As the summer before my senior year of college was quickly approaching, I was becoming exponentially more nervous that I would not land an internship during a critical time between my junior and senior year. I had applied to several companies and interviewed with a handful of them, with only frustration to show for it.
However, in the blink of an eye, with only weeks left in my junior year, I miraculously ended up having two internship offers
to choose from. I felt empowered. I felt as if all of my unread applications and shaky interviews actually paid off. Ultimately, when faced with the decision between the two generous offers, TSI, a management and technology consultancy, seemed to offer a broader range of opportunities that would expose me to a variety of its clients ranging from fast growing companies in the city to more established companies in the suburbs. Also, I could not help but notice a connection and a certain level of comfort with my interviewers, Dave and Dan, whom I would later work very closely with.
Validating the initial gut feeling I had, my internship with TSI has been enormously educational and interesting thus far. As I write this, I have only been working here for one month and it already feels like a second home.
I have compressed all the things I have learned and enjoy about TSI into four characteristics that make it such a fascinating place to work at:
- The people.
My experience at TSI has been a pleasant one for the main reason that my fellow employees are extremely intelligent, kind, and easy to work with. I’m able to soak in an abundance of knowledge just by sitting in on meetings, observing the expertise of these individuals, and picking their brains. It is quite evident that the good people of TSI, though their backgrounds vary, are all extremely experienced and wise when it comes to improving efficiency.
I also very much enjoy the small size of the team here. I’ve always been a firm believer that a manageable group of highly qualified, highly compatible individuals is more efficient than a large team of average-skilled folks. The talented people I work with at TSI, including the founder of the company himself, are as welcoming to me as they are knowledgeable. And for that, I could not be more grateful.
- The breadth of opportunities.
As I stated early on, one of the factors that led me to accept the internship offer from TSI was the broad range of opportunities that I would be introduced to. I did not know the half of it. In just one month, I’ve been exposed to countless avenues of the business world. Whether it is a billion dollar company looking to keep up with modern technology, a technology-based marketing company in need of more skilled workers, or one of the top brands in the hospitality industry attempting to improve the guests’ experience, in short, I have been exposed to much more of the business world than I was expecting.
- The atmosphere.
The breadth of business exposure is definitely not the extent of my experience. I not only get to witness impressive human interactions and absorb new information, I get to actively lend my hand. I remember on my very first day, I was thrown right into the deep end. I went straight to a client and began to edit process maps in Microsoft Visio within the first half hour. TSI has an empowering and bureaucracy-free atmosphere which I find to be completely conducive to hard work. It wasn’t until my ninth day of work that I even got a tour of our office. This spontaneity has been exciting and enlightening and it made me realize just how refreshing a changing environment can be.
- The positive impact.
What TSI does for its growth-oriented clients is incredibly eye-opening for all parties. I have personally witnessed, on many occasions, the look of absolute disbelief and excitement in the eyes of people who were not previously aware that processes could be done with such efficiency. I very much enjoy being a part of the team that is able to so often bring amazement to people and help their businesses prosper for years to come.
The above characteristics were the ingredients for a fulfilling internship for me. I study business at Northern Illinois University, where the President, Doug Baker, is a firm believer in the power of internships. To paraphrase Dr. Baker, internship experience is a more significant indicator of student career success than major or grades [http://www.niutoday.info/2014/03/10/the-no-1-predictor-of-student-career-success]. I absolutely believe this to be true after learning more in one month than I thought I’d take away from the whole experience.
Among the many benefits I have received from this internship, I have learned about TSI and the operations of a small business, as well as how many other larger, vastly different companies operate. I have been out on the front lines with a multitude of people with varying personality types, and my comfort level when interacting with business professionals has improved dramatically as a result. I have had the pleasure of traveling to clients’ offices in Chicago and interacting with successful people that I otherwise would never have had the chance to meet. I learned about Enterprise Resource Planning systems such as SAP, which will give me a serious advantage when I’m taking SAP classes next year. I have learned quite a bit about Salesforce.com and I apply my social media skills daily to TSI’s presence in this area as well.
I learned what effective management looks like and what real productivity feels like. I discovered what a modern office looks like compared to a not-so-modern office. I also learned many helpful tips for facilitating meetings by watching it done for several unique audiences. On top of all this, I’ve been able to expand my LinkedIn network in all the right ways, setting me up for a successful future.
And to think I almost gave up after some measly failed applications. Let this be a lesson for students out there struggling to find an internship or those not searching at all. Don’t give up. Be an intern. Get the experience. I feel much more comfortable with graduation approaching now that I have all of this knowledge and experience under my belt.
