting student and this is really motivating. Thank You!

[@SaraMarie]

So glad!!

[@everythingemilie4249]

Love your video. Your so inspiring I can’t wait for my second year of accounting. It’s hard to enjoy your summer when all you want to do is go back to school and fallow your foot step to get the cpa title. I had a question do u know anything about tax lawyer

[@SaraMarie]

Haha trust me, enjoy this time! I would give anything to go back to those days! I don't honestly... sorry!

[@niveg06]

I'm studying chartered accountancy, which is the Indian equivalent of a CPA. I was really depressed and wasn't in the mood to study, but I'm now motivated!

[@SaraMarie]

Glad I could help 😊

[@jebablessysalomi3451]

Me too

[@99rabiah]

Hi, I want to be an accountant but I'm not good at maths, do u think I will still be able to be one? and which Alevels do u reccoment that I take x

[@SaraMarie]

Accounting involves basic math. I wouldn't let math deter you!

[@Shaakyraa]

Your family is so precious! Absolutely adorable! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! You've worked so hard for everything and it looks like its really paying off! I'm so incredibly happy for you :) I love your channel!

[@SaraMarie]

Thank you!! I feel like I'm living a dream :) Thanks for your support :)

[@DanaNHLy]

I’m starting my CPA modules this summer while working full time at a firm so this gives me a good idea how to manage your time! Awesome series 👍

[@cynthiab7259]

Girl I live in the South (TN), I L O V E Sweet Tea ❤. Btw you should have tried some Nashville Hot Chicken, it's seriously so good !

[@SaraMarie]

Haha how fun! Sweet tea = LIFE!! I really wasn't there that long but definitely planning to go back for a visit. I'll check it out then :)

[@34lokita]

What made you get your MBA instead of a master in accounting?

[@SaraMarie]

The research and people I spoke with recommend the MBA if I didn't want to be an accountant my whole career and wanted to move up.

[@slskeeter8951]

im so glad someone has finally made a cpa study session, im starting in August after my summer classes are over. I will be using Rogers

[@SaraMarie]

Glad you found it helpful! I agree, I searched high and low for a video on studying for the CPA and there really isn't much out there!

[@Nita-GT-NY]

I finally found a job that gave me time to study for my cpa. No more 70 hour work week. Now I work 40 hours a week. It just took me 8 years in accounting to get a balance. Did 8 years doing in direct and indirect taxes. Not doing taxes currently for now but still in accounting but I do miss doing taxes. I completed MS in tax back in 2014. Plan is to do cpa and cfe. Then mba if my job pays for it then I will be done.

[@kngarrett1]

Awwww Macy is gorgeous and and a beautiful head of hair! 😍

[@SaraMarie]

Haha that girl was born with a head of hair!! 😂

[@riyasukhlani4796]

what is the name of this textbook....

[@greeenteeee]

Where do you watch the lecture videos? Provided by your school /classes?

[@SaraMarie]

Through the review course I purchased. I use Becker 😊

[@kolbygalloway3485]

Hi, Sara! Aspiring government forensic accountant here... I am entering my senior year of undergrad, and the CPA has been an anxious weight on my shoulders here lately. Given the forensic specialty I want to go into, I’m also going for the Certified Fraud Examiner course after graduation. I feel like I’ll have the CFE down pat, but I’ve heard scary CPA stories! Your videos put my mind at ease and when the time comes, I’m going to apply some of your methods. Keep up the excellent work!

[@SaraMarie]

Hi! Thanks for sharing! Make sure to let me know how your studies go!

[@dopemelisa6192]

Dope new video! You look so busy oof. But it's all going to pay off ;)

[@SaraMarie]

I keep telling myself that!

[@lizjaz11]

I liked the video!! You are an inspiration to find time to study, even at very early hours. And Macy is adorable. Please, more videos like this!

[@SaraMarie]

Definitely! I love this types of videos! :)

[@haupia1277]

Yes travel expense reporting takes so much time! I travel a lot for work, and ugh wish someone did it for me.

[@SaraMarie]

I don't envy you!

[@Mulerider4Life]

Out of curiosity, what kind of camera do you use to film these videos?

[@SaraMarie]

All the equipment I use to film is listed in my description box 😊

[@cortneysmith5254]

I'm a full-time working mom and I'm about to go back to school for accounting. I already have my bachelor's in math, but I need to take enough accounting classes to qualify to sit for the CPA. Goal is to get school and tests done in 2 years 💙 glad I found your videos! Your tips and videos are so helpful and inspiring. Also born and raised in NC 🙌

[@Debinna]

Thanks for sharing your study method!

[@CandiceMarshaye]

I have a random question, how old are you? You don't have to share that at all but I was just wondering. Really enjoy your videos. You have a lovely family!

[@jenniferbanda7625]

Candice C. I’m pretty sure she’s 26

[@SaraMarie]

Yup I turned 26 in September!

[@KelleeKiller]

How do you stay motivated while working and being a mom full time? I graduated last year and started studying for the CPA but I don’t think I focused or prepared correctly. I work now full time and I need to find more of the motivation or teach myself the discipline to study and pass the CPA. Thank you Sara for this video! Love your videos!! :)

[@SaraMarie]

I think the main thing that motivates me is to know that as soon as I’m done, I’m done lol. A lot is kind of on hold (moving, more kids, house repairs,etc) until I’m done so that’s also a huge push to get it done. On days that I’m not motivated, I try to reward myself for studying. Like okay if I study for blank amount of time I can take Maci for ice cream. Sometimes the little things work too 😊 good luck!! And thank you!!