Progressing Through My Internship

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I cannot say enough how much I have grown through my internship over the last 6 weeks. I started out incredibly eager, nervous, and excited – as many students are on the first day of a new job – and even with the ups and downs from the first day to my last, I have begun to realize that accounting is for me.

Anticipation:

I was both nervous and excited to start because I was working in the field I want doing what I want. What could be better? I had read article after article about the do’s and don’ts of the first day of an internship, and I had learned about my company forward and backward.

Disillusionment:

In my case, the disillusionment phase presented itself during my first week. My first week of work was disappointing in that I spent my time being lectured at about the company and completing miscellaneous tasks that had nothing to do with accounting. I was anxiously waiting for work to do when, because of my background in dance, I was chosen to write for company’s dance website’s blog. At first, I was thrilled at the assignment because they had specifically asked me, but as the weeks went on, my blog post ideas slowed, and the writing became too much. I want to work with numbers, not writing, so the blog posts were a struggle for me.

Confrontation:

After a few days of disillusionment, I decided to ask my manager how I could help her. Looking back, I am sorry it took me so long to do this because once I asked, she gave me three different projects, including organizing receipts and updating spreadsheets.

Competence:

Just recently, I feel I have made it to this stage. I have been given the task of creating a budget for the company’s newest project as well as compiling spreadsheets tailored to the needs of my colleagues. My hard work is paying off, and I genuinely feel a part of the group.

Although I did not originally feel included in the group due to our cultural differences, the variances between my co-workers and I have greatly aided me this summer. At first, the cultural differences of accent, word choice, and workplace behavior were intimidating since they were stronger than I had anticipated. I felt awkward even talking with my simple Midwestern accent, while my co-workers have proper British accents. As the weeks continued, I began to learn more about my co-workers and their culture as well as explain to them about my background. I began to appreciate everyone’s cultures through this process, and I believe my colleagues have helped me immensely in gaining confidence in my work through the creation of friendships and bonds.



Culmination:

Since I still have two weeks left in London, I am going to work so that I have pride in all of my accomplishments and do not have guilt due to a lack of achievement. These next two weeks will be my most productive yet.

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