Sophia Zhang: Day In My Life Of My Internship
6:00 AM.
I am a morning person, so waking up early is something that comes naturally to me. To take advantage of the couple of hours before I go to work, I enjoy working out or going on a walk before the workday starts. Starting my day with physical activity allows me to feel energized and productive. After my walk or gym, I go home to eat breakfast and refresh to get ready for the day.
8:30 AM:
I like to arrive at the office around 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM, depending on how much work I have for the day. Once I arrive at the office, I like to say hello and have a quick catch-up with all the other DAT professionals or interns already in the office. Since the DAT practice is a fairly small sector at PwC, it was super easy to get to know not just my fellow interns but also the associates,
managers, and partners, allowing me to build connections more easily. Once I am settled down at my desk, I always begin by checking any messages or emails my team left me the night before.
9:00 AM
After settling down, I began working. One of my key tasks as an intern was performing EGA’s (evidence gathering artifacts) or compiling all the information needed to generate a key report. Since one of my clients was filing, there were a lot of these reports that needed to be completed under tight deadlines.
10:45 AM:
Typically, I would have at least one meeting in the morning. These meetings ranged from meetings with the client, meetings with the offshore team, or meetings with my manager. One thing that PwC emphasizes is a mentor/mentee relationship. Every week, I would meet with my peer advisor and my development leader to talk about my progress and provide a space to ask questions or give feedback. I would typically also have a daily meeting with my manager to check in on what needs to be done and my progress as well.
12:00 PM
Every day, once the clock hit 12:00PM, my fellow interns and I would eat lunch together. We would always choose to sit outside to get some sunlight after being indoors all morning. Being in downtown San Jose meant we had plenty of restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance, which made lunch a fun way to explore the area and connect with my fellow interns.
1:00 PM
After lunch, I go back to doing work. This would typically include completing what I was finishing before, or completing internal training modules like Excel courses to strengthen my skills. I appreciated that PwC encouraged continuous learning on top of client work.
4:50 PM
As my work day was coming to an end, I always updated my managers and associates on my team about my progress. Since my manager was in a different state, consistent communication was especially important, as I couldn’t simply walk over to their desk to provide an update. Sharing even small progress updates helped keep my team informed about my work and ensured that everyone was aligned on priorities moving forward.
5:00 PM
By 5:00 PM, I wrap up my workday and say bye to my fellow interns and DAT professionals. After a long day, I enjoy winding down by having dinner with my family or spending time with friends. Balancing work with personal time helped me recharge and maintain a healthy routine throughout my internship.