- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
by Maxwell Moomba ’13, Actuarial Science Major
I’ve always been fascinated by careers within public accounting and capital markets. This has been owing to an innate mathematics talent and an accelerated drive to learn the market functionality of different industries. With that said, this past summer presented the perfect opportunity to learn accounting from the work-world perspective. I landed a top-notch internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the “Big Four” accountancy firms in the world and a global professional services firm. Through the internship, I had the opportunity to work with top students from schools such as: Howard, Hampton, Temple and Drexel Universities, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to landing the internship, I was awarded the PwC Exceed Scholarship, a onetime payment for minority students, worth $3,000.00. Furthermore, I have already secured a tax client services internship for the summer of 2012 with the firm.
During the first week of my internship, I flew into Chicago for national internship training. In total, 242 interns attended the national training representing 20 different U.S. markets and seven of PwC’s major regions. The training was systematically structured to prepare us for the upcoming weeks through which we would get vast exposure to corporate America. Most of the training sessions I attended were centered towards teamwork, leadership and excellence as key drivers to arriving at thorough business decisions and solutions. I must point out that all the training sessions were delivered with precision and execution, thereby, stirring enthusiasm within me and firing me up for the remainder of the internship program. In addition to learning sessions, the training was a huge networking opportunity allowing me to interact with PwC recruiters and staff from across the country.
Following national training, I worked with the Experienced Recruiting Tax Team, while simultaneously leading efforts in the preparation of a tax value proposition for the Greater Philadelphia Market. This project was aimed at attracting and retaining the best and brightest tax talent. In order to obtain the information relevant to completing the project, I interviewed six tax partners, five senior managers and three human resource directors. This paved the way for me to create a PowerPoint that will be utilized nationally by PwC’s Experienced Recruiting Tax Teams. Moreover, I undertook an audit simulation of both virtual and actual clients. For my virtual client, I worked with a team of five other interns and a manager to assess various audit risks, determine materiality thresholds and test internal controls in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAS). For the client side, I shadowed private company services to get practical audit experience. I would not have accomplished much internship success without having a close circle of mentors and friends to inspire me.
With that said, I credit much of my summer success to the Office of Career Services. I worked closely with Mr. Ralph Simpson, director of career services, to constantly enhance my resume. I dedicated over 15 hours last semester in ensuring that I had a competitive corporate resume. Furthermore, Mr. Simpson thoroughly prepared me for various internship interviews. He offered valuable advice that has and is preparing me for success. Additionally, Ms. Maria Mc Gill was instrumental in sharpening my corporate etiquette skills. Overall, the Office of Career Services and my classes are building my technical competency to prepare me for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams, which I plan to take immediately after graduation.
In a nutshell, the internship was a great opportunity to learn about accounting and network with various professional within public accounting. The program broadened my school of thought to different industries within tax and audit. I acquired a wealth of experience that closely ties in with most of my accounting and finance classes. The resounding message is: “Lincoln may be a small school, but we do big things!”