The searing pain of internal audit
I have to commend The Accountant running I Want to be a CA for the recent articles, featuring a series of new and guest writers adding new perspectives, including that of a university professor.
Particularly interesting, if you want to see what the ground floor of an internal audit operation looks like, is the post by one US based IA intern called Big Tuna.
The searing photo from Hapa Izakaya simply jumped out at me after I read that article.
Big Tuna writes about the downside, mainly, of working in an internal audit group:
"If you don't have much of an imagination, enjoy working by yourself a
lot, don't mind monotonous work, have attention to detail, enjoys
following instructions, don't mind doing work that seems pointless (in
your mind), and wants a steady paycheck"
The article provides examples of painfully tedious "ticking and tying" exercises, where the young intern essentially makes sure all the paperwork is in order. It's not very fun, but in some companies, someone has to do it.
Are all IA jobs like this? Certainly not.
The "fun" IA jobs go to more experienced people, who either have several years of audit under their belts, or have spent a significant amount of time working at the company in question before moving to the IA group.
These are the assignments where problems are identified, and the IA team functions like a crack squad of business detectives, not necessarily looking for something that "went wrong", but finding where something could go wrong, and how the problems can be addressed.
Big Tuna also points out that if you crave travel and variety, IA isn't the way to go. If you end up at a small company with just one facility, then this is of course true.
If you're geared up for some globe trotting, on the other hand, keep in mind that many larger companies have offices throughout the world - and it doesn't make sense to keep their IA people stuck in a single building if they have a few dozen facilities or more to oversee. Travel is definitely an option - but your destinations will be limited to those places where your company does business, so it doesn't hurt to ask "hey, where are your offices located" before accepting an IA position.
Hawaii?
Awesome.
"Arctic Disputed Zone"?
Not so much.