Skip to main content
Beedie School of Business › Accounting
SFU Co-op Student

Left Image: Robin with ex-Sony Music President, Right Image: Robin with two pilots in the cockpit
If you’re looking to expand your network, build on skills you learned in school while traveling and getting paid, then co-op shouldn’t be a possible option, it should be the only option

My work term with KPMG was filled with exciting clients, top-notch teammates, and continuous learning in a challenging and changing business arena.  I decided to article with KPMG during the Auditing busy season which runs from January to April.  This is the time when a majority of companies have their year ends and thus, a majority of audits are completed at this time.  The busy season is always daunting, and in particular, starting a co-op work term on a busy season was terrifying.  I was so relieved that when I arrived at KPMG Assurance Fundamentals Training (a week long training program) and once I started work because the KPMG team was so supportive and took the time to show me the ropes.  I realized that you’re never alone at KPMG and I worked with the best, brightest, and most hilariously-laid back people during my co-op term.

I’m starting my 4th year in the faculty of Business Administration with a dual honours concentration in Accounting and Human Resource Management.

I wanted the busy season experience and I definitely got it – 13 clients in a span of 4 months.  It was great! I was on a new client every other week and I definitely learned that I don’t want work in an office with the same tasks, same routine and same people every day. I learnt that I’m someone who likes change, movement, and faced paced challenging work combined with international travel experiences.  With KPMG the opportunities are endless, I audited and performed reviews for companies and not for profit clients that we use in our lives everyday - from Translink to Country Clubs, I was given a wide array of clients.

Robin with ex-Sony Music Canada president, Denise Donlon

As an avid snowboarder, I also got the chance to snowboard 3 times a week (yes, even during busy season!) as well as participate in the firm-wide ski trip to Whistler at the end of the busy season.  The great thing about working in such a large firm (we’re the biggest of the Big 4 Accounting firms in BC) is the endless opportunities since you get to develop your own career path. I really enjoyed working in smaller, private companies and I’ve been given the option, all I needed to do was ask to be placed on a job.   The other great thing about KPMG is the fantastic benefits you receive. When I started with the firm, I wasn’t a co-op student, I was an associate and a valued member of the KPMG team right off the bat.  And if that feeling w enough, they also try to prove it to you, I had access to their concierge service (they even helped my buy my textbooks!), weekend ski trips, fitness reimbursements (they paid for my Snowboard pass!), fitness equipment allowances, meal expense accounts, KPMG Sports Teams, Friday socials, and numerous other initiatives that the firm does to keep the KPMG team happy.  It truly was a very rewarding experience, and I can’t wait to start my second articling Co-op term with them in January 2006.

What influenced your decision to join the Co-op program?

I actually picked SFU over Queens, UBC and UVic – specifically for the opportunity to participate in our Co-op program.  I knew from the start that real experience while you study was a must in my university career. I’ve learnt more from one term at KPMG then I have in an entire semester at SFU, real work experience just links everything you learned together.

KPMG is the largest Professional Services firm in BC in terms of staff base and revenue (the other 3 firms that form the Big 4 Globally are: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche) and KPMG has over 100,000 staff and is in over 140 countries worldwide.  As an articling student with KPMG I completed my first co-op term during the ‘busy season’ where I used what I learnt from school and applied it to my work engagements and audits.  I made great use of the business communication skills I picked up in Bus 360 and the environmental setting of the business arena and the professional service arena I learnt in Bus 319.

Robin with two pilots in the cockpit

Did you find the co-op experience valuable?  Would you recommend it to other students?

If you’re not looking to find out more about yourself and your career path, or you don’t like a challenge, then co-op isn’t for you.  If you’re looking to expand your network, build on skills you learned in school while traveling and getting paid, then co-op shouldn’t be a possible option, it should be the only option.  I tell everyone who is going through CA Recruit that I’ve learnt more in the past 4 months working then I have an entire semester at SFU, real experience beats learning from a textbook any day.

Do you have any advice for Students going though the CA Fall Recruit Process?

KPMG - it just fit. Picking between firms is always a difficult choice, but strip it down to the essentials - what the firm stands for and the direction it's taking to get there, what the culture is like, and most importantly, your comfort level with the people you meet. Everything else just falls into place. Oh, and relax, it's so much more fun if you do.

SFU Co-op Student
visibility  72
Mar 8, 2011

You Might Like These... Co-op Reflections, Professional Development, Career Exploration, Seeking, Work Term Extension

author, courtney, smiling
A Second Term in Government: More of the Same?

Having completed my first work term for Health Canada as a Communications Officer Intern, I was eager to try something new, and the government was not where I believed that was going to happen. That is until I was offered a position at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada...

picture of glichelle pondering a though
Surviving Workplace Politics

Ever been peeved with workplace politics? Have you ever been a victim of office politics? One student shares her experiences from the workplace with tips on how to survive.

 

person with their head in a book
Responsibility and Success

One of the most memorable parts of my time in co-op was the collection of accidents, errors, mistakes, and mix-ups that happened in the course of working in the laboratory.

 

You Might Like These... Co-op Reflections

Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto
Preparing for a Summer in Silicon Valley | Part One
Ian Brown shares both his experience working at Tesla Motors and Edwin Chand’s experience working at Apple and their general thoughts about going to California to intern for co-op. Ian and Edwin are both recently graduated from engineering, and share their perspective on relocating to California for a co-op position. In this article, Ian describes the preparation and going to California.
People pointing at a computer screen
Five Essential Skills for CMNS Co-ops

Are you wondering what skills you might need for a job in CMNS? Co-op student Amy unpacks five essential skills for your future CMNS career you might want to develop.

Illustration of businesspeople
Advice for Upcoming SFU Entrepreneurs

Interested in starting a business but don’t know where to start? David explains in Part Two of his blog series what worked for him during his time establishing a start-up business. Read on to learn what tips he shares about the process of beginning your entrepreneurial journey.