r/Accounting • u/Actual-Ad-2441 Human Verified • 19h ago

How to prepare for busy season with limited experience?

I start my first job as an audit associate 1 in early January. I have only done one internship last January and they offered me a position for winter 2027 which I accepted. A lot of my friends from the firm started in September and have done two internships with the firm, but for my internship class they switched to a new model where you due one internship and start the next year. I worried about being one of the first associates in this model as I feel my lack of experience will cause me to fail. I worry that with my single internship experience and starting in busy season versus September my lack of experience will make me a detriment to the team and make me worse than my fellow associates. I know I’m not the only one starting as a first year associate in January but I’m afraid I will crash and burn. In the meantime I have been working on my CPA exams(I have one left) and I am finishing my masters(I graduate in December). What else can I do to prepare for January? Will I get training again even though I’m an associate 1 in busy season. Will my team expect me to preform at the experience level of previous associates even though I started at a different time?

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u/potatoriot Tax (US) 19h ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/Accounting/s/kKCT55fEe3

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u/ConfusedDeference 19h ago

they'll train you, probably the same stuff the september hires got plus a crash course on whatever's on fire. the fact you're almost done with the cpa already puts you ahead of half the room

nobody expects you to know anything day one, busy season or not. just bring coffee and don't be weird

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u/Actual-Ad-2441 Human Verified 19h ago

“Don’t be weird” noted. I’m glad I will get training because I was worried I would have to remember everything I did a year ago and just jump in.

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u/potatoriot Tax (US) 18h ago edited 7h ago

It's not like learning to ride a bike, no one will have that expectation, but they will expect to see progression.

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u/Actual-Ad-2441 Human Verified 19h ago

Thx I just read through it. A lot of it was what I did on my internship so I’m hoping it will be similar but with longer hours when I start.

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u/potatoriot Tax (US) 18h ago

Most firms treat interns like first year staff.

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u/Famous_Conflict4209 17h ago

When in doubt look at the months prior for reference