What is LINK?
LINK is a 3 week internship that all of the juniors at Animas High School get the opportunity to do. Instead of going to classes, students spend 90-120 hours over the three weeks with mentors who have careers that each student is potentially interested in. Students learn life skills and gain experience in the "real world." LINK gives us an opportunity to see which careers we might be interested in, or careers we want to steer clear of...
Bob Gehrke, CPA
I did my internship with my grandpa, Bob Gehrke, who works as a CPA just outside of Chicago. I went to his office 3 days a week for 10 hours a day to learn all about taxes and legal documents. My work included completing tax returns, formatting documents, excessive filing, prenuptial agreements, research, and organizing.
LINK Anticipation and Preparation
My original idea for LINK was to go to Chicago to intern at the Art Institute of Chicago as a curator. After being politely denied at the museum, I decided to try other museums in the area. I emailed every single museum in Chicago that had contact information. After emailing, I called the museums that had most peaked my interest. A majority of the museums I contacted never got back to me, and the ones who did, said that didn't have the capacity for an intern. I decided to continue on the "art track" and started contacting interior designers. Out of the 10 I contacted, none of them responded--which was very discouraging. Finally, I decided to switch gears completely. I have always loved math and been good with numbers; since I wanted to be in Chicago, I decided to talk to my grandpa who is a CPA there. He is retiring at the end of the year which worked to my advantage because he had a lot of busy work that needed to be done before he stopped working. He said I could intern with him which lifted a huge weight off my shoulders because it came together at the last second and I was beginning to be very stressed.
Going into the first days of my internship I was a bit nervous but not too anxious because I'm very close with my grandparents. I knew that my grandpa would be patient but I was worried about the work I was going to be doing because I had absolutely no experience with his field of work.
Going into the internship, I wanted to see if this type of work was something I was interested in. I knew I loved math but I wasn't sure how that would apply to "the real world." Although the internship was incredible and I learn a ton, I don't think I want to pursue a career as a CPA. It was an experience I appreciate, but not an experience I want to continue.
Going into the first days of my internship I was a bit nervous but not too anxious because I'm very close with my grandparents. I knew that my grandpa would be patient but I was worried about the work I was going to be doing because I had absolutely no experience with his field of work.
Going into the internship, I wanted to see if this type of work was something I was interested in. I knew I loved math but I wasn't sure how that would apply to "the real world." Although the internship was incredible and I learn a ton, I don't think I want to pursue a career as a CPA. It was an experience I appreciate, but not an experience I want to continue.
Project
For my project, I completed a collection of tax returns. I had to learn how to use the ProSeries tax program which was a challenge. My mentor was the type of teacher where he liked me to figure out things by myself. It was a good tactic but I had no prior experience with taxes or the ProSeries program and was therefore pretty lost for the first couple of days. Google became my best friend. My first day using the program it took the entire day to compete one tax return. As time went on, I was able to complete 2-3 per day.
Completing a tax return included sorting through piles and piles of paperwork. Each client had five to six manila folders of information, each about an inch thick. First, I would go through their previous tax returns and figure out what I was dealing with. Next, I would sort through the current information and figure out which information was relevant and what could be entered into the tax program to be taxed or deducted. Some clients were more complicated than others. There was one old woman who had received all of her insurance money to pay for her nursing home and medical expenses in one payment. I had to go through her files from the last four years and figure out how much she had spent on health care versus how much she received. Her information was very unorganized and it took all day to get the information I needed.
Since the information I was working with was confidential, I could only print out one of the tax returns I completed. The names and social security number had to be deleted to protect the clients identity and private information.
Completing a tax return included sorting through piles and piles of paperwork. Each client had five to six manila folders of information, each about an inch thick. First, I would go through their previous tax returns and figure out what I was dealing with. Next, I would sort through the current information and figure out which information was relevant and what could be entered into the tax program to be taxed or deducted. Some clients were more complicated than others. There was one old woman who had received all of her insurance money to pay for her nursing home and medical expenses in one payment. I had to go through her files from the last four years and figure out how much she had spent on health care versus how much she received. Her information was very unorganized and it took all day to get the information I needed.
