Settled In

Written by Valerie Koufidakis
Tax Intern
Boston, MA

McGladrey Boston Office

 

It’s the third week of March. Those of you who work or have worked in public accounting can imagine how things are at the office right now. Even though it’s still about a month until our April filing deadline, tax busy season is in full swing here in Boston.

Though the long hours can be exhausting, I still look forward to coming to work each day. Since I am working primarily with Private Client Services, I’ve been doing tax returns for our individual clients, and each one doesn’t take me longer than a day to complete. I love this aspect, because it means that I’m seeing at least one brand new return a day- though usually many more! By dealing with such a multitude of clients, as opposed to just one big one, I’m learning a great deal. Even the “simplest returns” can many times contain something I’m not familiar with and need to research further.

Luckily, I work with great staff and managers in PCS. Whenever I have a question, they’ve been there to help. I’m especially grateful because people take the time to explain why something is the way it is, rather than just feed me an answer. Another great resource I’ve become quite familiar with is the IRS website- ha! While it’s important to utilize those around you, I realize that their time is valuable too, especially during busy season. Not to mention, being able to find an answer to something myself has been quite rewarding.

The steady volume of work during this time of year has allowed me to settle into a bit of a routine, which I have certainly appreciated. I like coming in each day and having a rough idea of what I’ll be working on. I’m not overwhelmed, but with that being said, there hasn’t been much downtime either. A new part of my “routine” has been trying to get out for a 10-15 minute walk at least twice a day. When the weather is cold and wet outside, I’m perfectly content sitting in my cube and working all night long. But now that it’s warm and sunny, I sometimes find it harder to focus because I just want to go outside! These little breaks have certainly been great as a way to clear my head and reenergize me for the rest of the day.

Needless to say, I am really enjoying my internship here at McGladrey. I’m keeping busy and working with different people in the office each day. I certainly don’t feel like “just an intern” here, and I think I’ve gained the trust of many in the office. I can tell, too, because they’ve been assigning me work! It feels great to be appreciated, and it’s obvious the firm really values the effort their staff puts in.

We are all working for the same clients, and at the end of the day, have the same goal; understanding and satisfying their needs. The client-service aspect of public accounting was what drew me in to begin with, and it’s been an amazing experience so far to work as part of a team with so many talented professionals to deliver that service. Here’s to us!