From Administrative Assistant to Accounting Pro

You can find Lyndsay Orwig starting the second rotation of her Accountant Internship Program with the City and County of San Francisco.

She recently finished the first 9-month rotation at the Controller department, where she worked with the Reporting and Systems division to put together the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. During that time she also worked with the Operations division, helping with the approvals of accounting entries by various departments, expense reimbursements, grant reconciliation and a variety of other analysis needs.

Now in her second 9-month rotation, Lyndsay will be working for the Human Services Agency's Revenue Management team. She'll be inundated with work on grants, payment processing, invoicing and the like.

Once I complete the program, I should be offered a position as Accountant II.

"The internship program at the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) is one of a kind, and I'm really enjoying my time so far," Lyndsay says. "It's set up to train and prepare accountants at all levels to work within CCSF. Its primary goal is to get all interns familiar with all areas of accounting within the city. Once I complete the program, I should be offered a position as Accountant II."

And what got her to this exciting internship opportunity? The Certificate Program in Accounting.

Before enrolling in the certificate, Lyndsay was an administrative assistant at Bigge Crane and Rigging. With an eye toward working in accounting, Lyndsay was promoted to billing specialist—but knew she lacked the foundational education to move into a full accounting role. After a conversation with her employer about her future career goals, Lyndsay started her accounting educational journey with our certificate; halfway through finishing the certificate, Lyndsay landed the general accountant position.

All of the classes were challenging and made me work hard to get the grade that I wanted.

On the curriculum:

I took one to two classes each semester. I found that the classes flowed well into one another, which helped me get a better understanding of the accounting field. All of the classes were challenging and made me work hard to get the grade that I wanted. My classmates were also very enthusiastic, which helped keep me motivated.

On her instructors:

My Introduction to Financial Accounting instructor Ron Macaluso was great; he really pushes his students to problem-solve on their own. My Introduction to Managerial Accounting instructor Greg Sinclair and my Intermediate Accounting I instructor Stephen Jacobson were also great. I took the Cost Accounting course online and instructor Suzanne Garrett was very knowledgeable and attentive.

The certificate gave me the knowledge needed to work as an accountant.

On applying lessons learned while at Bigge Crane and Rigging:

After I was promoted to general accountant at Bigge, basic accounting—like debits and credits—were very helpful. Also, the knowledge I obtained about fixed-asset accounting, like lessons on depreciation, helped tremendously when I began that position. I booked depreciation on a monthly basis as part of our close process.

The certificate gave me the knowledge needed to work as an accountant. Without the certificate, I would not have been hired as a general accountant at Bigge or have been offered the internship and future job with the City and County of San Francisco.

On receiving her certificate:

Professionally, the certificate helped me tremendously in getting me to where I am now in my accounting career. Personally, I feel a great sense of accomplishment in completing the certificate with distinction in a very short period of time and while working full time.

On advice for future students:

Be prepared to put in the work, but don't stress about it too much. Don't be afraid to ask questions to your fellow students or your instructors, who are there to help.