A Foot in the Door at McGladrey - Pathways Programs took place this August

Written by Taylor Jaeger

Student at Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona

This summer, I had the opportunity to get an inside look at the fifth largest accounting firm in the country.  McGladrey’s Pathways Program is a three day experience that allowed me to meet some of the Firm’s amazing accounting professionals and learn why McGladrey is a great place to launch a career.  My first day in the office was unlike anything I expected. The minute I walked through the door, I was greeted with warm smiles, and by people who genuinely wanted to get to know me, not just on a professional level but also a personal level.  I learned that the key reason McGladrey is so successful, and why everyone I met loved their job, is due to everyone’s willingness to help, support, and understand each other.  Whether an employee is a first year associate, manager, or even partner, he or she is more than happy to help with something you don’t understand and answer any questions you may have.  At McGladrey, everyone’s door is always open and no problem is too big or too small to bring to the table.  Teamwork is also one of the company’s best qualities and is exemplified daily throughout the multiple projects McGladrey has in play.

What truly impressed me was how all of the people at McGladrey are able to work together as one team despite different skill sets, functions and levels.  They just make it work seamlessly.  During the office tour and bowling event, I noticed employees from different departments and positions were working together and having a great time both inside and out of the office.  Meeting all of the outgoing professionals at McGladrey was my favorite part of the experience.

At a client tour during the Pathways Program, I had the opportunity to talk with Phoenix office manager, Ross Grainger, about what makes working at McGladrey so enjoyable.  I learned that Ross and seven other members of the office participated in the Phoenix Spartan race. The Spartan race is an eight mile obstacle course that requires an enormous amount of teamwork and endurance; you can see all of the McGladrey Spartans on the company’s website.  Ross plans to make an office Spartan race for the entire Phoenix McGladrey office. This is just another example of a fun and competitive team building activity that gets the entire McGladrey office together.  Ross was been very helpful answering questions I had about the firm, as well as the accounting industry in general.  We still keep in touch today.

Meeting all of the great accounting professionals in the Phoenix office, and being able to participate in the numerous fun events made my three days at McGladrey’s Pathways Program an unforgettable experience.  If you are interested in investing your career in a successful and exciting accounting firm, I highly recommend you check out Pathways.

If you’d like to attend the McGladrey Pathways Program or work alongside world class professionals like I did, then check out them out at www.mcgladrey.com.