As I am almost at the halfway point of my internship with Cohen & Company, I have already realized a lot about the firm. The main thing I have learned so far is that there is no reason to be nervous walking into your internship here. Since I had never had an internship with a public accounting firm before, I was so nervous to get started. What if I mess up? What if I don’t know what I am doing? What if I don’t meet anyone? All these unknowns scared me before my first day, but these nerves were put to rest the second I stepped foot into the office.

Reflecting on the questions that made me nervous before starting my internship, I realize that many of them were true. I have messed up and sometimes I do not know what I am doing. But one thought that I had, “what if I don’t meet anyone,” is the reason I am no longer nervous going to my internship every day. The first day I walked into the office, I was surrounded by so many individuals who I felt like I had known my whole life, just after a short conversation. Within the first week, I had made friends with some interns who I talk to almost daily. I also have met so many individuals ranging from staff accountants to partners who make me feel right at home. 

These people are the reason I am comfortable at the firm. When I mess up, they take the time to explain where I made mistakes and truly help me understand because they want me to learn. When I do not know how to do something, I know I have multiple people I can reach out to who are more than willing to help me. Even when I do not have a question or anything work related to talk to them about, they still go out of their way to not just say hi, but to have genuine conversations with me and invite me to events. 

Cohen & Company is truly as successful as it is because of the people that work here. Any nervous thought can instantly go away by just one phone call, email, Webex message or in-person conversation with anyone here. No one is perfect, and everyone at Cohen & Company understands that, so they do not have expectations of perfection from an intern who has only worked in the accounting world for a couple of weeks. 

It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay if you don’t know what you’re doing. But the more people you meet at Cohen & Company, the less nervous you will be.

Caylie Bretz, Ohio University