Graduate charts her path in accounting

Given flexibility to chart her own path, Kate McKenzie is experiencing aspects of accounting she might never have encountered in another role.

While some friends from university chose to enter accounting firms, Kate accepted a position as a graduate accountant with Queensland electricity distributor Ergon Energy.

After almost two years with the company she’s completed rotations in business performance and management operating systems and is looking forward to starting a new rotation that will see her experience financial reporting and regulation accounts.

Ergon Energy’s three year Graduate Program allows graduates to complete a series of rotations across a number of different work groups in the business.

“We’re able to choose some of our rotations, so the program isn’t set in stone,” Kate says. “We extended my current rotation so I could help with the budgeting process. I’ve done forecasting, business analysis and worked with our management operating system.”

“I’ve also worked with a lot of our area operations managers and built good working relationships with them. I’m helping improve their performance, assisting with monthly reports and providing advice.”

Kate says having a mentor who’s genuinely interested in her progress and who helps her set goals, has really helped her. It’s a key focus of Ergon Energy’s Graduate Program, with each graduate assigned a mentor to support them through their early career.

Keen to soak up as many new experiences as possible while on the Graduate Program, Kate isn’t in a hurry to decide her preferred specialty. The company’s policy of retaining graduates after they complete the program gives her confidence she’ll progress into a rewarding and fulfilling permanent role.