By Griffin Moores

Daniel Brown in front of the College of Business
 

Beginning a new job can be nerve-wracking: meeting co-workers, trying to understand what your role will be and how you can fill it. But as Daniel Brown walked through the doors of EKS&H in Denver, just weeks after graduating, he felt prepared.

Daniel entered the company as an auditing intern, a position that gave him a glimpse into the heart of the professional services firm that was recently ranked as the best place for recent graduates to work in Colorado, 21st in the nation.

“They pretty much treat us like first-year staff,” Daniel said. “It wasn’t just paper pushing or getting coffees.”

Instead, he was learning how the company’s audit system operated, working to understand how various teams in the organization cooperated, and meeting with clients. And by the end of his three months with the company he had been offered a full-time position.

Ready to work

In high school Daniel took all the business classes he could, and after arriving at the College of Business, his drive to learn more was met head on by faculty who spent time in and out of class helping explain concepts and mentoring students.

“Every professor I’ve had in the College of Business has been great,” Daniel said. “They give you a taste of everything.”

Accounting clicked with Daniel, and drawn by the strong career prospects, he was soon getting face time with a number of firms as they recruited heavily at Career Management Center events just steps away from the classrooms.

Employers talk to students during the College of Business career expo

Employers, many of whom graduated from the College of Business, talk to students during a career expo in 2016.

The community in the College of Business’s accounting department also helps promote strong connections among the students, and prepares them with real work experiences.

Daniel joined fellow classmates in the spring to offer free tax assistance to those who needed help, contributing to a deeper understanding of the role of accounting.

“It is more than an asset on the balance sheet, or a dollar on the income statement,” Daniel said. “It is the people who are in front, and behind the scenes.”

“I never felt like I didn’t fit in,” Daniel said, looking back at his undergraduate experience at in the College of Business. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”

The next steps

Now Daniel is putting his skills to work, pursuing a Master of Accountancy at the College of Business and preparing to become a Certified Public Accountant, after which he’ll be able to return to EKS&H and start his career in its auditing department.

The benefits of becoming a CPA, and an increase in credit hours required to gain licensure, made the 9-month master's program a natural continuation of the path Daniel had been on since starting at CSU.

decorative divider
Get to know us better. Read More Stories