This past summer I worked as an intern at the New York Power Authority, and took a night class at Columbia that met twice a week. The class was part of the business department and covered the principles of marketing, and I completed a project on Whole Foods’ marketing campaign. My official position at the Authority was a “developmental intern”, and I worked in the Economic Development and Energy Efficiency (EDEE) department on a full-time basis.
The internship itself was an amazing experience. The first few days were a bit overwhelming, for I was constantly getting introduced to new co-workers, interns, and details about the company and our customers, but I quickly got used to the flow of new information. I worked for a few different parts of EDEE, including the Business and Governmental divisions, and so I had to be ready to field a variety of assignments. Over the course of the internship, I shadowed EDEE team members, attended key team meetings and took notes/captured action items, assisted in managing contact lists in Microsoft CRM for account executives, ran Business Intelligence reports, updated monthly report for governmental customers, tracked customer communications, and completed a data visualization project that required the use of Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Powerpoint. However, my internship wasn’t solely about completing a large number of tasks. I also strengthened my networking skills, grew more accustomed to a 9-5 routine, and made a number of friends that I am still in contact with.
Despite the fact that I didn’t have a lot of free time this summer, I had an invaluable experience working and studying. I also learned something about myself, in that despite the packed schedule I could complete the two jobs as an employee and student to the best of my ability. If I could give some advice to anyone considering a similar summer as mine, I would say go for it. It may seem overwhelming at first, but the experience gained is priceless.