Off the Ledger
Your days as a college student are almost numbered. The working world is calling. As you get ready to embark on your career, you have to be thinking, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” “Is a job in public accounting right for me?”
Where do you want to go?
You have so many options. Big firm or small? How do you decide? Where can you go to get the real, honest look at a career in public accounting? What is it REALLY like to be an intern? What will my life be like as a staff accountant?
See your future...
At Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM) we’re here to help. We’ve created this blog site just for you! To help you find answers to these and other questions about working in a public accounting firm. Real interns and brand new staff accountants chronicle their experiences with our firm. Read what they have to say. Ask questions, share your opinions and we’ll respond.
Visiting Client Sites
Alison Derringer- Tax Staff
Over the last year I’ve learned that working in the tax department at a CPA firm usually means I have a regular routine, and I’ve become accustomed to this routine. I know each morning where I will be working and that everything I need will be right there at my desk. However, this busy season has provided me with new opportunities to travel to more client locations and provide our tax services.
Here are a few things I have learned this busy season about being at a client site:
• You need to make sure you have all the supplies that you might need to work. Notepads, pens, ten key, power adapter for the computer, internet cord, white out, and any other supplies you might be accustomed to having at your fingertips. You still might forget something, but usually you can find ways to get by without it.
• Always check with your manager as to what the dress code is, directions, and what time to arrive. Working in the office provides more flexibility as to when you get into work; however, the client might not open until 8:30 am and you cannot access the building before then. Working in the field means taking into account the environment of the client’s workplace.
• You will go out for lunch. When I am in the office I frequently pack my lunch, but out at the client I can always count on grabbing something for lunch with co-workers. This is nice because during the hectic time of the year that we are in, it allows for an opportunity to catch up with friends.
This busy season has taken me out of my comfort zone of my office routine and allowed for me to have different experiences and variety in my daily routine. I have definitely gained a new appreciation for auditors and all the travel that they do. Traveling at work allows for new opportunities and a change of pace; however, I will always enjoy the extra monitors, snacks, and coffee that come with working in our office!
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