How Josh Gartin Built a Career in Accounting Through Hand-On Consulting

When Josh Gartin looks back on his college years, one opportunity stands out as pivotal: his time with CyBIZ Lab. What started as a unique mid-semester job opportunity turned into two years of hands-on consulting experience that prepared him for a career in accounting.

Josh, who graduated from Iowa State in fall 2023 with degrees in Accounting and Entrepreneurship, joined CyBIZ Lab after wrapping up an internship with KPMG. He needed a role he could start right away, and because CyBIZ hires on a rolling basis, it was the perfect fit.

Josh continued on as a graduate student and as a CyBIZ Lab consultant. Over the next two years, Josh was promoted from project team member to team lead, and eventually became one of the program’s first Managing Project Advisors (MPA), a leadership role he shared with fellow alum Micah Walker. Along the way, he tackled projects of all sizes, sharpening his consulting, leadership, and teamwork skills.

“I learned more from CyBIZ Lab than I did in many other settings,” Josh reflects. “It was an incredibly valuable experience that can’t really be replicated in a classroom.”

Today, Josh is a Tax Associate at RSM in Des Moines, preparing corporate tax returns for middle-market clients ranging from companies the size of Casey’s General Store to brand-new startups. The variety feels familiar, mirroring the range of clients he worked with at CyBIZ. He also applies the same adaptability and problem-solving skills he learned while in the program every day at his new job. He credits CyBIZ Lab with teaching him how to work confidently in dynamic, fast-moving environments, a skill that’s proven important in the accounting world.

One of the most valuable skills Josh carried from CyBIZ Lab into his career post-grad is the ability to thrive in team environments. At CyBIZ, he juggled multiple projects at once, learning how to balance timelines, delegate tasks, and communicate expectations. “Those same skills apply perfectly to what I’m doing today,” Josh explains. “I’m on a team, being assigned tasks, making sure things get done, knowing when to ask questions, and understanding project expectations. CyBIZ Lab prepared me extremely well for that.”

The parallels between consulting in CyBIZ Lab and consulting in accounting became clear once he started at RSM. From budgeting billable hours to setting clear expectations with clients and team members, Josh sees his daily work as a direct extension of his CyBIZ experience in several ways. Even in his interviews for RSM, nearly all his examples came from CyBIZ projects–both successes and challenges.

“Consulting at CyBIZ Lab is very similar to consulting in accounting,” Josh says. “Maybe not in content, but definitely in structure.”

Josh also credits CyBIZ with teaching him the value of going beyond what’s expected. “Do what you’re assigned, and then a little bit more on top of that,” he says. “That mindset goes a long way, and I see the benefits of it even now in my career.”

For Josh, CyBIZ Lab was more than just a job. He deeply valued the program’s culture, praising Director Alex Andrade’s leadership style. “Alex never micromanaged us, but trusted us to get the work done, and that made the projects go really well. The whole environment was just great for being productive and doing good work.”

Looking back, Josh is quick to recommend CyBIZ Lab to both students and businesses. “The students are eager to learn and willing to become experts in whatever field their project is in. That raw, open, ready-to-learn perspective often produces better results than a standard consulting company, and at a very affordable rate.”

Now, as he builds his career at RSM, Josh carries forward the lessons of teamwork, leadership, and client service he learned at CyBIZ Lab. And he does so with gratitude: “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience to prepare me for where I am today.”

At the time of this interview, Josh was waiting to find out if he had earned his CPA license. Since then, he received the exciting news that he officially passed the exam, making him the first CyBIZ Lab alum to become a CPA. A milestone worth celebrating!

Reflecting on his journey, Josh says, “CyBIZ Lab helped me see that I could handle new challenges, even if I didn’t have all the answers right away. That confidence has carried me through every step since.”