Business placement and beyond

Cameron joined PwC on our Audit Business placement programme and had a great year with the Aberdeen office. During his placement he worked hard with clients all across the region and was offered the opportunity to re-join once he Graduated from Robert Gordon University.

Before his placement he’d heard much about a career in Audit and some common myths about what a ‘typical’ Auditing team were like. One of the reasons he was keen to share his career story is to dispel these myths and encourage others to consider a career within the sector.

“At university I heard this stigma that auditors are boring. However, that’s really not the case! The people within the firm really do make it a very enjoyable place to work, whether by being that support network to help with my many questions or by helping to turn off from work over a drink on a Friday night”.

Cameron sees Audit as a chain of important actions, each designed to ensure that the client has complete reassurance of their financial position. As a senior associate, Cameron investigates clients financial statements, whether that’s through interviewing Financial Directors or client site visits.

It’s a part of the role which he enjoys most; the ability to work on different stages of Audits, for different clients in different industries. Each with their own complexities.

Outside of work, Cameron’s a keen guitar player and has recently started to learn to play golf.

Alongside the social benefits of working with a big team, Cameron’s also been able to recognise his own developmental areas by talking to his peers. At PwC we know that everyone is confident in different things - it’s what makes our teams work really well; through encouragement and support to help those wanting to build on their skills. In such a collaborative office like Aberdeen, Cameron’s reached out to his friends and support network for advice.

“No matter how far I progress, I find it hard to have confidence in my work. However, the support and coaching from peers and seniors help eliminate this. I do think having some self-awareness as to the quality of your work is important though, as this helps me maintain focus and perform my work to the best of my ability”.

The everyday flexibility at PwC has also helped Cameron with his studying and work life balance. There’s a trust amongst teams with working from home, and with the ‘dress for your day’ policy, which gives our people a greater flexibility which is really appreciated.

“Working together really is a part of everything you do when working at PwC. No matter the task you’re undertaking, in one way or another you’ll usually be working with other people. Often this is working directly with a client engagement team and all working towards the common goal of completing the audit. Working together really helps draw in everyone's experience.”

Having recently been promoted to Senior Associate in the summer of 2020, Cameron’s looking ahead to the future of Audit and where his career at PwC will head next. It’s quite pertinent that he’s described his career to date as challenging, dynamic and flexible.