As I am nearing the end of my Schneider Downs internship, I cannot help but feel grateful to have had such an amazing experience. As my internship start date approached, I had feelings of nervousness and excitement all in one. I had no idea what to expect, but once day one arrived, I knew I was going to love it at Schneider Downs. Interning at a regional firm has allowed me to grow in my career by working with numerous clients, each within a different industry. I gained real exposure and was given tasks that made me feel I was fully engaged with my audit teams to help complete jobs. As an intern at Schneider Downs, you are not given mundane work. You have the ability to expand your knowledge and work on real client material, which has allowed me to gain an understanding of what external auditing really entails.
Furthermore, despite the unprecedented times, Schneider Downs made sure our virtual internship was still going to be nothing less than spectacular. Not only was it great to be learning beyond the classroom and actually working with clients, but the people at Schneider Downs made it such a fun, memorable six weeks. One thing that really stood out to me was how the people at Schneider Downs throughout all levels of the firm truly took the time to get to know you. Even though our work environment was remote this summer, I was still able to build relationships and feel connected to my engagement teams as if we had been sitting in the same audit room. They were always available for me to ask questions, and they did a great job of making sure I understood exactly what I needed to be doing.
All in all, I can truly say that I have learned so much in such a short period of time. I believe an internship is essential while in college, because it allowed me to grasp first-hand what it would be like to work as an auditor as well as experience the company culture. I am so happy to have had an internship at Schneider Downs where I was able to work alongside talented professionals, which has definitely helped prepare me for my future in accounting.
