As winter quarter comes to an end, this is a great time to search for summer internship opportunities. The University of Denver’s Career and Professional Development department awards 8 undergraduate students with a $2,500 award if they land an unpaid internship for the summer. For most students, internships are a chance to gain experience in the workforce, a way to find out their strengths, and discover their interests.
Last summer, Tyler Linnebur, a graduate student at the University of Denver, interned with a rapidly growing tech company, Zayo Group. While he was there, he was analyzing the company’s expense reports and, on occasion, presenting his findings to senior level management. He described his experience as being valuable. “I learned how to apply my studies in financial analysis and in using tools such as Excel, Google Drive, Tableau, and SalesForce.”
For Tyler, what was particularly exciting, “was getting to work with teams of full-time accountants and financial analysts, [and] seeing how people interacted and collaborated in the business world. [He] was included in a number of messages and email strings, team meetings, conference calls, and board meetings.” Tyler said, “I was pretty involved for a new guy.” For Tyler, these are great skills and accomplishments he can include in his master resume. Most students do not realize that such small details can contribute to great value for a potential employee; the key is learning to incorporate it correctly within their resume.
When asked about what other aspects of his internships Tyler enjoyed the most, he said that he cherishes the connections he made with his fellow interns and the programming that the internship program incorporated. “We went to hiking trails, happy hours, baseball games, tours, and workshops. There was a case competition among the 55 interns, where my team won 1st place and a Patagonia backpack for a prize! The summer ended with all the interns voting for each other for several superlatives. I was surprised when I was voted most likely to be a comedian! That summer I learned a lot, and I enjoyed an experience I will never trade!”
Career and Professional Development Staff are so happy that Tyler had the opportunity to experience a wonderful internship, and create not only meaningful memories and connections, but also grow his skills as a student and future employee. We wish you all the success in your future career and internships journeys, and we hope to hear your future stories (maybe as a comedian!).
