Taking the Stairs

Last week I finished up a 10-week internship with Ernst & Young (EY) I am so glad I had this opportunity. I worked harder than I ever have before and I had a blast.  This experience will be invaluable as I work toward my master’s degree and begin my career.

The internship was a roller coaster of an experience. The first two weeks I wasn't sure what I thought about the job. In fact, I was pretty sure I didn’t like it. There were many experiences, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. I vividly remember the first time I worked from 8am to past midnight. It wasn’t exactly my favorite thing. Having a few days like that in a row was draining. The long hours were an adjustment. I had heard busy season would be a lot of work, but I didn’t really know what that meant until I lived through it.

The work was also challenging. In public accounting, there is a sink or swim mentality. I was given work that I had never seen before and I was asked to perform at a high level. At first, it was overwhelming. I wondered how I would ever become familiar enough with the work to be successful. I have gotten used to feeling really smart at school and finding success without a lot of struggle and stress. During the internship, I struggled a lot and it took an adjustment to recognize that comes with the experience of being an intern at EY.

I did a lot of thinking those first few weeks about what I wanted. At some point, I recognized I was in the same boat as everyone else. No expected me to understand everything on day 1 or even at the end of week 10. They also didn’t expect the work to come easy. The expectation was for me to work hard, ask lots of questions, learn, be proactive, and have a good attitude. I recently read this quote and thought it was applicable:

“In an increasingly competitive, cautious and accelerated world, those who are willing to take risks, step out of their comfort zone and into the discomfort of uncertainty will be those who will reap the biggest rewards.”
- Margie Warrell, Forbes

I stepped out of my comfort zone a lot. As a result, I learned and grew more than I ever imagined I could in 10 weeks. By the middle of the internship, the things that were hard on day 1 made more sense – my comfort zone grew. I got the vision and I felt like I could contribute. The feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. Every day brought new challenges, but I learned to adapt and take each new experience in stride.

There were also many things I loved about the internship. I wrote earlier that I had a blast, and I did. If I went back, I would do it all again exactly the same way – I had fun, and really enjoyed the experience.

The number one thing I enjoyed about EY was the people. I worked with high-caliber people. Everyone was so smart and talented. There was also a real sense of camaraderie on all of the teams I worked with. Everyone was so willing to help me and answer questions. I always felt like an important member of the team. I learned a lot from each of them and made some great friends.

The teams I was on were a lot of fun. I laughed so much during the past 10 weeks. As the day gets longer the jokes seemed to get funnier. Taking time to talk and laugh was a nice reprieve from the hard work and made the late nights more enjoyable.

As busy as we were, the teams I worked on were always willing to be flexible when I needed it, like letting me leave early the night Cameron and Kelli were in town. There was another time they let me work from home one night when Alison was sick. Even though work is important and consumes a lot of time at EY, a real effort is made to be flexible and focus on family.

Because we were working long hours the firm made sure we were well fed. I really enjoyed trying out new places to eat. While I was working downtown we ate at a lot of local places and tried to find unique dining experiences. I tried a lot of places I probably wouldn’t have without the internship.

I got to work with companies in a wide variety of industries including Oil & Gas, Software, and Real Estate. I also got to work with people at all levels of the organization from accounting clerks to the CFO. I really enjoyed getting to work with such a diversity of organizations and people. These types of experiences are the reason I chose to pursue a career with EY.

I enjoyed the little perks and programs EY puts together for their people. Early on in the internship, an email was sent out inviting employees to participate in the SLC marathon events. I didn't really think it applied to me because the SLC marathon takes place after my internship end date. It turned out they wanted me to participate as well and paid for me to enter the 5K. On the last day of the internship I was talking with one of the partners and he asked if I would like to take my wife to the Jazz game. I told him I didn't have any plans for that night. He told me EY has a few tickets and no one was using them. He gave me a couple lower bowl tickets and told me to have fun. Alison and I went and the game was a lot of fun (even though the Jazz lost). It is little things like this that show me EY really cares about their people.

I was part of an amazing intern group. From our first week together in San Francisco to the last day we got along well and had a lot of fun. We became good friends during the internship and I am sure we will stay in touch now that it is over.

Participating in recruiting events was a highlight of the internship. I enjoyed being on the other side of the table. It was a lot less stressful. I got to answer questions about my experience and help mentor students who are considering the public accounting career path. I enjoyed sharing my experience and perspective.

In the end, the internship was everything I hoped it would be. I have accepted a full-time offer with Ernst & Young. I will start after I finish up my Master's degree. I took the offer because I want to have the opportunities a career in public accounting will provide. I also took it because EY is a great place to work. There will be many challenges that come with this career choice – plenty of long nights, and many more times I will have to step outside of my comfort zone.  This is not the easiest path I could take, but in the end, I believe it will be the most rewarding.

During the internship, I was reading Brandon Steiner’s blog post entitled, “You Fail Without the Right Mindset.” There was a quote that stuck with me, which I think sums up my internship experience:

So many people want it, but just wanting it is nowhere near enough. The elevator to success is broken. You have to take the stairs and you have to be willing to pay the price. Are you willing to take that long walk?