Accounting Twins Podcast

In this final episode of season 1, the accounting twins discuss their graduation experience, summer plans, and their one-star review. Norma is jumping straight into working and getting a head start on her CPA exam. Becky in contrast is headed to Italy and then having an organ removed.

Show Notes

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twitter.com/beckysteiger
linkedin.com/in/rebeccasteiger 

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linkedin.com/in/normasteiger

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Full transcript available upon request.

Season 1

Creators & Guests

Host
becky steiger
Host
Norma Steiger
Producer
David Leary
JC
Editor
Joel Collier

What is Accounting Twins Podcast?

To CPA or NOT to CPA? Public vs Private?
What if you could run an experiment?
Take twins, with identical DNA, life experiences, education, GPAs, majors, internships, and careers as accountants. Then have twin A go private and have twin B become a CPA and go public.
Follow Becky Steiger and Norma Steiger on their separate journeys in the private and public accounting worlds! Together they will compare and contrast their experiences and goals in the accounting profession.

[00:13] Norma: Hello.

[00:13] Becky: Welcome back to another episode of the Accounting Twins podcast.

[00:16] Norma: And on today's season finale episode of our first season, we're going to be talking about a few things because our graduation was last week, as you all know. So we're just going to talk about that experience, how great it was, and we had two different ceremonies that we want to talk about, and then we're just going to talk about our summer plans. We both have very different summers going on, and then we just have something fun and surprising and interesting to talk about at the very end. So stay tuned for that because you might get a laugh.

[00:44] Becky: So, as Norma said, we graduated a week ago, as you all know, and we had some family fly in. Norma's Godfather flew in, and we had our aunt and uncle fly in for a graduation. Our sister and our cousin drove up from Phoenix, and we just had a great time with them. So we started off by going to our accounting graduation ceremony, which was just the accounting majors, which was so awesome because we got to sit with everybody and be with everyone who we had spent the last two to three years with in pain, crying, taking exams, all that good jazz. And one of the best things was normally I were one of nine students in the accounting major to get 40 GPAs, and we were both one of 37 Eller major to get 4.0 GPAs, which was honestly satisfactory. It was really great to hear that all of our hard work paid off, but also at the same time, now that I'm graduated, I don't know if I would really care about what GPA I did have. I am proud that we were recognized for our accomplishments.

[01:40] Norma: Yeah, it was great, but I really don't think that I'm going to aim for a 4.0 again when school starts for grad school, because that was hard. I would really rather not do that again, especially because, yes, I'm going to grad school, but my main focus is to be studying for the CPA exams, and I think that's a little bit more important. So I just don't have to study for like two years. I can do it. During grad school, we also ran into.

[02:03] Becky: One of our favorite accounting professors, the one we told you about, who we sent an email to. And so Norma, Abby Ashton and I saw him and he came up to us, and I know we talked about this last week, but we just want to touch on it again because he said some new things and it was really important to us, and he was so special to us, and he came up and he was like, girls, I'm so proud of you. You guys truly made this year fabulous. I'm glad that after two years of Kobi, you guys were the students that I had coming back in person. He wishes that other students could be as fabulous as we are. And he just really appreciates all of our hard work and it just made us feel really special because we absolutely respect this man to the ten. We love him, he's a great professor and we're just so glad to see that we created a relationship with him that will continue outside of the school year.

[02:48] Norma: I'm so upset because I was talking to him about next year. He was so excited that I'm going to be coming back for grad school, but he's not going to be one of my professors. He only teaches that cost accounting class. And I think one other I'm so upset because he really is such an amazing professor and it's really just nice hearing from him how much he appreciated us as students because. Yes. We can get feedback and hear back from our professors in the form of grades and they hear back from us in the form of how much we like them. Their teacher evaluations. But you never can really get that type of quote unquote evaluation or feedback from your professor. So hearing just how great of students you are from someone really just hit different. I just really appreciate how much he loved and appreciated us, I think.

[03:31] Becky: And then after our accounting graduation ceremony, we had our family over and we did a little barbecue outside. We just sat and laughed. Norma and I were surprised with the cake for graduation. It was so good. I don't even know what type of cake it was. It wasn't chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, but it was fabulous.

[03:49] Norma: Mom thinks it was like tres lunches or something because it was so good. We still have some of it and I've been eating it. It was delicious. And then Saturday we had our graduation, like the elder graduation with everyone, which was so fun. But I'm not going to lie, it.

[04:05] Becky: Was a little too long.

