Navigating the Internship Search: Balancing Career Planning and Experience to Choose the Best Placement

Internships are an essential part of accounting education, allowing students to gain practical exposure and opportunity to apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings. This study explores the relevance of internship placement on accounting students' learning outcomes and career readiness. Based on the survey data and personal interviews with final-year students, the finding shows that internships specifically tied to accounting related task including roles in auditing, taxation, and financial reporting, lead to enhanced skill development, improved confidence, and more career aspiration. In contrast, students who placed with unrelated roles often struggle to apply their knowledge and thus their learning process is less meaningful. The study also found that the majority of students choose internships placement based on convenience, pay, or company reputation rather than relevance to the accounting field. This is alarming, as it indicates possible loss of future growth prospects and contributes to the fact that better guidance during the internship selection process. While the findings are useful, the study is limited in its small sample size and reliance on self-reporting, which could possibly not fully capture the variety of students' experiences. By strategic placement, educators and policymakers can empower accounting students to reap the full benefits of experiential education and prepare more effectively for the accounting professional demand.