Viewpoints: Voices of the Future
Articles The Institute of Internal Auditors Aug 12, 2024
Matthew Schabel, Senior,
Okemos High School
Okemos, Mich.
Tell readers about your unique experience growing up with two internal auditors as parents.
One of the main things I learned from my parents is the importance of strong people skills and connections. My mom has always encouraged me to make connections with my teachers and other authority figures — early on, as a reluctant elementary school kid giving my teachers Christmas presents and end-of-year thank you cards — and now, as a highly motivated high school student, relying on these connections for letters of recommendation.
My parents also promoted technological literacy throughout my life. Often you see kids showing their parents how to use the newest technology. In my family, it was quite the opposite. Ever since I got my first phone, my dad has come up with ways to manage the family’s cybersecurity risk.
Whether they were installing secure virtual private networks for safer browsing or encouraging me to set up two-factor authentication on my accounts, my parents have ingrained in me the importance of using technology safely.
How do you see internal auditing impacting your generation?
Internal audit helps protect people from risk, such as cybersecurity risk. As these threats evolve, we must, too. Technological advancement benefits my generation by making young auditors more savvy and more experienced with technology and data. Recently, my grandparents received a bogus call from “Matthew Schabel” (me), with a caller requesting money, saying I had been in a crash. Obviously, I wasn’t involved in a car crash, but this event really sparked my interest as to how internal audit can help manage the spread of personal data.
Also, today’s teenagers are tomorrow’s college grads looking for purpose-driven work. Internal auditing is a great outlet for this drive, as the job is constantly changing, and there is almost no limit to risks in the workplace.
What are your future plans?
As an upcoming senior, this is the first time in my life that I have needed to plan for my future. I hope to attend business school and major in either accounting or finance. Growing up in a house with auditors and accountants, it feels only fitting that I do so. Through casual conversation with my parents and activities that have helped me learn about internal auditing, I can say I truly find the profession interesting. One of the things that helped sparked that interest was walking through the office of a large audit firm in London over spring break. Meeting with senior partners as well as recent college students just starting their first years of work gave me a much clearer idea of what a career in internal auditing could look like for me, both in a couple of years and in 20 years.
Making a valuable impact on society, along with the idea of being able to “work hard and play hard,” are the aspects that excite me the most about this path. Whatever college I attend, I am thoroughly excited for a career in internal auditing.
Katie Scott, Staff Auditor,
Martillaro Raub & Associates
Graduate Student, Metropolitan
State University, Denver
What interests you about the internal audit profession?
I love the idea that an internal auditor gets to look at so many areas of an organization. I have been lucky enough to have a professor whose seminars offer students a taste of internal auditing from real-world professionals. I have heard countless stories of how internal auditors are constantly learning about new areas of the organization and rarely working on the same thing each day. This makes for a career that will not get dull or repetitive. Before I started college, I worked in sales for seven years. I reached a point where I felt bored and that I could no longer advance, which is what led me to internal auditing. As I continue through the early years of my second career path, I crave an exciting career that will keep me moving forward and learning new things.
How do you see internal audit changing?
Some of the biggest changes I see are related to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI is an inevitable part of our future, and if organizations do not productively adopt it, they will be left behind. Likewise, internal audit will have to identify how to use this technology, as well as how to assess the risks and controls associated with AI. Some high-level risks include ethical considerations and data security. Students should focus on learning the ins and outs of new technologies and how to use them appropriately. Learning what can go wrong and how to mitigate these risks can give us and our employers an edge.
How can auditing attract more young people?
Throughout my college career, every accounting class pushed external audit or tax as the only career options. While these careers are essential to the accounting profession and provide valuable experience, there are so many other career paths for accountants, including internal auditing. Unfortunately, I did not hear much about internal auditing until my master’s program.
One way to attract more young people is to better promote internal auditing among students who may not want to go down the traditional accounting path. Also, it is important to young people that we work for an organization that exemplifies a positive culture and offers a healthy work-life balance and career advancement. The accounting field has a reputation for overworking employees, resulting in burnout. We are interested in things like remote work, flexible schedules, and health and wellness benefits. In my experience, working remotely has been incredibly positive. I can get work done in my home office and have my questions answered using Teams, all with zero commute time.
Finally, it is essential that there are paths to advancement that are clear and attainable. When starting a new career, young professionals want to know that the organization they chose to work for is willing to invest in them and provide opportunities to learn and grow.