As I sit and write my first entry to the NJSCPA Exam Cram Blog, I’m finding it difficult to know exactly where to begin. My name is Michael Lamela and I’m a staff accountant at FMRTL in Cranford, NJ. After graduating from Bayonne High School, I stayed local and attended Saint Peter’s College for the next four years where I graduated in 2007 with a concentration in Business Management.
When I entered college, I wasn’t yet sure what I wanted to do for a living. I only knew that I wanted to work in business and be successful. As I entered my final year at SPC, it came as a blessing in disguise when I took a part-time job at a small accounting firm in Jersey City. While I never imagined a career in accounting for myself, I found that I actually enjoyed the work. Once my first tax season came around, I even got to prepare my own tax return and I became very interested in the area of individual taxation.
I was offered a full-time job following my graduation from SPC and made the decision stay and become a full-time accounting nerd. This meant that I would now have to go back to school and obtain additional credits as well as a concentration in Accounting (I never considered remaining in the profession without the intentions of becoming a CPA). While going back to school right after graduating was not part of my initial plan, I accepted the opportunity and worked towards a Masters in Taxation.
So here I am, five years into my career as an accounting professional. I’ve completed the credit requirements to become a licensed CPA in the state of NJ, and I began the process of studying for the CPA exam about a year ago upon graduating from SPC with my Masters. I chose to do Becker’s self-study, as I could not imagine coming out of tax season and into a summer full of Saturday CPA review classes.
I started by taking the REG and BEC portions of the exam last summer, however I did not pass either on the initial attempt. Fortunately, I was able to focus and bounced back by passing both sections within the same testing window in November of 2011. Since then, I allowed myself to become a little too comfortable in my studying habits and after now failing the AUD portion twice this summer, I’m in need of some motivation. The pressure is on to finish this year, prior to the start of another tax season. And while the task may seem daunting, it’ll be well worth the time and effort I put in.
Throughout the remainder of my testing, I look forward to sharing my own personal experiences with those who have entered this struggle with me and those who are just beginning the process. Soon enough I hope to be spending less time with Tim Gearty and Peter Olinto (Becker’s Instructors for those are unfamiliar) and more time with my fiancé, family and friends. Happy Studying!
Mike
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