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Intern Spotlight Series — College senior gets real-world experience
McCOOK, Neb. — One of the main goals of any community is to cultivate its youth so that they can be successful throughout their lives. A few businesses in McCook and the surrounding area have taken that message to heart, providing unique opportunities for students before they enter the “real” workplace. As internships increase in the area, people fresh out of high school or in the early years of their college careers are given chances to prove themselves in their field of choice while simultaneously gaining real-world experience. Those interns will provide their own view of their experiences in the below column.
TJ Renner is a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha working toward a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting, Business Finance, Investment Science, Portfolio Management, Banking, Financial Markets, and a secondary concentration in management, and is on track to graduate in December. He’s currently employed as an intern with Skiles, Loop, Bremer, and White CPAs PC (SLBW). TJ says his experiences include preparing tax returns, bookkeeping, and other various accounting tasks. He feels his most rewarding bits of knowledge from his internship are experience in the field, working hands-on with tax returns, and learning how to use the knowledge he’s gained in college. TJ says his biggest challenge “was in the beginning of my internship, learning to ask questions to make sure I was using the software right and inputting the numbers in the correct spot.” He feels supported by his team, stating SLBW has made getting over that challenge “a breeze”. TJ says he’s expanded his knowledge from what he’s learned in college, and confirmed his career path was the right one for him. Of internships, he says “they are not only to expand your learning, but to help students get a glimpse into what their future career path may look like.”
TJ hopes to someday work in the accounting and finance industry, especially in a smaller town like McCook. He recommends getting an internship because “it not only expands your learning, but allows you to experience the career field you are interested in firsthand.”
Doug Skiles, TJ’s employer, says that his accounting firm has used interns in the past, with very specific goals in mind, including long-term employment opportunities. Multiple members of the SLBW team started as interns, he says. The firm takes their responsibilities as an employer and mentor seriously, Skiles says:
“Our onboarding approach is to teach them enough during the internship to learn about not only their accounting skills, but their problem-solving abilities and ability to work independently.”
TJ has successfully demonstrated those skills, he mentioned, and the firm hopes to have a long-term relationship with him.
If you are an intern working in the area, or if you are a business that has hired a summer intern, and would like to be featured, please call or text Isaac at the Gazette (308)340-5707 to be included in the series.