For my STEP project, I worked at Plante Moran as a tax intern from January through April. I prepared individual and business taxes to get a grasp on what a career in accounting would look like. Throughout the internship, I learned a lot about the company and the different career paths you can take as an accountant.
This project had a big impact on helping me decide which direction I want to take my career in. I learned a lot about myself and what I want in my future. With this being my first internship, I came into this wanting to get real world experience and to see what a day-to-day would look like. I got so much more out of this experience. I learned the importance of networking and building connections, the importance of company values, and opening myself up to new opportunities.
I had a few interactions that led me to better understand my goals for the future. During my internship, I was able to network with a lot of people. Plante Moran sent all their intern and new hires to Denver for onboarding. While there, I was able to become close with my coworkers, which set a good foundation for the rest of the internship. Throughout the internship, I went to lunches, coffee chats, and meetings with different people in the industry. This helped open me up to new opportunities. If I didn’t connect with coworkers, I wouldn’t have been involved in some of the projects that I was. All of these interactions helped me realize that I want to work for a company that focuses on their people and creating an environment that cares about their employees.
Plante Moran had a few activities that changed my view on company culture. As described above, they put an emphasis on their people through events like onboarding in Denver and lunches with the staff. Another event that we had was with all the interns in the state. We all came together to get to know each other and volunteer with a local charity. It was activities like this that make me want to work for a firm that values their employees.
Finally, I was encouraged to open myself up to new opportunities. While I was a tax intern, I was able to volunteer for an audit project. This was very beneficial to me because I ended up liking it more that tax. Without being open minded to take on an engagement like this, I never would have known that this is something I liked.
Before this internship, I had no clue which career path I wanted to take. The experiences I had throughout this internship helped me decide what I want to do with my degree. Knowing what I want to do takes a lot of stress off of me as I move into my senior year. I can now focus on personal goals since I know what I want to do with my career.