HBE’s intern program has been designed to provide college students considering a career in public accounting with real world experiences in audit, tax, and business advisory related services. Unlike traditional intern programs, our intent at HBE is to provide our interns immediate exposure to client-related work. Therefore, our interns come on board with many of the same responsibilities as our full-time, first-year staff accountants. As a result, our interns have the comprehensive knowledge and understanding needed in order to make a well informed decision about which public accounting career path is best for them.
Jack Boulay is currently a student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He recently completed the first five-week session of his full-time HBE internship, which will begin in January of 2015. Below is what Jack had to share about his experience.
Much like the accounting profession in general, there are a lot of stereotypes associated with an internship. I think that it is pretty safe to say that when most of us think of an intern, we think of someone making coffee and copies and doing data entry all day. If I am being completely honest, when I received my internship at HBE this is what I expected to be doing, however, I was greatly mistaken. HBE’s internship program breaks through the stereotypes and aims to start preparing you for your career. My five weeks as an intern at HBE were filled with experiences and knowledge that school cannot provide.
There were many things that made my internship experience at HBE great. One thing in particular was the interaction I had with the partners. Coming in, I expected to meet the partners but did not anticipate having much interaction with them. I was wrong. Each week I was assigned to a different partner who was essentially my mentor for that week. They gave me things to work on for them, let me sit in on meetings, took me to lunch, and talked about what they do and what HBE is as a whole. Interacting with all of the partners and other staff made me feel very comfortable at HBE right away.
Over the course of my five weeks at HBE, I learned about many different areas of the company. I attended various events, including a two-day auditing seminar where I learned how HBE performs their audits and a Client Spotlight meeting where I observed as the staff reviewed a business client’s current position and brainstormed areas of service and recommendations that may be of benefit to the client. In addition, I assisted with auditing internal controls for a nonprofit client and attended multiple professional development sessions. I was also able to attend the HBE 40th anniversary celebration and family picnic, where I was able to witness the rich culture the firm has built over the years.
My five weeks at HBE exceeded my expectations of what an internship was going to be like tremendously. I was able to meet many new people who were welcoming, knowledgeable, and willing to help whenever I needed it. I learned a ton about HBE, the accounting profession in general, and what real life is like as a public accountant. HBE was able to break the “accounting internship” mold and offer me an experience that will be very beneficial as I consider my future career path. As a result of my internship with HBE, I’m more excited than ever to finish school and start my career as an accountant.
For more information on HBE’s internship program, including current opportunities, please click here.