{"id":5098,"date":"2019-06-27T09:47:07","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T08:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/?p=5098"},"modified":"2025-10-27T15:21:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T15:21:33","slug":"finishing-my-placement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/student-voices\/2019\/06\/27\/finishing-my-placement\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing to finish my Management placement: They think it\u2019s all over, it is now\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u200bHey everyone! Welcome to what is probably the final instalment of my Management placement journey. Well done if you\u2019ve kept up with it all so far! If you\u2019ve been reading from the beginning<\/a>, you\u2019ll know I\u2019ve been on quite a journey, and wow what a year it has been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case you missed it, my name’s Katy and I\u2019m an Accounting, Business Finance and Management student. This year I’ve been doing a Management placement with a company called Audit Partnership Ltd<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s definitely been challenging and there are moments where I\u2019ve felt very tested and pushed out of my comfort zone. But looking back on the year as I sit writing this 2 weeks away from finishing my placement, I can honestly say that I wouldn\u2019t change a single second of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every challenge has given me the opportunity to learn something new which has helped me become the person I am today. I’m a very different person to the one who sat down a year ago to start telling this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are my highlights?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There has certainly been a lot of these over the year, and it\u2019s hard to narrow down the best ones. So I\u2019ve picked my top 3 from over the year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When people ask me what I\u2019ve loved most about my placement year, this is always my first answer, so it is unquestionably going to be my number one highlight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been very lucky as I’ve worked with the most fantastic team of people. We get on as friends as well as work colleagues which, for some reason, I didn’t think I would experience this year. Beyond my team, the friends I\u2019ve made across the company have definitely helped make my placement experience as great as it has been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core Values Award<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019d have written this any sooner than today, this wouldn\u2019t have been on my list, but today was ‘Audit Partnership Day’. A big celebration of the company and our achievements over the past year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was one of five people recognised as having had a significant impact on the company, which was extremely humbling. I never expected to receive an award, so to do so, just put the icing on top of an already amazing cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Party<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This was one of the best nights I\u2019ve had with the company. We went to Harrogate, had a lovely meal, and partied away, all whilst wearing Christmas hats! It was the first event I’d been to where the whole company was together. I had so much fun so it had to come quite highly on the highlights list!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have I learnt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learnt a lot, but the most important thing is: I\u2019m capable of more than I think I am. When I started, I was very nervous and lacked the confidence I needed to chase successfully. Over the year, as I\u2019ve dealt with more and more difficult situations, it\u2019s shown me that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the company I completed Yorkshire Warrior which is a 10km or 15km obstacle course (I only did the 10km, I\u2019m not that fit!) Before this, the furthest I\u2019ve ever run was the cross country course at school when we were forced to it in PE. So this was definitely out of my comfort zone. I trained both at work and outside of work. I wanted to achieve my goal of completing it in under 2 hours, and I did! 1:39:22! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the hard work paid off, and I signed up for another 10km run after doing it! Everyone thinks I\u2019m a bit daft, but I want to see what else I can achieve when I put my mind to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What am I going to miss?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Again, the first thing that comes to mind is the people. As I\u2019ve said, they\u2019ve made my Management placement the experience it has been. I wouldn\u2019t have wanted to do this year with anyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also going to miss the work; as a chaser, I get to speak to lots of different people on a daily basis and build strong relationships. This is something I\u2019ve really enjoyed. It\u2019ll be very strange going to uni and sitting quietly in lectures when I\u2019m used to talking all day every day. I think people are surprised that the only time I lost my voice was when I had a cold, not from talking too much\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has it made me think differently about my future?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely yes. Before coming to Audit Partnership Ltd, I wasn\u2019t the biggest fan of teamwork and I didn\u2019t enjoy those modules as much at uni. But teamwork at uni and teamwork in the working world couldn\u2019t be more different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I couldn\u2019t be in a job where I sit on my own in an office all day. I\u2019ve discovered I\u2019m a \u201cpeople person\u201d and thrive off the energy of others. So I know that I definitely want a career with a company that encourages this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also made me think about opportunities that focus on the management side of my degree rather than the accounting. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love the accounting part of my degree. But I think a role that was more down the management route would suit me better. I\u2019ve definitely got some thinking and research to do before I start applying for grad jobs in September!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What am I looking forward to about coming back to York?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A lot! Whilst I\u2019m really going to miss everyone I\u2019ve met this year, I can\u2019t wait to get back and see all my friends that I\u2019ve not seen for a year and absolutely smash final year. I\u2019m also looking forward to getting some freedom back. Plus, I cannot wait to not have to get up at 6am every day anymore!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thing I\u2019ve got left to say is: if you\u2019re unsure about whether to do a Management placement or not, you should absolutely go for it; it\u2019s been one of the best experiences I\u2019ve had.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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