As the halfway mark of my internship experience has passed, I am pleased to report that Tate & Tryon has provided me with enriching learning experiences appropriate for a young professional approaching her Senior year. My role as an intern does not comprise of glorified scanning and copying, like some horror stories I hear from friends interning elsewhere. Instead, I am responsible for a diversified set of tasks that affect the real operations of the Firm. In other words, I participate in meaningful, challenging work. The flexibility of the internship program allows me to participate in these diversified tasks and in independent and team oriented work. Because the program is not 100% structured, I have the ability to work on a diverse set of projects--ranging from hands-on field work at a client to putting together a Information Document Request for the IRS.
I have a unique perspective on my T&T intern experience as I moved from out of the area (Pennsylvania) to the District. The transitions have presented unexpected challenges that are not easy. Some of these challenges include renting and sharing a new apartment with roommates, commuting to work, and living away from family. Facing these challenges has become easier after making close friends with my fellow interns and looking forward to happy hours and social events that the Firm plans faithfully. While living away from home may throw some extra stresses to an intern, it is not impossible to do.
My day begins at the buzz of my alarm: 6:45am. I throw my heels in my bag, and slide on my trusty flip-flops for the mile walk to the station. Two escalators down, six metro stops south east, 5 blocks over, and 9 floors up, and I am looking out of The Southern Building. I grab my laptop, trade my flip-flops for my heels, and begin my project for the day.
Some days I prepare 'Federal Form 990s', which are tax returns for non-profit organizations. Looking back to my first week struggles with these forms, completing one has become very rewarding. Becoming familiarized with the software allowed me to gain an understanding of the mechanics of the form. While I have made progress, I still come across questions during preparation. At first, I try to work through the problem independently; if this doesn't work, I ask co-workers in the audit department. They are very eager and willing to help the interns. Actively seeking answers to your questions plays a huge part in taking advantage of potential opportunity for growth.
An evident strength woven throughout the internship program includes the assignment of mentors to interns. I view this mentor program like a support system. Interns may address his or her mentors with any questions or concerns they have regarding specific work questions or professionalism. On my very first day, I was introduced to my two mentors, Bryant and Danielle.
One of the benefits of the mentor program for me was talking to Bryant. As he was guiding me through a tough tax return, we started chatting and discovered that we both studied abroad in London (about 4 years apart). Minutes later, we also discovered that we went to school in the same building and even had the same professor! It was a great feeling to have a connection like this my first week away from home, starting my new job.
Other days I meet an audit team at a client office to help perform an audit. Our audit team gathers around a conferernce table with our laptops amid audited finacial statements, work papers, bins labeled with different accounts, and coffee, of course. Because this was my first audit experience, I was assigned to a few simple tasks. However, I was glad that I was given a few challenging ones as well.
My first task was the preparation of a disclosure checklist. Preparing this checklist was a hefty job, but it was interesting to begin working on a real audit. In addition to filling out this checklist, I rolled forward a binder and learned how to update the financial statements using Microsoft Word and Excel. I was responsible for accurately updating these numbers and dates for year end 2008.
On the second day, Jessalyn, a senior auditor, and I went on a 'walkthrough'. I observed a meeting between her and our client and took notes dealing with the client's internal controls and sources of revenue. Next, we had to ask questions about fraud and security so that we could fill out the risk assesment chart.
Filling out the risk assesment chart was one of my more challenging tasks. Jessalyn explained the purpose of the chart and the different types of risk. I used the chart to break down how the client receives and records revenue and noted any potential for fraud.
I enjoyed performing and observing the audit team conduct these tasks. Not only did I gain insight from performing audit tests hands-on, but I learned from observing the overall operations of an audit. For example, I examined the way our audit team interacted with the client, and I recognized the importance of maintaining our professionalism and conduct at a client. Other insights I gained included recognizing the important role communication plays between the auditors and the client. Without proper communications skills, we would struggle in performing audits efficiently.
One of my favorite weeks at T&T I participated in training for new staff. Dr. Susan Hughes, Professor of Accounting at the University of Vermont conducted a three day 'Staff Training' course for new hires and the interns. This course sparked my interest because I love to learn and have not yet studied Auditing at my university. The design of her course challenged our minds to understand the purpose of our work, and this insight provided me motivation about the my future role as an auditor. She spoke about 'professional skeptikism'. This term stuck in my mind because it helped me realize that I possess personality traits that fit this profession. This provided me reassurance that I chose the right profession.
At the close of our course, Dr. Hughes presented us with yet another challenge: preparing a short presentation to an audience of our supervisors on a topic related to the course. After we split into random teams, we were alloted an hour and a half to prepare for this presentation. My partner (and fellow intern) Christine, and I worked diligently together, crafting a powerpoint presentation listing the reasons that the course excited us about a career in public accounting. Our main ideas included our ability to apply the course material to future audits and a sense of increased confidence in our abilities in the workforce. We surprised everyone (and even ourselves) when we tallied the votes and found that we, the rookie team, won! We were quite excited to win gift cards to Cosi, just a block down the street.
With the insight that Dr. Hughes provided, I became excited to participate in future audits. I knew that I could apply the five assessments of risk to the tests that we would perform and understand the underlying purpose of the audit. Dr. Hughes succeeded in educating, motiving, providing career rensurrance, and even entertaining her students.
I look forward most to the days in which I interact with my supervisors. Because of the firms' size, I am able to do this. Working with knowledgable managers and partners is both motivating and challenging. One particular day, a partner and I worked together to draft a 990 with a tight deadline. This was particuallary rewarding as the efficiency of my work was needed in order to meet the deadline.
It is officiallly Friday afternoon. In just an hour, I will trade my heels back for the flip-flops and will have completed eight full weeks of my internship experience. As I continue to apply my knowledge and skills to the best of my ability, I hope that T&T continues to gain value from my presence and that I grow in professional knowledge and skills for the remainder of the internship!
Rebecca Cushing
Susquehanna University '09
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