Greg McGuire
Accounting – Penn State University
If you’re looking to staple documents and fetch people coffee, this is not the place for you. If you’re looking to learn more than you thought you could, then you’ve come to the right place. And I can honestly tell you that it would be hard to imagine learning more in a three-month span than I did at GYF.
My biggest fear, and I think a lot of people’s biggest fear, before starting an internship was that I wasn’t going to know enough. I was right about not knowing enough, because who does know everything before starting a new job?
The atmosphere at GYF made me not knowing everything okay. Everyone is easy to approach and willing to help you learn. That’s what made my internship so enjoyable.
One thing that sets GYF interns apart from interns elsewhere is that they treat us as first year staff. I was able to work on projects that people normally wouldn’t work on until they’re first or second year staff. While this responsibility can seem overwhelming at times, it is where I learned a lot this summer. And when I became frustrated or confused, I was always able to ask someone who was more than willing to help.
My internship at GYF gave me real insight into what it’s like to work at a public accounting firm everyday. Many people assume that you can do their taxes (and you can) when you tell them that you’re an accounting major, but I think GYF gives you a real look into all that you can do in the public accounting field. They give you opportunities to work on projects you feel interest you the most, and all you have to do is ask.
I was interested in seeing what the Business Valuation group does, so I reached out to a member of the group to ask about opportunities. Before I knew it, I was doing all sorts of business valuation work. This is what GYF can offer to an intern that a lot of places can’t.
The best advice I can give future interns is to not be afraid to seek out work that you feel will be too difficult. You learn the most from the projects that are the hardest. You might make mistakes, but there is always someone willing to point you in the right direction. And, you learn the most from those mistakes.
I think one of the biggest factors that made my experience so positive is that everyone wants you to have a great experience. All of the professionals do everything they can to help you get the most out of your internship. Since this was my first internship, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I can tell you that the internship exceeded the highest of those expectations. I learned more in a few short months that I have in all of my accounting classes combined.
