Interning at SECU has been a great experience. I have learned so much and gained many skills that I can take with me as I return to campus and think about future career paths. Having the opportunity to intern in Digital Banking was particularly helpful because I took away both technical and business knowledge and skills. One of the biggest things I learned was working using Agile methodology, a modern team software development approach, and this is something that will be very useful to know in the workforce.

Additionally, the projects I worked on taught me many skills like data analysis, user interface/user experience tools, vendor communication, and information/cyber security. As an information science major, I feel like I heard so much about jobs and career paths related to software development. As a result, I didn’t even realize teams like this that blend technical components and knowledge with business communications exist, and now knowing this has helped me realize the vast opportunities available in any field, even when it seems limiting. I’m happy to now have a better understanding of this as I go forward looking for internships and job paths.

My biggest piece of advice for students who will intern in the future is to not limit your work to your specific team/division. Some of my biggest learning experiences were from having conversations or shadowing people in departments different than mine. I was amazed at the level of collaboration between teams in a large institution, and just speaking with people in different departments gave me insight into career paths I can now explore going forward. With that, many of the supervisors or people in your team are eager to share career advice, connections, or their own stories of how they got to their position if you just ask them. Never be afraid to ask questions, and you will surely get more out of your internship experience no matter the field it is in!