Name: Dan Niemiec

CFS Concentration & Year: BFS, Winter 2010

Internship: Blue Canyon Partners

Major /Minor: Economics/IMC

Graduation Year: 2011

Current Position: Manager of Operations at Western Golf Association- Evans Scholars Association

Describe your CFS internship and how it helped you either in interviews, job opportunities or graduate school applications?

My position entailed working with senior consultants at the firm on strategizing with our clients on different opportunities they are interested in pursuing. For example, we would find other companies who were doing things our company is considering expanding on. We would interview these companies to see what works for them and then analyze whether it was a smart opportunity for the company we were working with to pursue. I also was able to expand my market research skills by learning to effectively consolidate information, create presentations, and help senior consultants on making recommendations. More generally, the CFS internship is a good way to gain experience in a professional setting. Although I am currently in a different field, there are many similarities from my internship and the stuff I do now. The internship was a great opportunity to expand my network and get a good mentor.

Did you see it as a future career when you took the internship?

At the time I knew I’d be interested in potentially doing consulting work but I didn’t know what sector or what type of consulting I was specifically interested in. During my internship I was able to realize what I liked and didn’t like about the field, as well as what I was good at. Although my internship was a great experience I realized that it wasn’t the type of consulting I wanted to do.

Please briefly explain what you are doing now?

I work for the Evans Scholars- a nonprofit that gives college scholarships and housing to deserving golf caddies. On the job I do a lot of donor analytics by looking at past giving, strategizing on how we segment those donors, and deciding who we should be targeting. A lot of it is focused on gaining insight into what opportunities we’re missing and how we can improve our fundraising success. Another part of my job is looking at the organizational side and seeing how we can run our day to day operations more smoothly and how we can be more efficient.

Is there a link between your CFS experience and what you are doing now? 

I work for a nonprofit now but my role has similar ties to what consulting does. I’m still looking a lot at strategy and there are a lot of skills I learned and used in my CFS experience that apply to what I’m doing now.

What advice do you have for students at NU considering the program?

CFS is a good opportunity to get work experience and the ability to do an internship in a tough job market while simultaneously getting class credit for it is great. CFS can help affirm what your career path may be by helping you get insight on a field you’re interested in. It’s also a good opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and try something you may like but have never really pursued.

How can CFS students make the most of their experience?

No matter what the opportunity is, fully invest in it as much as you can. There are many generic business skills that are applicable to many jobs so take advantage of the chance to learn. Another important thing is to form meaningful relationships with people at your internship and to network. This skill is really important as you start to move through your career. You never know when an individual can be helpful to you or when you could be a resource to them.