Name: Allie

Year: Sophomore

Major: Industrial Engineering

CFS Concentration: Business Field Studies

I’m currently interning at Accelerated Growth Advisors (AGA), a consulting firm that does financial and strategic consulting for entrepreneurial ventures. During my first two weeks of work, I have learned so much about what is important to me in my career path.

For instance, during my onboarding process I’ve had to do certain mundane tasks like going through the human resources manual and getting my work laptop set up. My coworkers made these tasks manageable by being entertaining and engaging me in interesting conversation, as well as throwing in the occasional ping pong challenge. I can only imagine how bored I would have been without them, increasing my understanding of the importance of working with the right people.

Additionally, I’ve learned that caring about your workplace is important to staying motivated and subsequently producing quality work. I’m currently working on a recruiting project for my work, and I feel driven to work very hard on this project because I am invested in the AGA mission and people and I want to see them thrive in the future. I’ve noticed that this sense of caring has made a huge difference in the quality of my work; my research is more extensive, I never stop working until I believe my deliverables are near perfect, and my reviewing process is much more meticulous. Comparing this to some of my work for classes in the past, the variation is pretty noticeable.

I encourage students to consider these factors when choosing internships and jobs to avoid making a choice based on superficial characteristics and ending up in an unsatisfactory job. The people that you work with and the passion that you have for your work can make a huge difference.