This summer, for my STEP project, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to participate in the Advance Internship Program at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The Advance Internship Program is designed for students going into their final year of education prior to graduation. Interns are placed on multiple client teams and complete a large volume of client work throughout their internship. For my internship, I had the opportunity to intern in PwC’s tax sector out of their New York Office. Once I began my internship, I learned that I would be working in the Asset and Wealth Management branch with a focus on Real Estate. A majority of the clients I worked with were entities that bought real assets, such as office buildings and made money leasing spaces to renters. Their goal is to eventually sell that asset for a profit.

During my internship, I was staffed on three clients, otherwise known as engagement teams. The clients I was working on varied in size and complexity, which allowed me to work on many different tasks across clients. My work was never boring because I was always learning something new, and the needs of each client were different. Therefore, each engagement presented a unique set of problems and solutions to best serve the client’s needs. Over the course of my internship, I rolled over workpapers, prepared workpapers, prepared tax returns, filled tax return extensions, and completed E&P (accumulated earnings and profits) estimates and analysis. As an intern, I was expected to learn about PwC as a firm, think critically about the big picture and how we can best serve our clients, analyze data and information, communicate concisely with confidence, and behave in an ethical manner. While all of these roles and responsibilities are important, I was repeatedly encouraged to come to work with a good attitude and a “hunger to learn”. I was constantly encouraged to ask questions and speak up if I was confused or didn’t know something. My bosses always reminded me that I am not expected to know how to do anything, I am learning and asking questions is/was never a problem. The firm created a culture of learning that allowed me to expand my accounting knowledge and my knowledge of the corporate world as a whole.

               Looking back, I feel this internship has transformed me for the better. I feel I have grown into a much more confident individual. Prior to this internship, I would repeatedly second-guess myself and would attribute my success in school to luck instead of my abilities and work ethic. However, this summer I was given many tasks that I had never done before, and I was able to complete them correctly. When my seniors would review my work, sometimes they would have comments/updates for me, but a significant portion of the time the only comment I had was “Great job! Everything looks good!” This was huge for me because I was able to figure out how to effectively complete the task at hand. The self-doubt that I usually felt after doing well on an exam or project slowly began to fade away and I began to feel this comforting sense of confidence when given a new task or challenge. Instead of feeling nervous or anxious that I would be unable to complete the task at hand, I felt confident that I could complete this task and anything else I was given. Being able to grow more confident in myself and my abilities over this summer has been a very empowering experience that has transformed me for the better. In the business world, sometimes you have to back yourself and apply for that promotion, ask for a raise, or speak up and share what is on your mind. After this internship, I feel I am better equipped to enter the professional world after graduation with this increased sense of self-confidence and self-assurance.

               My increased feeling of self-confidence can be attributed to a multitude of internal and external factors. While Manhattan is a wonderful city that I called home for the duration of my STEP project, the city is known for scams, and individuals being taken advantage of in a wide range of situations. In an effort to mitigate this risk, I had to emulate a sense of confidence when walking around the city, especially, when I was by myself. I always had to look like I knew where I was going even if I was lost and act like I knew what I was doing. That way, most people would assume I’m a local of the city and I would be less likely to fall victim to tourist traps and other common scams. After a period of time, I began to emulate this sense of confidence unconsciously and it quickly became second nature at a variety of places beyond on the sidewalk or in a subway car. Some examples are bars, restaurants, concerts, the grocery store, etc. The old saying “Fake it till you make it” is true. The confidence I embodied outside the office began to become a small but ever-growing part of my personality.

I became less concerned about if I could effectively execute the task at hand and began to place an increased level of trust in my skills and abilities. This allowed me to become a better intern over the course of my internship. I began taking on more tasks which helped alleviate the workload of others on my team. Additionally, instead of bringing a problem to my boss, I would try to reference similar problems and brainstorm some solutions on my own. Then, when I would come to them with a question or problem, I also had a set of solutions that might be helpful. This allowed me to do my job more effectively and allowed me to learn more since my senior would explain why certain solutions I proposed would not work in this particular situation.

Another reason I was able to grow more confident in myself this summer was due to the culture of the company I interned with and the people I met along the way. Over the course of my internship, I felt that the culture of the company encouraged continuous learning and growth. I was always encouraged by professionals of all levels to ask questions no matter what. The learning-focused culture allowed me to be more confident when asking questions that I may have felt stupid asking in the past. In addition to the company culture, the people I met along the way allowed me to feel comfortable and accepted in my own skin. I was then able to bring myself to work without feeling uncomfortable for any reason and focus on getting my deliverables done and learning along the way. The other interns I worked with were very friendly and kind. There was no stress or office politics. I could just be myself and we could both worry about getting our work done. Additionally, higher-ups such as Senior Managers, Directors, and Partners made themselves very accessible at work events and happy hours. I had the opportunity to see that like me, they are just normal people, and I can be them if I put in the work. Looking back, I feel that the company culture along with my increased level of confidence allowed me to learn a great deal of technical and soft skills during my internship.

The self-confidence I was able to gain over the course of my STEP Project is a total game changer for the future of my life. Being more confident in my abilities will allow me to be a better student in my last year of college and a better professional as I enter the workforce next year. As a more confident student, I will be able to study in a more efficient manner without having to feel overprepared for exams or constantly second-guessing if I know something or not. Additionally, I will most likely perform better on exams due to a reduction in test anxiety. Before exams, I would get very nervous and anxious because I was always worried that I did not study enough or study the right material. Since I am now more confident, I can relax prior to exams because I worked hard to study and prepare. Now, I just have to take the exam, which is the easiest part. As a professional, being more confident in my abilities allows me to better execute my tasks in a timely manner since I am not always second-guessing every decision. Additionally, if I am more confident in myself, I am more likely to ask for a raise if I feel I deserve it or apply for a higher-level position.

My newfound confidence will also contribute to a greater work-life balance and less stress. If I have a big exam or project, even when I am doing something fun with my friends, I regularly find myself stressing about what I still have to do. And then, my break from school or work doesn’t feel like a break at all. If I am confident that I will do well and I am confident that I can effectively prepare, those worries go away. Then, I’m able to actually take a break and enjoy time with friends and family. This will improve my mental health overall and allow me to be a better friend, sister, and daughter since I can be present with the important people in my life. Reflecting back, I feel this internship has allowed me to become a more confident student, professional, and person. Being able to trust myself and my instincts is an amazing and empowering feeling that I am grateful I was able to gain over the course of my STEP Project.