Misconceptions v. Reality: My Internship Experience

For many, the word “internship” brings to mind images of young college students grabbing coffee, sitting around bored, and doing busy work because the full-time employees either do not have the time, or the inclination, to deal with the kids who barely know their way around the office yet.  While I am sure that internships like this exist, this could not be further from the truth at Schneider Downs.  From day one, it became evident that my internship experience was going to be full of exciting work that was going to give me a glimpse into what the real world of accounting was like, while at the same time enabling me to help the firm serve clients.  At Schneider Downs, interns are not only given projects that are important and crucial for the firm, but are provided with learning experiences in their first professional jobs.

Although we were given important tasks, we were not left alone.  We had amazing support from everyone from the first-year associates who were our mentors, to support staff who made sure we knew how to get around the office and use our computers, and to partners who wanted us to feel welcome and were there to offer advice and a kind word.  This amazing group of people made Schneider Downs both a great collaborative experience for the work the firm does for clients, as well as a learning environment for us college interns.  My internship with Schneider Downs was everything that an internship should be: challenging, rewarding, fun, and a learning experience, and far from the stereotypical internship full of coffee runs that students hear horror stories about.