Master of Accounting student Aaron Gill ’22 found his summer accounting internship at Moss Adams through the Eberhardt School of Business’s Career Management Center. He says the opportunity to work and learn at a top 10 accounting firm taught him not only about auditing clients, but how to navigate his career in accounting.
Aaron walks us through his experience this summer, from securing the opportunity to jumping into his internship tasks. Plus, he explains how to best learn on the job and why you should never be afraid to ask questions.
What I did at my internship
I was an audit intern for Moss Adams, a top 10 accounting company in the U.S. They serve thousands of clients around the world, including big clients such as Sunkist, the Seattle Seahawks and Raley’s. I worked in the Stockton office, a few days in the Sacramento office and I also worked remotely from home.
As an audit intern, my role varied. Some days I audited cash. Other days I audited accounts payable and accounts receivable. Other days I would review board meetings and summarize key points and verify clients met their board meeting minutes.
During the first couple weeks of the internship, I usually had a ton of meetings over Microsoft Teams going over who to get help from and other training. Once client work started, I would have meetings with my engagement team for what was expected of the day. After those meetings, I would work for the rest of the day and ask questions when needed.
How I got my internship (and how I prepared)
I got my internship through UOP. I got a ton of Handshake notifications and emails from Eberhardt’s Career Management Center about accounting firms looking for summer interns, so I applied to Moss Adams and was accepted for their summer internship program. The weekly emails the Career Management Center sends always helped keep me in the loop for companies that had open internship roles for accounting firms.
I feel some of my experiences at Pacific helped me prepare for this opportunity. I recall seeing things from my general education and accounting classes show up during presentations in the internship and I was able to recall the information I learned.
What I learned through the experience
It was nice to learn the different types of things you need to do to fully audit a client. I also learned some tips on how I can continue to grow in my career when I start full-time work and how to be an effective team member.
I also learned to ask questions. I did not expect everyone at my internship to be so helpful. If you asked a question to someone, they would always help refer you to someone who would know instead of brushing you off.
Everyone wanted to learn a little about you and help give you some advice along the way. Even though some of the staff, seniors or partners were busy with their own work, they had no problem helping the other interns and me whenever we had questions.
Remember, no question is a dumb question. Someone will be able to help you. Asking questions will go a long way in helping you learn and will show others that you really care about your work.
Want to learn more how Pacific students stayed busy this summer? Keep an eye on People of Pacific for more internship diaries!