MU - Information Technology Student Organization

KPMG: News from Mike Boedeker

When I first came to Marquette in the summer of 2004, I was a Communications major planning on one day working for ESPN, writing a novel, becoming an actor, or some other lofty, highly unlikely aspiration. When I left Marquette, now almost 9 months ago, I had dabbled in Political Science, Marketing, Broadcasting, and Finance; and had settled on Information Technology, accepting an offer to work as an IT Advisory Associate for KPMG in the Milwaukee office. Talk about a 180.

With slightly more than four and a half months under my belt, two and a half during busy season, I have been asked to reflect on my experiences with KPMG. Although my time with the Firm has been brief, my experiences have been numerous and varied. I've spent a week at a national training session in Atlanta, Georgia, traveled to Houston, Texas, as part of an Internal Audit team, and trekked all over the great state of Wisconsin, servicing clients from insurance corporations to financial services institutions to printing and manufacturing companies, and have seen my skills develop tremendously.

My first two weeks on the job consisted of a week in the Milwaukee office completing Computer Based Training's, (CBT's), attending informal training sessions hosted by various members of the Milwaukee office, and going to lunches to meet members of the team. The following week was the national training session in Atlanta, which was attended by campus hires from across the nation. Although the week was filled with lots of training sessions and mandatory meetings, there was still plenty of time to enjoy the Atlanta nightlife and network with KPMG colleagues from all over the country.

After training, I hit the ground running, traveling from client to client on various types of engagements. My first engagement was supporting a financial statement audit testing and documenting gengeneral IT controls. From there I went on to a SAS 70 attestation engagement with a firm that handles on-line, real-time securities processing for stock brokerage and financial services firms. I've also done some IT related Sarbanes-Oxley work for an insurance company located outside of Madison, worked on engagements with a dairy cooperative in Baraboo, audited a city government, and traveled to Houston, Texas, as part of an internal audit team.

KPMG has also shown a considerable commitment to my career development through its mentoring program, which helps track employee progress through its emphasis on goal-setting, performance reviews, and engagement reviews. I was also assigned an on-boarding coach when I was first hired to assist with the transition process from college to the "real world." These efforts by KPMG have been both helpful and appreciated; and have contributed to the rather smooth and productive start to my career with the Firm.

In addition to the outstanding workrelated opportunities that KPMG has provided me, I have also participated in firm outings such as: Brewers game tailgates, Happy Hours, golf outings, and bowling; and helped local charities through Al's Run, United Way donations, and a Holiday Gift-Tag program sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee.

Having only been an IT major for one and a half semesters, with both of my internships coming in non-IT related fields (Finance and Sales), I didn't quite know what to expect when I signed on to work for KPMG. Not only was IT Audit not a class offered at Marquette, but after completing two classes with Professor Dole, wasn't all too confident in my Accounting expertise. However, after the first four and a half months with KPMG, I can honestly say that my experiences at Marquette helped prepare me for my current career. And my experiences with KPMG have picked up where Marquette left off; always shaping, molding, and educating me through this phase of my professional life and on to the next.

~ Mike Boedeker

Read more articles in ITSO..GOOD Vol. 2 No. 6

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