By: Sam Buckley
I started at Mueller as an audit intern during busy season and continued my internship through the end of summer. Then I went back to Northern Illinois University (NIU) to finish up my bachelor’s and master’s degree. My internship was extremely insightful and taught me things I would never learn in the classroom. I would attribute this to the hands-on work I was doing each week. As a Junior in college, I was not just sitting around doing busy work for 8 hours. I was engaged with clients and auditing different sections of a company’s business. One of my favorite parts of audit was being able to see a wide variety of different industries and businesses. I was able to travel for a couple of jobs to Ohio, which was great because the team had a great time trying different restaurants when the workday was over. After my internship, I knew that I would enjoy continuing audit when I finished school.
When I finished my degree at NIU, I came back full-time in January of 2021. Even though we had been in the middle of the pandemic, my transition into the office was very smooth. It may have been a little overwhelming during the first week. Although my body was not used to getting up every morning at 7 AM, the knowledge I had gained from my internship quickly came back to me. I had also forgotten that coffee consumption is a pivotal role in becoming a CPA. I am very happy that I have the opportunity to work for a successful firm like Mueller. The people at the firm have sincere intentions, and it is noticeable that the firm is encouraging everyone to grow as professionals. Mueller has paid for my study materials for the CPA, so I am currently working during the day and studying at night. Although I have been back for a short time, I am very optimistic that Mueller will continue to help me grow as a professional in the accounting field.
