#Gradstories Aimee Desmond, Assistant Manager, PwC

What do you love about your job?

I'm always doing something new every day and there are a lot of opportunities. For example, previously, in my role as a Senior Associate, I went to Canada for two months and worked in the PwC Montreal office, so I got a great opportunity there to travel and work abroad. It has a lot of young people with a good social culture with lots of events going on. There is a good balance between work and the social side.

What advice would you give a firstyear student?

Go for everything you can in college. Get involved with everything you can as it will build life skills that you will use in your career. In college I did a lot of work in the Accounting and Finance society. I was heavily involved in organising events and meeting with potential future employers. It was great to meet people as a student and get an idea of what I would actually be doing or what I was interested in doing when I left college because sometimes it can be a hard decision to make.

What was your 'career break'?

In my third year of college we got the opportunity of placement and I realised that I really liked PwC. I found it a great environment to work in. Everyone was really supportive and helpful and I realised it was something that really suited me and somewhere I felt really comfortable. It was on that basis that I decided to apply for my graduate position with PwC.

How important is a professional qualification?

Professional qualifications are really important. Obviously sometimes it gives you an edge above other people that may not have a professional qualification. It’s also a great stepping stone in terms of your career. For future employers, it looks really well on your CV. Also it teaches you a lot of really good skills such as time management and working under pressure. It shows an employer that you can make decisions in a pressurised environment. If you want to travel, a lot of my friends have gone to Australia and Canada; because professional qualifications are recognised globally they can go wherever they want and live out their travelling dreams while also still working.