Ainsley Stucki

Week 1

I graduated with my MAcc (with an emphasis in tax) this spring from BYU.

One of the first things that attracted me to Clayton & McKervey was the unique combination of attributes—it has the friendly, helpful atmosphere of a small firm, but the technology, clients, and quality training of a large firm. Having worked at both small and large in the past, I appreciated that C&M has the best of both worlds. My first few days have been similar to what I expected: there is a lot of information to learn, but everyone here is so willing to help and answer any of my questions. I have been surprised by how much everyone in the firm has gone out of their way to come introduce themselves and get to know all of the new hires. I am looking forward to getting to start working on projects with my seniors and managers.

Month 1

My experience at C&M has been very positive so far. I have already learned a lot and gotten to know people better. I’ve also already started learning about the clients that I’ll be working on during tax season. One of the things I like best about working here is how helpful and friendly everyone is. Some of the moments I’ve liked the best were when all of the new hires from the three different departments got to spend time with each other during trainings and lunches near the beginning. Since we won’t be working with them on a daily basis (since they are in different departments), it was fun to be able to get to know each other then. Overall it has been a really good month and I’m excited to learn more about my clients and get going on the work for them in the coming year.

Month 6

If I had to describe my first 6 months at Clayton & McKervey in one word, it would be ‘opportunity’. These last 6 months have been filled with many opportunities to meet new people, try new projects, and learn new things.

One of the most valuable skills that I have started to learn so far is how to think critically. All of our clients and projects have their own unique circumstances and issues that need to be worked through, so there is no one perfect cookie-cutter solution that works for all clients. This means that we have to think critically to know how to apply rules, standards, and best practices to each of these individual and unique circumstances. As tax accountants, this is part of how we are providing a great value to our clients, by making sure that we are understanding their specific business and specific needs.

One piece of advice that I would give to someone just starting out is to not be afraid to ask questions. People here are so willing to help you and explain things to you, and you’ll be a more effective staff if you understand the ‘why’ behind the work you are doing, not just the ‘what’.