Anne Lucas is a consultant in Protiviti's Tampa, FL office focusing on technology. We asked her the following questions to get an idea of what her day to day responsibilities are as a risk management professional. Below you will find her responses and advice if you are thinking about entering into this profession.
1. What was your college and your major?
I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelors of Science in Management Information Systems and a minor in Leadership studies. I am currently working on a second Bachelor Degree in Technical Writing.
2. What courses did you find the most helpful to prepare you for your current position? What advice do you have for students about choosing a major and choosing courses?
I realized the classes that have helped me the most are Systems Analysis and Design, and my leadership classes. SAD combines both technology and process, while the leadership classes taught me more about people, not only about others but myself as well. It’s good to learn what type of person you are and how you communicate if you need to communicate effectively with others.
3. What are your primary work activities on a day to day basis?
It varies and depends on the project. I am very task-oriented so I make a list of what I need to accomplish everyday and work through that. But also during the day I could be traveling, conducting interviews, performing field work or researching new topics.
4. What industries have you worked in?
Financial Services, Real Estate, Insurance and Hospitality
5. What do you enjoy most about your profession?
There are so many things I love about my job – first and foremost, the people I get to work with everyday are awesome. Everyone has such a great personality and will bend over backwards to help if you ever need it. Then there’s the travel – I love getting to see new places all the time, I hardly even need vacations anymore! Also, since the projects that we work on are constantly changing, I’m getting tons of experience in multiple industries and with all different types of systems all the time!
6. What advice would you give to students interested in the internal audit/risk consulting business? Anything you would do different or change? Any success strategies to share?
One of the most important things you can do as a student is to get an internship before you graduate – multiple if possible. That will not only give you real-world experience and help narrow down what you would like to do after college, but it’ll make you more marketable to potential employers. Also, research what you would like to do after you graduate while you’re still in school; and don’t just assume you’ll figure it out later.