Kayleen Smith '18

Kayleen SmithMajor: Accounting
Hometown: St. Cloud, FL

Describe your current job role:

I am working full time as a Staff Accountant at PBA and going to grad school part time.


I did an internship at a CPA firm and two accounting internships at a multinational building material company.


When you first start, you will be overwhelmed. It’ll seem impossible to learn all that you need to learn in order to do the job well but if you keep trying and put effort into learning and doing your best, things will get easier and the job won’t be as intimidating.

"When you first start at a job, things will be hard."

How did PBA prepare you for the world of work?

I took the internship class my senior year so that helped me get experience and it helped me add to my resume. I was also in the Rinker School of Business Mentor Program for two years which lead me to getting some of my internships which gave me experience in my field and helped with the transition from being an undergrad student to a working professional. And I was a student worker so that gave me additional experience to my internships and other jobs that I had.


When you first start at a job, things will be hard. There’s so much to learn and so many people to meet. You’ll have to do things that are uncomfortable but give it some time and everything will be better. And don’t be afraid to ask questions when you are being trained and when you are first starting. You’ll have to learn things that you didn’t learn in school because every job is different and has different software and procedures and it takes some time to learn them.


No, I have not been mentored by anyone since I became a working professional.