On the first day of my internship, I was terrified. I had no clue what I was doing, who I was going to meet, or what was going to be expected of me. When I arrived on the first day it was comforting to see six other new people who were just starting out; they looked as clueless as I was. The first week was packed full of training and meeting all of my new coworkers. Everyone was very welcoming and with each day I grew more comfortable. It was exciting once we finished our training and I started getting projects assigned to me. Someone sat with me for the first few projects and allowed me to ask a lot of questions. Froehling Anderson is a teaching firm, so everyone was willing to help.
In all honesty, there were some days that were stressful and I felt helpless, but there were just as many other days when I felt pride for what I had accomplished. As an intern, I was treated no differently than any other staff accountant. There is so much to learn and at times it seemed like too much was being asked of me. I once told a manager, “I am just an intern!” and she corrected me and said, “You are not just an intern, you work for Froehling Anderson.” As I reflect on my internship, I am thankful for being pushed. I not only learned how to do the work but also understood what I was doing.
In my short three and a half months at Froehling Anderson, I was given the opportunity to work on audits, reviews, compilations and both corporate and individual tax returns. Having the chance to work on everything in public accounting was exactly what I wanted to do during my internship. In school, I liked all of my accounting classes, so I had no idea which direction I wanted to go. Having the opportunity to try everything has helped me better understand where my career might go in the future. I am thankful for this experience and happy that I chose Froehling Anderson for my internship.
