Learning to understand the “WHYs” and exploring career prospects
Well, my incentive to join the Internal Audit Course (AFM 415) in the Fall of 2022 was to explore internal audit since I had no previous audit or related working experiences. The course is offered in the fall term and is available for any third or fourth-year students, including students with no prior experience in internal audit, like me. I wanted to take an elective course that interests me and where I can learn and take away valuable lessons from. That’s when AFM 415 came to my attention, and in hindsight, all my goals were achieved thanks to professor Vitalis, my peers, my mentor, and the guest speakers.
AFM 415 offered a great opportunity for me to learn about what is internal audit, its charm, and how it can add value to organizations. Now, this could sound boring, but trust me, it is not. Professor Vitalis has many fascinating examples and stories to tell! Looking back at this course, one of the highlights is that I get to foster a mindset that focuses on asking the ‘why’ questions, and analyzes the incentives behind frameworks, processes, controls etc... This is very helpful not only for understanding internal audit, but also for developing the ability to integrate knowledge which, like many of the skills learned in this course, is highly transferrable. I also enjoyed how the course moves beyond the foundations of the textbook material, and allows you to have close conversations, in a safe environment, with industry experts. People who you won’t normally have a chance to coffee chat with and listen to their unique perspectives and amazing stories.
Another great bonus that comes with this course is the final project, which offered a close one-on-one interactive experience with an enthusiastic industry mentor. Their senior position allowed us to learn about their journey in internal audit and explore future career possibilities. Take this opportunity and pick their brain! If you are looking for an elective course that is engaging and fun, and/or if you are interested in internal audit and want to explore future career opportunities, I would definitely recommend taking this course.