[04:06] Norma: It was like two and a half hours. So after our names got called, we just kind of left because we were also at the very end of the line for names to get called. But it was so long. I think Becky took like a ten minute nap or something in between.

[04:20] Becky: I did, because I had been up since five in the morning making myself look all beautiful, so I needed a little power nap, but it was fine. I think it was before the ceremony even started.

[04:29] Norma: I'm excited for next year because my ceremony should only be about like an hour long and it's only with the graduate students, so it's not going to be as long and it's going to be in an auditorium type thing and not in the Mckayl Center, in my opinion. I think that will just be a little bit more nice and sentimental because I'm not going to be on booking it after I get my diploma.

[04:49] Becky: Yeah. And then after our graduation ceremony, we took a quick power nap at my house because we were so tired that we went home and we set up for our graduation party. And I think our grad party was probably my favorite part of the entire weekend because we had all of our closest family and friends come to celebrate us and it just felt so fabulous. I don't even know how to describe it. It just felt so emotional having everybody who supported us throughout our college career come and say, we love you, we're proud of you. We're here to support you.

[05:19] Norma: And it just meant a lot to.

[05:20] Becky: Norma and I because college was hard. We went through some hard times. We had the good times, bad times, the fun times. So it was just nice to be recognized and celebrate with those closest to us all in one room.

[05:32] Norma: Yeah, I loved having both our family and friends there because, yes, our family was there to support us and give us motivation during college, but our friends were there for the experience during college. They saw us grow as people and they helped motivate us and be there for us during the school year. So I think it was nice just to have both different sides of the perspective we have. The people who just kind of sat along the sidelines and saw us, but then we had the people who were right there next to us experiencing college with us, which I loved. It was just so nice to see everyone and support us and just be there for us.

[06:07] Becky: So after graduation, we went right into summer. Well, I went right into summer. I'm not going to lie. I've been sitting at home. All I do for the next two weeks is just pick my nanny kid up from school because they're not done yet. So I've been unpacking and honestly, watching Netflix and Amazon I just started the wild So good, so fabulous. But Norma, on the other hand, has a different schedule than I do.

[06:31] Norma: I've been working. I mean, granted it's only been a week, but I've worked every day this week in contrast to what Becky's doing, where she's just been helping out with her nanny kids for a little bit before she starts working with them full time. I work this week, I work next week. And then the week after the beginning of June, I start my internship with CBA, which I'm so excited about. But then after that internship ends, I'm working again and I have literally no plans for this entire summer. Like, if you look at my calendar, every day is just filled with work. I'm not taking any days off. I'm not going on any vacations, which is nice because I'll have money, so I don't have to be as worried about it. During grad school, when I went start the summer, I was like, oh my gosh, I don't want to work as much that way. I can just reset and get a mental break because I had four years of school, and the last year was just so draining and I was so burnt out. So I really just want to reset before grad school because that's going to be unhinged because I have to study for my exams for school, but also my CPA exams. But I'm just working all the time.

[07:29] Becky: So I think I'm going to have.

[07:30] Norma: To take, like, a week or two long break and not work and literally just sleep and read and do nothing, because if I keep going, the rate I'm at, I'm going to be burnt out before school even starts.

[07:40] Becky: Norma, if I'm home, I'll feed you grapes and I'll fan you with a little fan, and I'll be your personal servant.

[07:46] Norma: Thank you. So I truly have nothing planned for the summer, and I'm still debating if I want to start studying for my CPA exams during the summer or not. What's your opinion? Especially if there are people listening who have already taken their CPA exams or are going to take their CPA exams. Should I start this summer and kind of just bite the bullet, or should I just give myself a break from school and studying? And should I just wait till the school semester starts? Because I really do want to get, like, two to three of my exams done before I graduate next year.

[08:17] Becky: Me, on the other hand, I have quite a busy summer. I'm going to Disney World at the beginning of June with my best friend. We're going to be there for three days and then spend a day at the hotel and just lounge. Then ten days after I come back, I'm going to Italy for ten days. I'm going to Milan, Venice, Verona and Florence. I'm going with two of my best friends, and we're just going to have a little girl's trip, which I'm so excited about. And then once I get back, I might get my gallbladder taken out, which sounds scary, so we'll see how that turns out. But normally I have a very opposite summer. She's making money, I'm spending it. My bank account is broken, but we'll see how it goes because I'm so excited to go to Disney in Italy. This is perfect for me. Last time I went to Disney World, I was four and I don't remember it. And I went to Italy with my family, but that was really it.

[09:09] Norma: But I wish we went to Disney World.

