17 and Working at Deloitte
A reflection on my high-school internship.
Background
It’s been about 6 months since my internship at Deloitte ended. Since then, I’ve started attending university and working at Shopify. Life’s moving pretty fast, and I think it’s time to slow down and reflect on my experiences.
This article is a successor to my last article, McDonald’s to Deloitte. I’d encourage you to read that first to gain a little bit of context.
As a 17-year-old, high school kid, my time before starting at Deloitte was intimidating. I was in a constant battle with my own mind, with self-doubt taking over. I wasn’t sure if I was technically equipped to work as a developer at one of the largest accounting firms in the world.
I was extremely lucky, however, as I was entering this world of uncertainty with two of my closest friends, Darshil and Rushi.
We had long discussions about the most trivial things: What should we wear on the first day? How hard do you really have to shake someone’s hand? Do we know everything we need to know for our position?
Most of our uncertainties remained uncertain.
One idea that I’ve developed from my entire experience is to embrace uncertainty. Being in an uncomfortable position is what challenges you to grow. Embracing uncertainty is trusting that what you gain from a tough situation is worth it. Hard situations will never get easy — but hopefully, with enough experience, we realize that they’re extremely valuable.
Life is but a collection of these uncertainties. Past ones, whose outcome are known, and future ones whose outcome remains unknown.
After all, comfort is the enemy of progress.
My first day at Deloitte started in a huge board room, with a group of approximately 30 other hires. Progressing through on-boarding, I quickly learned that the pool was full of different people, with different experiences, and different backgrounds.
I had a preconceived notion that because of my age, my thoughts and opinions would be disregarded. It turned out to be quite the contrary.
Within the first few days of starting the project, we had allocated roles and divvied up work. As a new junior developer, my impression was that I’d be a code monkey.
A code monkey is a derogative term for a computer programmer who isn’t actually involved in any aspect of conceptual or design work, but simply writes code to specifications given — Wikipedia
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I championed the backend segment of the project, and within the first few days I was making meaningful decisions as it pertained to the app.
The secondary school system had me very much accustomed to working with a set of rigid requirements that could then be marked against a rigid rubric.
It felt empowering, and very unusual, to make autonomous decisions, and then see those decisions transform the course of the project. I vividly recall the first time I mustered up the courage to make a suggestion — super daunting, but super worth it.
You’re valued for the ideas that you can bring to the table, not by your degree or your age. In fact, because of our age, we were able to offer new insight from a different vantage point.
I’d encourage any young entrepreneurs to leverage their vantage point, as you have the truest understanding of your audience, which is often misinterpreted.
For the two months we were there, we worked as iOS developers. Our team was fantastic! Due to the short duration of the project, there existed great momentum and a sense of urgency.
I worked with many amazing people and I’m forever grateful for the things I learned from each and every one of them.
Generally speaking, people are a lot nicer than you think. I had a natural tendency to assume people were far too busy to help us, interns, out. I was surprised by the amount of support, resources, and time that colleagues provided.
Out of fear of looking incompetent, there were times where I didn’t vocalize an issue I was facing. I learned quickly that being clear and honest when communicating goes a long way. Make your problems known, and never shy away from asking for help.
Each day, I’d walk through the front doors of the office, and be in awe of the stunning architecture. The interior design of the building was fantastic, each floor with a new and interesting theme. The office deviated from the traditional cubicles and instead was a newer, more agile workspace.
The Deloitte culture was truly amazing. It was an environment that fostered critical-thinking and problem-solving. It was contagious, and it definitely affected my drive inside and outside work.
I only then realized that your environment is everything. The people you surround yourself with, the physical space you work in, and the energy that people carry around you have a major influence on you.
Having just graduated high school, working at Deloitte is not something I would have ever imagined being possible.
Leading up to the term, I had developed a major sense of impostor syndrome, and I consistently questioned how I landed the position. After all, I was just a nerdy high school kid from Brampton. The last time I had worn a suit was at my high school prom, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on the big streets of Toronto.
The doubts I had slowly diminished as we progressed through the weeks. This internship has become one of the most life-changing experiences for me, and all that I’ve learned by reflecting on it.
Takeaways
- Don’t shy away from uncertainty, embrace it
- Age is just a number, you’re valued for what you bring to the table
- People are nicer than you think
- Your environment is everything
- Taking risks is important
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for joining me in my reflection! Working at Deloitte was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m forever grateful for everyone who helped me get there.
If you have any questions, or comments about any of my personal experiences, feel free to reach out.
