Audit Experience With Mowery & Schoenfeld
Steven Zuniga
My first year at Mowery and Schoenfeld, like most first jobs, was a year characterized by mistakes and learning. I took each engagement as an opportunity to absorb as much knowledge as I possibly could. This meant asking countless questions to senior staff members, managers and even partners to guide me through these challenging assignments. Everyone was extremely helpful, and gladly took time out of their busy schedules to make sure I understood what I was doing. While many companies claim they have an open door policy, this shows me that Mowery and Schoenfeld truly means it.
One of the main things I was looking for when choosing where to begin my career was to find a place where I had an opportunity to work in various areas of accounting and not be pigeonholed into one function. And while I am considered to be a part of the audit staff here at Mowery and Schoenfeld, I have had the chance to work on numerous projects and services that our firm offers. During my first busy season I worked on quite a few audits, reviews and compilations, along with preparing entity and individual returns.
While I enjoy the aspect of auditing more than tax, I realize that it is important to work in both areas in order to become a more well rounded accountant. After my first busy season I also had the chance to assist a manager in completing a couple business valuations. This is an area that I plan to explore more as I grow as an accountant. During the summer I was also able to work on a few employee benefit plan audits. This upcoming summer, I plan to lead some of our younger staff on these types of engagements.
Outside of the accounting work, I’m involved in the recruitment process. While some may see this as an extra burden, I take it as a chance to help bring in talented individuals for the betterment of our firm. I thoroughly enjoy traveling to various campuses with coworkers to speak with college students about the benefits of working at Mowery and Schoenfeld.
At Mowery and Schoenfeld, it’s not an all work and no play atmosphere. The managers and partners try to set up various events outside of work that help us to get to know each other on a more personal basis. Whether it be an outing at a baseball game, holiday party or post-busy season party, these are all excellent ways to build camaraderie between coworkers. After busy season, I can also take advantage of our flex time plan. The flex time plan allows employees to balance their personal lives with their work schedules. By making up the time during the week, I can enjoy taking a half day on Fridays to enjoy the summer weather.
As I enter my second year with the firm I can start to see the managers and partners giving me more responsibility and even more challenging work. They do an excellent job of giving us assignments that continue to challenge us. I am excited and look forward to expanding my knowledge of the accounting profession at Mowery and Schoenfeld.
