Mitchell Farrell
Accounting – Saint Vincent College
If I had to choose two words to describe my internship with Grossman Yanak & Ford LLP, I would say “demanding and rewarding.” As a part-time intern and full-time college student during busy season, I worked hard to remain disciplined in order to meet deadlines and perform at my best. GYF helped make this task very manageable for me. As a result, I have had my first hands-on experience in public accounting before finishing my junior year, and gained great perspective on the life of a public accountant.
At the beginning of this internship, I didn’t know what to expect. Everyone warned me that this experience would be different from my college courses. I chose to keep my mind free of expectations, and to simply accept whatever unfolded as the internship progressed. I was fascinated by the fast-paced culture of the firm, but at the same time, I always felt like the staff was willing to stop their work in order to help me learn something new.
I finished the internship with a wealth of knowledge many of my peers may not have at this point in our college careers. Thanks to GYF, I can consider myself ‘ahead of the game.’
The projects I handled were very demanding. Every engagement was unique and required me to think in different ways. This took some getting used to, but I had a resourceful and helpful team to guide me. I was very impressed with the treatment I received from the people here. I felt welcome and accepted. I was spoken to as if I was a full-time member of the staff. I was given assignments that shared equal importance with that of a first-year employee. This made the experience very hands-on, and maximized my ability to learn new things.
I will be completing a second internship with this firm in the summer of 2017. After that, I will be back in school for senior year. I plan to graduate in May 2018, pass the CPA exam, and begin working for a public accounting firm. I don’t know where that will be, but I hope the experience is every bit as rewarding as it has been here.
My advice to anyone who plans to intern here is to trust the process GYF has. The firm did an outstanding job preparing me for my time here and made me feel welcome from the start. My advice to anyone still looking for an internship? Apply to GYF – an internship here is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!
