Introduction to the Corporate Internship Program (CIP) – Part 1 of 2

Upon completing the third component, Advanced Bookkeeping of DISCOVERBOOKKEEPING (DB), participants have the opportunity to take one of two paths: 1) a one-on-one consultation with TBKC staff to discuss their career aspirations, or 2) apply to be an intern with our corporate sponsor – The Bookkeeping Company of New York City. Participants accepted into the Corporate Internship Program (CIP) receive the following benefits:

• Experience in a hands-on learning environment with an active agency
• Increase the level of workplace confidence
• An opportunity to increase employability and improve their resume
• Enhance bookkeeping and office administration skills
• Develop or bolster professionalism

The CIP was launched at the end of 2011. Our first group of interns (Graduates of DB’s Class of Fall 2011), Anastasiya J., Rosita N., Elena V., and Ileana V. would like to share their experience with you.

1. Describe your experience with CIP.

Ileana: Awesome.
I was treated like the bookkeeper I know I can be.
I was challenged to apply and build upon what I had learned in DB, to take ownership of my projects/assignments, and to take responsible for my own time management. I was also challenged to stand by my bookkeeping decisions and trust my instincts, to ask as many questions as necessary and give just as many suggestions.
Assuming the role of a bookkeeper during my time at CIP became a real confidence booster, and essential to my professional growth.

Rosita: The experience I got from the CIP was very challenging; doing “actual” office work, and learning to use some of the office equipment. I gained so much practical knowledge, especially in navigating the computer. The experience of making a presentation gave me so much confidence.

Elena: CIP gave me the opportunity to be in the real atmosphere of a bookkeeping company – with unorganized paperwork, old and unclear receipts, clients that want the work to be done yesterday, etc. But it is part of a daily bookkeeper job that we have to be aware of. It was also a nice experience.

2. What have you learned that is different from DISCOVERBOOKKEEPING?

Anastasiya: It is a real experience with real clients. I deal with different types of company so I can see the differences in their paperwork and QB entries.

Ileana: DB became the foundation for which my experience at CIP was built on.
CIP became the place where I came to better understand the information I learned in DB.

3. What is your favorite part of the program? The least favorite?

Anastasiya: My favorite part is that I get to work with accountants advising, which helps to understand, to learn more and faster. The least favorite: I would like to continue this experience as a part-time job!

4. What else would you like to learn or explore more of?

Ileana: I would like to work with different clients that have different bookkeeping needs. (This variety, I feel, will help me be a better rounded bookkeeper.)

Rosita: For me, I’m satisfied with all the aspects of the program, everything that I appointed were taken cared of considering the time limit.

Elena: I’d like to take part in the whole bookkeeping process for a company, beginning with entering data and ending with reporting and reconciling.

5. From a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how would you rate CIP?

Anastasiya: I would rate my experience as being the highest. I’m still not confident that I am able to do this kind of work by myself, but I am sure that I am able to be as a good team member in this field.

Elena: A big 10!

Please stay tuned for the next  newsletter as we feature the second half of the interview with our Corporate Program Interns.