My Internship in Financial Market Research... by Quang Nguyen

My Internship in Financial Market Research
By Quang Nguyen, Finance and Applied Mathematics Majors

I am a senior student with dual degrees in Finance and Applied Mathematics. This summer, I got an intern position with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. My day starts out at 6AM. I commute every day for about an hour to work. The first thing that I usually do is to check my email for meeting or project work. At 8:30AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we have our group meeting to discuss projects that are currently in process and assign new projects to appropriate members on the team. After the meeting, we all disperse and work on our own project.

This internship comes very close to my expectations. Everybody on the team knows what they are responsible for and are very self-sufficient. We try our best to contribute to the success of the team by completing our tasks efficiently and effectively. The most valuable thing that I have learned from this internship is that the work place atmosphere has changed quite significantly. In comparison to my first internship, my daily activities were just office work and shadowing people. With this internship, I am assigned with a research project, which could possible be used for future strategic planning to improve the profitability of the company. It can be said that my internship with BIVI so far is very involving and exciting. It allows me the opportunity to be independent, yet still I can contribute and gain access to knowledge from team members.
 

The advice I would give to other students who are thinking about obtaining an internship is to “do it”. The earlier you can secure an internship the better. These internship opportunities will provide you with a chance to gain perspective, become mature, and increase awareness of the skill sets that are desirable to companies.

In order to obtain an internship, never underestimate the power of connection. Use both personal and professional networks. Take the initiative and present yourself to others and let them know you are looking for opportunities to further learn about potential careers.