Name: Elaine Jiang

Year: Senior

Major: Economics

Minor: Computer Science

CFS Program: Business Field Studies

Employer: Goldman Sachs

My internship at Goldman Sachs has really taught me how to best structure my time to make the most out of my experience, especially in a virtual environment. Sitting on the Chicago regional management team in the PWM division, I had one large concrete project, an annual accounts review, and one self-driven data analysis and performance evaluation project. Everything else was largely ad-hoc and I quickly realized how important it was to self-structure my work experience. This included setting my own internal deadlines, proactively reaching out for feedback, and fitting in coffee chats and webinars to better understand the company culture and business. While the lack of normal physical workplace interactions is not the most ideal, my team is extremely open to communication and always willing to answer my questions and help in any way they can.

Additionally, working in PWM has enabled me to observe the relationship, as well as sometimes disconnect, between the real and financial economy as well as the subsequent reactions of clients and investment strategies. Personally, that’s what I’ve found to be the most interesting. GS has great resources in terms of hosting speakers and webinars on topics ranging from COVID-19 vaccine development to ESG investment to building culture at various companies such as Starbucks; it’s interesting to then be able to draw relevant connections to market valuations and fluctuations. There are a plethora of opportunities for learning, both through projects and company resources, and that’s what I’ve appreciated the most at GS.