Since the information I was working with was confidential, I could only print out one of the tax returns I completed. The names and social security number had to be deleted to protect the clients identity and private information.
Reflection
What abilities or skills were most useful coming into LINK?
Coming into my internship, I had minimal skills that I thought would be beneficial to a CPA. I knew absolutely nothing about taxes or even what CPA's did. I had a general understanding but that was about it. The skills I had that ended up being the most helpful were my ability to learn quickly and my ability to retain information. I had to quickly learn how to use the tax program because that is what I did all my work on. My mentor was very busy and thought that learning happened best through exploration and figuring things out for yourself. This is definitely not how I like to learn but being able to adapt proved to be very useful to my internship.
What was the most important skill you developed over LINK?
The most important skill I learned over my internship was how to take initiative. There were multiple instances where my mentor ran out of things for me to do or when he wasn't there and I needed more tasks to complete. I had to actively seek out things to do without waiting for instructions or directions. It took a certain level of self confidence to feel comfortable completing tasks without permission. I usually look for validation and confirmation before I do anything so it was strange going against that mind set. This was a valuable skill for me to learn because employers are looking for people who see something wrong and fix it, people who take initiative. I feel like this is something that I am much better at now.
How did you grow through shortcomings or challenges encountered during LINK?
One of the biggest challenges I faced during my internship was the learning style my mentor valued. He wanted me to learn through experience without a lot of direction. This was difficult for me because I was working in a field where I felt completely lost and clueless. There was endless vocabulary that was equivalent to a foreign language to me, computer programs I didn't understand, a new way of formatting numbers, etc. My mentor didn't give me a lot of instruction and I had to learn from mistakes which I really didn't enjoy. To overcome this, I utilized google excessively. To avoid bothering my mentor by asking too many questions, I wrote them all down on sticky notes and asked all of my questions during the last half hour of the day. This system seemed to work well for both of us.
Another challenge I faced was boredom. The tasks I did on a daily basis were very repetitive and there was minimal spontaneity. Trying to stay engaged and alert for 10 hours a day proved to be very difficult. Overcoming this didn't involve a very complex solution...it included taking frequent walks and bringing snacks to work. A couple of times, when I absolutely couldn't keep my eyes open for another second, I asked my mentor if I could take a 15 minute break. He was more than happy to comply so I would walk around the block until I felt ready to work again. Bringing snacks to work helped me concentrate. If you're eating, it's difficult to become incredibly tired.
These challenges helped me grow because they made me realize that work won't be the most exciting thing in the world. There will be repetition and it might be difficult to find a job that I love everything about. I grew in my knowledge of different types of learning and how to adapt. Although challenges can be annoying and difficult to navigate, they are what force us to grow as people.
How were you important within the organization? Why should your mentor accept high school interns in the future?
Coming into the internship with minimal experience, I wasn't a huge help with the tax work. What I was able to contribute to the office were my organizational skills and my quick filing skills. I spent a lot of time sorting through mail and organizing it how I saw fit. My mentor's office was pretty disorganized and quite messy. I was able to reorganize files and rework the layout and he seemed appreciative of my work.
Although I wasn't very helpful with the official CPA work, I learned pretty quickly and did my best to pay attention and do everything that I was told. My mentor should accept high school interns in the future because I acted responsibly and worked to complete my internship to the best of my ability.
How did the internship experience help you plan for next steps for college and/or career readiness?
One of the biggest and most important things I learned at my internship was that I don't want to be a CPA. I thought that I would enjoy it because I like numbers and math, but sitting in an office all day with next to no human interaction was not for me. I always knew that I loved sorting and organization, but I learned that I have a limit on the amount of paper that I can stare at all day.
Going forward, I want to explore careers where there is more hands on work, working with people, collaboration, and spontaneity. I want to have a job where I can be excited to go to work everyday because I'll never know what's going to happen. I want to be surprised and not fall into a routine. Being a CPA requires a lot or routine and repetition. There is a very specific personality that is necessary to being a CPA and it is not a personality that I have. I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience life in an office so I could narrow down my options. I feel that knowing what I don't want to do is just as important as knowing what I do want to do. All in all, LINK was incredible learning experience and I'm beyond thankful that I got to be a part of it.