[09:11] Becky: We were, like, four. I don't really remember it. I know we've been because we have pictures, but lights on, no one's home. I have no thoughts about it, no memories.

[09:19] Norma: I don't remember that. Nest and, like, Becky and I are taking different paths in the accounting world, where she's going private and I'm going public. We have different paths for the summer. She's having fun. I'm not.

[09:32] Becky: Well, I mean, what can I say? I'm just fabulous. But, hey, you get to do this next summer.

[09:37] Norma: Next summer?

[09:38] Becky: I don't have a summer. I'm just working, like, full time. Granted, you are now, but I'll be wishing I was you next summer. But aren't you planning on going to Italy next summer?

[09:48] Norma: Yeah. Well, not Italy specifically. My best friend and I, she and I were thinking of going to Europe, but who knows if that's going to happen? Because that requires money, and if all is being spent on grad school, I won't have it.

[10:01] Becky: So, TBD, I'll let you know at.

[10:03] Norma: The end of next year if I'm even going. It's like 50 50 right now. If not, maybe I'll just go to isn't there, like, a Venice? If not, maybe I'll just go to Vegas and just sit under the Eiffel Tower there and just pretend I'm in Paris.

[10:16] Becky: Oh, my gosh, Norma, that will be iconic. Or you can go to Cirque du Soleil and see everybody dance and stuff. That would be fun. But maybe you can take a little loan from the bank of Becky, because I'll be making big girl money, and I want you to experience stuff. Maybe I'll get you something from Disney World. Actually, I do already have a present planned for you, so ha ha ha.

[10:39] Norma: Heckle yes.

[10:42] Becky: So that's pretty much what our summer is like I said, I might get my gallbladder taken out, I might not. We'll see how it goes. I had some crazy health issues going on at the beginning of the semester, which was really hard because I was trying to get accustomed to all of my classes, but I had at least four doctor's appointments a week, so that was really hard. But, hey, we're done. We're living. Norma and I are alive.

[11:07] Norma: If people want to let me know how to study for the CPA exams and when I should start, please let me know. Like, hit me up on Instagram or Twitter or just even write it in a review or something, because I have no clue what to do. I know I'm going to get, like, Becker or Sergeant or something like that. Otherwise, I don't really know how to study. So that will be an interesting time.

[11:27] Becky: For every CPA exam you pass will get you a nico's burrito.

[11:30] Norma: My gosh, I'm in love with him.

[11:33] Becky: It's a bean burrito. It's delicious.

[11:36] Norma: So I know I just brought up to leave something in the reviews on how to study for my CPA exams, and last episode, Becky and I said, oh, we would love to hear feedback in some reviews. Well, let me tell you, we got another review. We definitely got a review. Guess what? It was one star, which I found kind of funny. This person was just addressing where's our credibility? We have no experience in not only podcasting, but in the real world. But that's what I think is so unique about our podcast. Of course we have no credibility. Of course we have no experience. Credibility is like respect. It's not given, it's earned. So we're doing that by having a podcast. But also, this podcast is supposed to line up our experience and give the raw thought processes and raw opinions on public versus private accounting. We're not going to have experience and then go over it. We want the audience to really know what the public versus private life is and what better way to do that and talk about our experiences as it's going on.

[12:41] Becky: We want you to come along with us in our journey as we get our experience and we get our credibility. That's what this is all about. Because we're fresh out of college, but we're here to give advice to freshmen, juniors, sophomores, anybody who's listening, on how to do things, how to get experience and credibility. We're not telling you this is what you have to do. We're just wanting you to follow along with us. But based on that, we would love if anybody listening with it. Maybe go ahead, leave us a review. As a 4.0 student, this one star review is really hurting my heart because I only like 100%. But you know right with your heart. This is about you guys too. So let's know how you feel.

[13:20] Norma: Any feedback? Is good feedback what we should do, what we shouldn't do? That's pretty much it. So as the last episode of this season comes to an end, we now finally just have Accounting Twins podcast media. The handle for Twitter, Instagram and TikTok is Accounting Twins Pod. That is ACCT Twins Pod. And then we have a Facebook page that is Accounting Twins podcast and on LinkedIn the same page. So just follow those. You'll get more updates about our episode and you can also give us feedback and we can have discussions on those. Maybe I'll start a discussion on one of my pages of when to start studying for the CPAs and when and how to do it.

[14:02] Becky: Also, if you tune back, you can hear if I still have my gallbladder or not. Do I have one less organ or am I still full of everything? Who knows? But thanks for listening. We'll see you next season.

[14:13] Norma: By this has been a production of the Accounting Podcast Network.