Exceeding Expectations

It was the night before I started my audit internship at Schneider Downs. I was trying to think about the work I would be doing during my internship. My thinking was that since Schneider Downs is a competitor with the Big 4, I will not be doing anything important for them. They could not possibly let an intern do work that is critical to the job. Oh boy, was I wrong.

I was immediately thrown into testing during my first job. It was overwhelming to say the least, but the staff and in-charge on that engagement made sure I understood not only what I was doing, but why the testing was being done. They took the time to walk me through the procedures and explain how the test relates to the audit in the big picture. I tried to understand as much as I could, but I do not think it really sank in until my next engagement.

During my second engagement, I was again thrown right into testing; this time I was not as overwhelmed, but I still had a lot of questions. The staff and in-charge again took their time to explain what I was doing and walk through an example with me if I needed them to. This time I really started to understand why I was testing what I was testing.

During my third engagement, I started to feel like a “pro” and felt pretty comfortable performing whatever type of testing the senior asked me to perform. He would tell me which testing to do, and then he would ask me to explain what the testing was and why we performed that test. Although it surprised me that he was asking me to explain it to him, I appreciated it because I was able to prove that I knew what I was doing.

I started this internship with the expectation that I would be performing menial tasks but was greatly surprised to find that I was doing the same work as staff members. I was also surprised with how kind and helpful everyone was that I worked with. I had the thought that, as an intern, I would be bothering the people I was working with, since I had so many questions and that they would end up being annoyed. But, everyone that I worked with answered all my questions and was willing to help me through any issues I was having with the testing.

So far, my internship with Schneider Downs has exceeded all of my expectations, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of my internship brings. 

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