Melanie is a new weekly Club 75 Blogger as she documents her journey through the CPA Exam.  She has been a member of Another71.com's Club 75 since April 2011.

As my first blog, I want to introduce myself. My name is Melanie, and I have a beautiful daughter who is entering 3rd grade. When she started Kindergarten, I pursued my MBA online. It sounded like a good time, so why not.

In May 2010 I travelled to Clinton, Iowa, to walk with my “class”. Despite never meeting the classmates other than in the classroom chat areas, I felt it was something my daughter should see.

It’s not every day you get to see your mom graduate. Plus she saw where my hard work lead.

Now I am attempting the CPA exam. I work in a government agency that is really supportive of employees gaining certifications. The only downfall is that everyone else seems to be able to pass on their first try and within a year.

I have tried each section already and have not had any success. I have had the computer crash at the Prometric site and attempted to crash study for a few. All of which didn’t help. I took a few months off to recoup. I am now at that stage where I need to buckle down and take it head on.

Some of the tips I am trying this time around:

1) Give myself more time to review/study the material. Cramming it in one month isn’t very productive.

2) Use the resources on Another 71 to help feel more prepared. I have the Becker self study and feel it’s just way over my head sometimes. It’s been quite some time since I last sat in accounting class.

3) Not telling people when I am testing so I don’t have the added pressure of them wanting to know my score. It sounds petty, but it really got me down that I had to tell people I didn’t pass.

4) And finally, keeping the big picture ahead of me. To be able to call myself a Certified Public Accountant has a special ring to it.

So that’s a little about me and where I am at on this CPA journey. I look forward to writing again soon!