March 21, 2017 — We are keeping up with the 10 students in our accounting internship through an intern blog series. To meet our interns, click here for the first blog!
This week, we checked in with each of the interns to hear about their experiences in our accounting internship so far. We asked about challenges, successes, and how the job has differed from their expectations. Keep reading to see how our interns are handling busy season!
Dylan Vue- Tax
Dylan, a junior at Hamline University, says that his internship has helped him decide what kind of work he hopes to be doing in the future. “At the start of the internship, I thought I would really enjoy business returns, but I’ve learned that working on personal returns is what makes me happiest. Knowing what kind of work I enjoy is extremely important to me as far as personal and professional development go.”
Ashley Gruber- Commercial Audit
Ashley, a junior at St. Catherine University, says her accounting internship has been different than she expected. “I expected many of the employees would be so busy that asking questions would be a struggle. However, I feel comfortable asking as many questions as I need to! Most times, other employees will even check in and ask if I have any questions.”
Brody Johnson- Tax
Brody, a senior at the University of Minnesota, enjoys the challenging work. “My favorite part of the job is being challenged. Every new task I’m assigned is different in some way which provides me a lot of variety in work. It can be intimidating and sometimes frustrating to work on something you’ve never done before, but it’s rewarding when you finish.”
McKenzie Hofmann-Government
McKenzie, a senior at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, says her accounting internship has exceeded her expectations. “I never imagined that I would have so many people willing to help me with anything from questions about the work I’m doing to advice for my future. I was not expecting to find an employer who cares as much about their employees as Redpath does. I’ve learned more than I could have ever imagined in the past two months and have truly had a lot of fun while doing so.”
Molly Sager-Tax
Molly, a senior at Minnesota State University, Mankato, says she can’t believe how much she’s learned. “The amount that I’ve learned in such a short amount time is incredible. I learn something new every day. When I get review comments back from both business and personal tax, it’s cool to see how much I’ve learned over the course of this. There’s been an immense amount of knowledge taken in.”
Chris Sigurdson-Government
Chris, a senior at the University of North Dakota, says he enjoys working with clients. “My favorite part of the job is getting out of the office for a bit and going out to clients. I enjoy the interaction with the client and learning about everything that happened in one year for them.”
Dan Thaldorf-Tax
Dan, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, says he feels like part of the Redpath team. “Working at Redpath through busy season has been fun. The people here are great. I’m surprised at how much I have contributed. I feel like I am part of the team and have helped make an impact.”
Paige Loibl- Tax
Paige, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, says she’s enjoyed busy season. “My favorite part about the internship is being able to see what a busy season is like at a firm. It’s nice to be able to experience the job and what goes into being an accountant before I graduate from school. Some days are longer than others, but Redpath goes out of their way to make sure they show their appreciation for all the hard work and long hours employees put in. Plus the snacks and meals are a nice boost during the week!”
Kasha Lundell- Government
Kasha, a returning intern and senior at St. Catherine’s University, says her second internship with Redpath has differed from her expectations. “The program has changed a lot from last year when I did the internship. The interns have monthly meetings with Partners and/or Managers to learn about the different departments and all the services that Redpath performs for their clients. This helps interns get to know Redpath’s upper management, while also learning about the current and future opportunities in each of the departments.”
Kailey Wirtanen- Tax
Kailey, a junior at the University of North Dakota, says her favorite part of the job is the amount of learning opportunities “My favorite part of the job is learning something new each day. There is never a dull moment in the CPA world!”