We asked two Hunter Accounting students, Mr. Sebastian Siavichay and Ms. Sadia Shamim, to share their experience and advice about getting accounting internships. They answered questions from Professor Michelle Liu. Read below to see what they have to say!
Sebastian Siavichay and Sadia Shamim
ML: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Sebastian: I am a born and raised New Yorker from Queens with a proud Colombian and Ecuadorian ethnic background. I come from a working-class family with no formal education and will be the first graduate in my family.
Sadia: I am a 5th year student at Hunter pursuing Accounting. I am the child of first-generation Bangladeshi immigrant parents. I’m also planning on being the first college graduate in my family.
ML: How did you find your current internship/job?
Sebastian: I applied on the PriceWaterhouseCoopers website because I don’t think they ever came to campus. It’s rare for large firms to come to campus. I applied in May 2017 for the Winter Internship in 2018. I got a call back in about August/September of 2017. I had a phone interview and two web calls, and then I received my offer in November 2017 to start work in January 2018.
Sadia: I saw a job page on Facebook, and I contacted the Grant Thornton representative in early July of 2017 about a Tax Internship. I heard back in August for an interview, and I started working in early October 2017. I’ve been with the firm ever since.
ML: What advice would you give to those searching for internships?
Sebastian: The important deadlines are for internship applications. Now, larger firms recruit interns a year or year and a half before they even start, so be sure to do your research and stay on top of those deadlines.
Sadia: You should always use every resource available to you and follow up with every opportunity you find. We have access to the Career and Development Center at Hunter, there are always professors that are willing to sit down and speak about ways that they can help, and there are programs like the Hunter Gateway program that help bring the professionals to us. There are also platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn that help students connect to more firms and provide us with opportunities we may not have thought of.
ML: When do you expect to graduate, and what are your plans?
Sebastian: I expect to graduate May 2020 and hopefully begin my career in public accounting by September 2020. I also hope to get a Master’s degree in Forensic Accounting or jump into a C.P.A. role within the federal government.
Sadia: I expect to graduate in the Spring of 2020, if not sooner. Afterwards, I plan to pursue an MBA as part of my 150 credits, which I will use to sit for my CPA exam.
