"Experience" doesn't have to wait until the final year. School of Accounting has opened the door for first-year students to step out of the classroom and into the real working world, through a professional internship opportunity with Addtech Hub Public Company Limited. Four students were selected by the company: Miss Phetcharat Phereephaisan, Miss Lalitwadee Thabthong, Mr. Chitsanuphong Noisuwanna and Miss Kanyakorn Teeratrakul, following their participation in an Integrated Problem-Based Learning Project.
The project is a collaboration between the School of Accounting, Bangkok University, and Addtech Hub Public Company Limited, aimed at integrating classroom learning with real business situations. Its goal is to jointly develop practical professional skills, giving students the opportunity to analyze, solve problems, and propose business solutions based on real-world challenges—before advancing to further learning and internship opportunities with leading business organizations.
From a Classroom Assignment to a Real-World Opportunity
This experience began in the classroom, through the Integrated Problem-Based Learning Project, which gave students the chance to tackle real business challenges, analyze and solve problems on their own, and present their solutions to company executives.
For these four students, however, learning didn't end with a classroom presentation. Their outstanding work led to a major opportunity: winning first or runner-up prizes and being selected for a professional internship with the company.
What began as "an Integrated Problem-Based Learning assignment set by the company" became "a tangible opportunity," giving the students a professional internship where they could learn through hands-on work at the company's premises—and earn an income while still studying, from their very first year.
A First Day at the Company: Experiencing Real Corporate Culture
Stepping into the company for the first time was filled with excitement and lasting impressions. The four students received a warm welcome from staff and executives, who introduced them to the company and gave them a tour of the workplace, allowing them to experience the real working atmosphere and corporate culture from day one.
This experience did more than help the students "get to know a leading business organization"—it gave them a clear picture of what working in the accounting profession is really like, and how to prepare themselves for their future careers.
Learning from Industry Experts
Throughout the internship, students received close guidance and mentorship from senior accounting staff—both practical, hands-on knowledge and advice on the career path that accounting students should be aware of early on.
One topic that particularly interested the first-year students was the guidance from company staff on the path to becoming a professional accountant, covering bookkeeping, taxation, internal auditing and control, and the path toward becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Experiencing this real-world content and workflow from year one gave students a broader and deeper view of the accounting profession, helping them understand how the knowledge they are learning today can be applied in the working world.
More Than Just "Experience"
What the students gained went beyond knowledge of accounting work—it also included workplace skills, ways of thinking, and self-understanding.
Guidance from staff and company executives helped the students recognize both their strengths and areas for improvement, while also opening their eyes to new topics such as the critical use of AI agents in the accounting profession, as well as developing presentation and communication skills and the confidence to be themselves.
All of this experience became a foundation of knowledge that students can build on in their studies and use as they plan their future career paths. Equally important was the discovery that learning doesn't end when you leave the classroom—stepping into the real world only brings more new things to learn.
The Real World Isn't Easy—But It Shows You What You Need to Improve
Of course, the path of professional internship from year one wasn't all excitement and fun, as students faced challenges very different from those in the classroom.
One key lesson was learning to manage a large volume of accounting documents, which required attention to detail, systematic organization, and work discipline. This made clear to students that academic knowledge alone isn’t enough for real-world work—it must be paired with responsibility and professional work skills.
Ajarn Pattanapong Suwannachat, Executive Academic Advisor to Dean, School of Accounting, Bangkok University, said: "This opportunity is an excellent experience for our students, who had mentors closely guiding their work. I hope all the students commit themselves fully to learning, and that they hold onto this feeling as motivation to keep developing themselves into quality professionals in the future."
For the School of Accounting, opening up opportunities for students to learn from real-world situations from their very first year reflects a philosophy of learning that isn’t confined to the classroom—but instead creates opportunities for students to truly think, truly do, learn from real people, and discover their own career paths early on.
School of Accounting would like to thank Addtech Hub Public Company Limited, including A.Jiraphan Sinthunava, Independent Director, Chairman of the Board, and Chairman of the Audit Committee; K.Chawan Boonprakobsap, Chairman of Executive Committee / Chief Executive Officer; K.Sompoch Tanutantivong, Executive Director / Chief Financial Officer and K. K.Prayoon Wachirapansathit, Assistant Chief Financial Officer, for opening the door to this opportunity and supporting the students' development in stepping beyond the classroom to experience the real working world.
