Hard work pays off

I knew my internship at Novogradac & Company would be competitive. I didn’t know how much I’d like it.

During college, I had a couple of internships that I didn’t enjoy. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to work in accounting, but knew I wanted to like where I worked. Last summer, I graduated from BYU-Idaho and soon started searching for a firm.  I happened upon an opportunity at Novogradac in Walnut Creek, Calif., where I saw positive reviews and submitted a resume. I wasn’t hopeful, because job boards often are an ineffective method to apply, but to my surprise I received a call from the recruiting department at Novogradac. Within a week, I scheduled interviews and a tour the Walnut Creek office. I was impressed with the people and the facilities–between the break room/kitchen and a downstairs gym, it had everything I wanted. I did well and a soon received an offer to start with the firm in January as an intern. I was hesitant to take the job offer because I had another opportunity where I could start as a full-time employee, but I was so intrigued by Novogradac (including the location and aforementioned amenities) that I accepted the offer.

I was excited, but nervous when I started. I studied accounting and completed other internships, but this seemed more significant. I liked the company and could envision working with the people I had met–and as a result, it felt like a lot was at stake. Novogradac specializes in tax credits and I never learned or dealt with that, but during the first week, we had a great orientation and classes on the basics of the specific accounting discipline we’d be working in. By the end of the week, I learned a lot, but was still a little apprehensive. There were a lot of smart people in the group of new interns–individuals with masters degrees and others from prestigious universities. At that point, I decided to work harder than anyone else in the room. It was my opportunity to excel.

Then the reality of busy season set in.

It was tough. The hours were long and the learning curve was steep. I did well, but other interns seemed to do better. Competitiveness took over and I really started to dig in, adopting a routine that improved my efficiency at work. With the gym and the kitchen on site, I rarely had to leave the building and could focus. I also reached out to my senior and asked for help. She was generous with her time and I started to succeed. I did better every day and the weeks started to fly by.

Before I knew it, I was in the last week of my internship and started to despair because everything I was accustomed to might be over soon. I had become close friends with other team members and interns. On the next-to-last day of internship, I received an email from my partner, requesting me to stop by his office. I was sure that he was going to thank me for my work and let me go. However, once I arrived, he offered me a full-time position to start on his team immediately. I was elated and accepted.

I achieved my goal. It wasn’t easy, but I worked hard and made good friends along the way. The competition brought out my best and I found my ideal job because of it. Truth be told – I couldn’t have paid for a better opportunity.