Coming into my internship, I had minimal skills that I thought would be beneficial to a CPA. I knew absolutely nothing about taxes or even what CPA's did. I had a general understanding but that was about it. The skills I had that ended up being the most helpful were my ability to learn quickly and my ability to retain information. I had to quickly learn how to use the tax program because that is what I did all my work on. My mentor was very busy and thought that learning happened best through exploration and figuring things out for yourself. This is definitely not how I like to learn but being able to adapt proved to be very useful to my internship.
What was the most important skill you developed over LINK?
The most important skill I learned over my internship was how to take initiative. There were multiple instances where my mentor ran out of things for me to do or when he wasn't there and I needed more tasks to complete. I had to actively seek out things to do without waiting for instructions or directions. It took a certain level of self confidence to feel comfortable completing tasks without permission. I usually look for validation and confirmation before I do anything so it was strange going against that mind set. This was a valuable skill for me to learn because employers are looking for people who see something wrong and fix it, people who take initiative. I feel like this is something that I am much better at now.
How did you grow through shortcomings or challenges encountered during LINK?
One of the biggest challenges I faced during my internship was the learning style my mentor valued. He wanted me to learn through experience without a lot of direction. This was difficult for me because I was working in a field where I felt completely lost and clueless. There was endless vocabulary that was equivalent to a foreign language to me, computer programs I didn't understand, a new way of formatting numbers, etc. My mentor didn't give me a lot of instruction and I had to learn from mistakes which I really didn't enjoy. To overcome this, I utilized google excessively. To avoid bothering my mentor by asking too many questions, I wrote them all down on sticky notes and asked all of my questions during the last half hour of the day. This system seemed to work well for both of us.
Another challenge I faced was boredom. The tasks I did on a daily basis were very repetitive and there was minimal spontaneity. Trying to stay engaged and alert for 10 hours a day proved to be very difficult. Overcoming this didn't involve a very complex solution...it included taking frequent walks and bringing snacks to work. A couple of times, when I absolutely couldn't keep my eyes open for another second, I asked my mentor if I could take a 15 minute break. He was more than happy to comply so I would walk around the block until I felt ready to work again. Bringing snacks to work helped me concentrate. If you're eating, it's difficult to become incredibly tired.
These challenges helped me grow because they made me realize that work won't be the most exciting thing in the world. There will be repetition and it might be difficult to find a job that I love everything about. I grew in my knowledge of different types of learning and how to adapt. Although challenges can be annoying and difficult to navigate, they are what force us to grow as people.
How were you important within the organization? Why should your mentor accept high school interns in the future?
Coming into the internship with minimal experience, I wasn't a huge help with the tax work. What I was able to contribute to the office were my organizational skills and my quick filing skills. I spent a lot of time sorting through mail and organizing it how I saw fit. My mentor's office was pretty disorganized and quite messy. I was able to reorganize files and rework the layout and he seemed appreciative of my work.
Although I wasn't very helpful with the official CPA work, I learned pretty quickly and did my best to pay attention and do everything that I was told. My mentor should accept high school interns in the future because I acted responsibly and worked to complete my internship to the best of my ability.
How did the internship experience help you plan for next steps for college and/or career readiness?
One of the biggest and most important things I learned at my internship was that I don't want to be a CPA. I thought that I would enjoy it because I like numbers and math, but sitting in an office all day with next to no human interaction was not for me. I always knew that I loved sorting and organization, but I learned that I have a limit on the amount of paper that I can stare at all day.
Going forward, I want to explore careers where there is more hands on work, working with people, collaboration, and spontaneity. I want to have a job where I can be excited to go to work everyday because I'll never know what's going to happen. I want to be surprised and not fall into a routine. Being a CPA requires a lot or routine and repetition. There is a very specific personality that is necessary to being a CPA and it is not a personality that I have. I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience life in an office so I could narrow down my options. I feel that knowing what I don't want to do is just as important as knowing what I do want to do. All in all, LINK was incredible learning experience and I'm beyond thankful that I got to be a part of it.