My name is Kyle Lutz and I am senior at Aurora University, graduating in May 2019. I am now working full-time as an Audit Associate, after completing the Spring 2019 Audit Internship at Mueller. My educational path was different from most interns as I graduated high school in 2010 and attended college to begin studying Spanish and Education. After taking some time off school, I returned to college in 2016 to study Accounting and began working full-time while also attending school full-time after work. Initially, I was worried about finding a job in public accounting considering I needed to work full-time and was unsure if I could make an internship work, but Mueller changed that. I attended an interview day for small schools, met with multiple firms and ultimately received an offer for an internship with Mueller.
From the first day of my internship, I was able to get a good grasp of the culture and environment I would be working in for the next few months. Myself, along with five other interns began our training for the first week and were put on audits shortly after. Though we may have been nervous about going to clients so soon, we were assured we would be fine and that we would have the support we needed to succeed. My biggest take away of this internship, was being able to build a relationship with clients as well as gain experience in the field. Specifically, we had the opportunity to interact with our clients and ask questions, which is an important part of becoming an auditor. We also had the opportunity to work in multiple facets of an audit and gained knowledge of the different sections and processes.
The culture of Mueller is unique and is what I appreciated the most about the internship. The beginning of an accounting career can be challenging, frustrating and intimidating. While your professors do their best to prepare you for a successful career, the experience of actually performing the work is where you learn the most. Everyone at Mueller from Associate to Partner level understands the challenges and were helpful in making sure my questions were answered and that I felt comfortable in the work I was doing. They made me think about what I was doing to help me learn and understand the content, but always made sure I was moving in the right direction. I felt comfortable talking to anyone. Mueller focuses on ensuring they are performing the best audits possible but they also have fun while working. Once or twice a week, during busy season, we had associates from each department push around a “snack cart”, which had various snacks and beverages. This gave us an opportunity to take a break from work and get to know one another. While the snack cart was great, I think the most important part of Mueller’s culture was the sense of camaraderie within the department. Everyone wants each other to succeed and do well. Whether it is offering their opinion on how to tackle a particular issue or showing someone a simple shortcut in Excel, you feel a great sense of teamwork and a common goal of being successful together.
I was extremely satisfied with my internship here at Mueller and I am grateful to have the opportunity to have received a full-time offer. I have already begun working full-time, while also attending Aurora University to receive my Master’s in Accountancy. Once I finish my Master’s, I will begin studying for the CPA. Mueller has given me the opportunity to work, while finishing up my degree and working towards the CPA. I am excited to see where the next part of my career with Mueller takes me.
