The Final Stretch

By Matt Matula
Tax Intern
Chicago, IL

Interning at McGladrey has been quite the experience to say the least. I have made so many good friends and I learned more than I could possibly imagine in such a short time span. I feel as though I have become an integral part of a very close knit community of co-workers in my MWD department. Even though I still have so much more to learn, I definitely have noticed that I have become more helpful to the team rather than being the one who always needs help. However, this is to be expected after spending several weeks working 12 hours a day. Although 12 hours a day may seem daunting, you quickly get used to it, and there is a great deal of satisfaction when you complete a full day’s work. Despite how rewarding it is to complete a 200 page return, it is painful when you are asked to re-assemble the same return for the fourth time in a row. If you are planning on interning at any public accounting firm then heed my warning. You will make mistakes, and a lot of them. The goal is to learn from these mistakes, and not to let them bring you down. After all, we are accountants, and not surgeons. No one will die if we make a mistake, but people absolutely rely on the quality of our work, so it is important to not repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Anyways, I can probably keep writing all day about my experience here at McGladrey, but I am too busy with work. 

You can definitely feel a sense of urgency around the office as the looming 4/15 deadline approaches. Our MWD group has a tradition where we inflate 10 balloons that represent the last ten days of busy season. Each day we will gather around and together we will pop one balloon to show everyone we are one day closer to the end. It is a challenge, and everyone is working twice as hard to make sure we finish strong. One of the partners in my group gave me a great analogy to describe the end of busy season. He told me, “Busy season is like fitting an elephant through the eye of a needle. It seems impossible, yet we manage to do it every year.” I plan on using his inspiring words to help push myself through this final stretch of tax season. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read my blog, and I hope it gave you some insight into the life of an intern at McGladrey.