Physics student in an auditing firm? This seems odd enough. However, believing that an internship is all about getting a learning experience to which useful skills can be learnt or applied, it can perhaps be totally new, or totally strange! So over here in this article, I'll be going through my experience over summer 2004 in an internship with Ernst & Young (Malaysia), one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world.

Working culture

The general working culture varies from team to team, but with the right positive attitude and willingness to learn and work hard, it is almost certain that every each of us can fit in with the team of colleagues.

However, with competition and perhaps some social politics, it is also vital to work smart. For instance, practice CYA – "Cover your ass" by keeping related documents, and information in the right place, and having a backup whenever it is necessary. The whole point is to balance between being a good colleague and not overburden oneself in terms of meeting other colleagues' expectations and demands.

Learning

Considering that the technical demands of an intern is not too much, many of the solutions and decisions in work has been based on common sense, and even on having a positive attitude towards learning.

Being resourceful, through asking questions and consulting your seniors/superiors, or even just by plainly following your gut instincts, is always better than being passive, even though there is a higher tendency to make mistakes in the beginning.

The biggest eye-opener remains on how the firm manages its massive knowledge systems, and making it possible for every single employee (ok, maybe except for the security guards and so on…) to have reference to all kinds of data and processes at their finger tips. Moreover, there is an increased flexibility for the employees as any of us can update it if it's necessary.

Connecting with others

Being the youngest in the team, there are many advantages depending on how one utilises it. I realised that through this internship, I have an opportunity to make mistakes and then learn it, without too much to worry about my future reviews and job appraisals!

I was lucky to be able to "click" with most of my seniors and they are good mentors, giving advice and encouragement.

I have learnt many lessons on people. One of the more important things is that I learn that I ought to be more aggressive, but in a professional way.

Getting through the technicalities

With only such a short time learning from a basic accounting book, I managed to only understand the basic concepts of accounting. Perhaps, even not understanding it at all! But really, doing basic work is more or less about common sense.

However, it will be very helpful if I were doing an accounting related degree. Then again, life is all about surprises. If I were to go all out into scientific research, I may just end up just like another psycho nerd, dwelling too much in the world where theories and models rule the world.

Guts

Doing something differently today tells me that working is not just about applying what has been learnt in school. It is another chapter of life, one that is again, full of learning experiences, ups and downs, tough times (all-nighters?)…but it is also a new chapter in terms of meeting new friends and expanding one's limits.

The most important thing I learnt from my internship is not about how to handle stress or the core methodology of auditing – it is about people!

No matter how good or bad the job is, it is not the job that will provide the drive to work hard and diligently. Instead, it is the people around - the gelling process while working together as a team, which sometimes give bitter experiences and sometimes sweet ones that makes the most difference!

If one day you see a garbage collector smiling all day, maybe you'll get what I mean. J

Final thoughts

Being in the contrasting lines, and always having friends and seniors asking why am I doing such an internship…perhaps it was a way to find out more about the financial world, corporate culture, maybe it's just for the CV, maybe it's just another way to spend time, but I'm happy with my choice because it is such a good, unforgettable experience, with a lot of lessons in reality check.

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