McGladrey Beginnings

Written by Thomas Starr
Assurance Intern
San Diego, CA

Today is the last day of my first week at McGladrey. Already, I have learned so much and met great people. Before I dive too much into my experiences thus far, let me start by letting you all know how I got to this point.

Pathways Program client site tour

During my junior year at San Diego State University, I applied and got accepted to attend the local Pathways Program held in August at the San Diego office. For those of you who don’t know, Pathways is an opportunity for interested students to learn more about McGladrey, public accounting, and the different service lines (audit vs. tax). I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in the firm or the profession. Over the course of the first two days, we listened to various presentations, went bowling, toured a client site, and served our community by cleaning up trash. It was a chance to learn the McGladrey culture and meet some of the professionals in a comfortable and fun way.

The third day was the much-anticipated Interview Day. I was excited, nervous, and more. The interviews went great, and I was anxious to hear back. Waiting after the interview was the worst. About a week later, I got the call I had been waiting for. I was offered a winter internship at McGladrey! It was an awesome feeling to see the stacks of applications, numerous networking events, and years of grueling schooling start to pay off in a meaningful way.

So that’s how I got to McGladrey. It’s already been quite the ride. Last week I went to local intern training in Irvine, CA. That’s where we were issued our laptops and backpacks (of course they threw a ten-key in there also because what’s an accountant without that!). I got to experience the joys of living out of a suitcase in a hotel for a few days. I wouldn’t call it glamorous, but I am not about to start complaining about having a king bed to myself or being reimbursed for meals. As someone who loves to sleep and eat, both of those were actually quite enjoyable!

Before my first day at my local office, I attended the office holiday party. I didn’t know what to expect, but I went anyway. After dinner, all the new hires were asked to come up and do the chicken dance. I’m sure everyone reading this knows the chicken dance. I’m talking about the one they do at most sporting events, and the one you would never expect to be performing at an accounting firm holiday party. There were quite a few of us, so it wasn’t bad at all. Before the end of the dance, they announced that they would pick a winner for the best chicken dancer. I’m always up for a challenge, so I shook what my mama gave me… a lot. Let it be known, I’m no expert at this particular dance—or I didn’t think I was—but I won. Indeed, I may have finally found my greatest talent. On my first day in the office, most people recognized me as “the guy who did the chicken dance.” It ended up being a good way to break the ice and calm the nerves of starting my first day.

Back to business.

On Monday morning, I was already assigned to a client. I spent a few hours this week working on cash and have also done some A/R confirmations for another client. As busy season continues, I know I will start to get more and more hands-on experience. I am excited for the challenges and growth opportunities that await me over the next few months! I am learning a lot and am having fun doing it. I couldn’t ask for a better start to an internship.