A day in the life of an accounting intern

Meet Valbona Bushi, a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. In the fall, she plans to go back to Case to work on a master’s degree so she will have the necessary 150 hours to sit for the CPA exam. But before going back to class, Valbona has been busy this summer getting real-world experience. Find out what a typical day is like for her as an accounting intern with GE Energy, a Fortune 500 company, in New York.

By Valbona Bushi, accounting intern
Case Western Reserve University
The Ohio Society of CPAs Student Ambassador

This summer is special as it marks the final internship of my college education. I’ve had several internships working in manufacturing finance, IT support/testing, auditing and tax. This summer I’m working with Power Gen's controller group. Here’s a glimpse of what it’s like for me on the job:

I get to the office and set up my computer. For some reason I’m having trouble accessing the applications I need to use, so I’m sure I’ll spend some time on the phone with the IT help desk today. Once I get up and running I’ll have a lot to do.

I’m working on two main projects this summer. They both seemed pretty straightforward when my manager first explained them to me, but they’re proving to be a little more challenging than I originally thought.

One project deals with SOX. I’m an accounting major and while I’ve read and followed up on SOX news in almost all of my classes, I still don’t fully understand exactly how the process applies to companies. It helps that our group has regular conference calls each week which give me a chance to listen and take lots of notes. I’ll use those to read up on my own later. I’m starting to learn which sections of SOX really affect us and how they apply to our business.

The second project I’m dealing with is even more challenging. I’m in frequent communication with other employees in my company who are located in Europe, China and India. This is exciting but it has taught me to be careful about how I word my e-mails. I’ve also learned to be more aggressive about certain things. I often follow up with a phone call to clarify any problems or questions that come up over sent or received e-mails.

I’m starting to learn which people prefer e-mail vs. phone calls, but there are always the few who don’t respond to either. I guess I just have to keep trying! Once in a while I will copy my manager on an e-mail, which always provokes a response. It’s frustrating that I have to do this, but I know my name will hold more weight very soon. I’m definitely thankful for this job because it has given me the opportunity to work on an international level.

Lesson of the day: Take each day as it comes and never get discouraged. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and when you do, reflect on them because that’s how you learn.

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