I’m baffled that eight weeks have come and gone. I’m no longer that intern who accidently came to DC an hour earlier on the first day, not knowing what to expect. Though, to some extent, the not knowing part still exists (it’s a good thing!). That’s one of the fun aspects of working in this field. There isn’t really a way to build a mundane routine. For example, every two weeks I learned how to operate a different coffee machine (Flavia is my favorite so far – it has an option for creating foamy drinks)! How many office jobs will allow you to do that? :)
After having gone on audits, it’s difficult to imagine a job where you come to the same cubicle on a daily basis, see the exact same people, do the exact same thing. Each client makes you react and perform in a different way. Sometimes that may be frustrating, but it keeps things interesting. Whenever I told my friends that I went to different places every other week, they were amazed that the ACCOUNTING major of all majors isn’t sitting in a little dark corner having fun with a calculator.
Actually, this summer T&T made sure we weren’t stuck in a little dark corner and were having a good time in between all the learning. Fourth of July weekend the entire audit department went on a boat ride for a couple of hours. The benefit of having that scheduled in the middle of the internship was that the interns got to meet everyone. Since people are always out on different assignments, it’s hard meeting your co-workers. We also got a chance to go to a National’s baseball game one afternoon and mingle. Other than that, the interns also had an opportunity to have a long lunch with Mike & Charlie. They asked us some great questions and shared their experiences. If anything, it showed that if you really make an effort, you can get anywhere you want & that accounting is the best field in the whole wide universe :)
Above all, one thing this internship has done is create a strong desire to excel and motivated me to set high expectations for myself as far as my career is concerned. Being around individuals who aren’t that much older than you and are generally happy & successful is helpful in pushing you towards the right direction. Not every firm will have that kind of an effect. Talking to people and asking them about their experiences helped me set standards for myself & learn from their success and difficulties. What more can you ask for from an internship?
Nausheen Yusuf
George Mason University
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