ACADEMICS
Internships Provide New Generation An Inside Look at Our Industry
As the director of education and development for Farmer & First PC, one of Michelle Hughes’ responsibilities is the recruitment of interns, many of whom will play an important role during the busy tax season.
Hughes says while the essential work involved in tax preparation is important, the firm strives to provide an experience that goes further. She sees internships and job-shadowing programs as an opportunity for students to better understand corporate structures and the skills that go beyond crunching the numbers.
“I take a special interest in working with students to illustrate that accountants do more than just work with numbers. We also engage in social settings, marketing efforts and public relations, for example,” said Hughes, a CPA at the Warren firm. “I have assigned (interns) research projects, guiding them to the resources while encouraging them to take ownership and make the project their own.”
Hughes added that while hands-on preparation of income taxes, bank reconciliations and the developing of QuickBooks skills remain a critical part of the intern’s experience, a big-picture view of the industry is important.
College and university representatives agree. They say such a well-rounded approach to internships and job-shadowing programs provide a unique window into a profession that can help convince students to pursue a career aspiration or give some students the nudge to rethink their plans.
Robbin Beauchamp, director for the Career Center at Roger Williams University, says programs like the university’s externship program are a way for students to get “a fly-on-the-wall” look at an organization and a profession. The externship program, now in its second year, is different from internships as they are shorter and are offered to everyone from first-to fourth year students, many who are still undecided on a career.
During the first year of the program at Roger Williams University, nearly 140 students took part in the program, which included a wide-array of industries. Following their externships, many students received offers of internships, part-time jobs and several have been hired for full-time positions.
While many students who participated in the program last year were further encouraged to pursue their career of choices, others had different reactions, said Beauchamp. “For some students the externship made them realize that a profession they thought they wanted was not really a good fit for them,” she said.
"In many instances, students might have an interest in a particular skill set, like working with numbers, but find out that accounting isn’t what they anticipated. That does not mean the students would give up on the profession. But they might realize they want to work at a smaller accounting firm, for example, or be an accountant for a specific industry," said Beauchamp.
Farmer & First will be among the initial accounting firms to participate in the Roger Williams University externship program, which is offered the first three weeks of January. Hughes says the broad experience students have experienced in similar student programs at Farmer & First has been eye opening.
“They are often thrilled to discover the people skills needed in the field, and to recognize that it’s not all about just ‘cranking out the numbers,’” she explained. Hughes believes students draw tremendous insights into the profession by interacting with clients and working closely with professionals at the firm.
With the tax season approaching, Robert A. Mancini, executive director of the Rhode Island Society of CPAs, is encouraging firms across the region to participate in the numerous internship and externship programs offered by colleges and universities across the state.
“These programs are not only a chance to supplement your workforce during a busy time of year, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to encourage students to pursue what is a challenging and exciting profession. Furthermore, internship opportunities provide a direct link to the best and brightest students coming out of our local colleges and universities,” said Mancini.
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