Name: Steven Zakuta

Year: Sophomore

Major: Economics & Philosophy

CFS Class: Business Field Studies

Employer: CORE Industrial Partners

This quarter I am interning at CORE Industrial Partners through CFS in addition to taking another class on campus (not for CFS) so I’ve been keeping myself busy. However, I’m enjoying being able to enjoy the work and college environment at the same time, an experience I know will prove helpful in easing the transition post-graduation.

What I’m finding difficult in my internship is being able to acknowledge that I have a steep learning curve and not take it personally when someone explains a concept I’ve never encountered or a better process for doing something I’d been trying to achieve. However, I think the fact that I am conscious of this tendency of mine is a good first step in maintaining a healthy outlook on the immense amount of learning I have ahead of me. In general, I think that because (most) everyone has had so little experience outside of academics, it’s your mindset going into the workplace that is more important than what you might know.  This leads me to believe that an eagerness to learn and humbling yourself are probably your greatest assets.

The last takeaway from my internship thus far has been through reflecting on my outlook on future interviews. When studying technical questions and answering questions in interviews, I would speak from what I memorized in a book. Even though I still have a good amount of time left in my internship, I can already see that when I interview in the future and answer technical questions, I will be talking from experience rather than just memory.

Otherwise, I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship and the learning that comes through actually going through the experience rather than just reading.