Undergrad Student Spotlight: STEM in Corporate America

The main reason I came to UConn was because I knew that it would open up all kinds of opportunities. As an accounting major, I had always wanted to pursue a career in the Big 4 accounting firms. Since I had transferred in after their recruiting season, I wasn’t eligible for their internships and was forced to look elsewhere. I stumbled upon a fantastic opportunity working for Pratt and Whitney, one of the largest manufacturers of airplane engines in the world. I got the chance to work with both engineers and financial executives and gained the opportunity to develop skills that I didn’t even know I needed. I worked arduously that summer and took several steps to ensure that I got asked back for a full time position.

I got this job at the career fair for an organization called INROADS. I had to apply to their organization separately and go through a resume review and interview prep process to be eligible to apply for their internships. The process was incredibly informative and once it was completed, they sent out my information to all the recruiters they were partnered with. I went to their career fair a few months later and I already had two interviews scheduled before I even got there - one of which would land me my internship for that summer. Once I was accepted into the internship at Pratt and Whitney, INROADS had special networking events, ranging from lunch meetings with Pratt Executives to a high ropes course, where I could meet other Pratt and Whitney interns. It was a great way to connect with other interns including other UConn students who I ended up studying with during the semester.

As an accountant, I created cost forecasts for parts that my company used to build its engines. Following that, I would create a report highlighting the most significant price variances and present my findings to executives. The most rewarding part of this experience was the fact that I got to create the process that was used to generate these cost forecasts. When I started the job, I thought I knew a lot about excel, but I quickly realized that I still had a lot to learn. I reached out to other people that worked on my floor to ask them for help on how to properly format things and advice on how to make my presentations more effective. Once I started asking for help, it became a lot easier to do my job because I learned how my job related to others and developed a better understanding of how all the groups in our division worked together. At the end of the internship, I presented all the work I did to the executives in my team and taught my process to a full-time employee so they could continue it after I left.

The best part about working in Corporate America is that you have the freedom to set your own schedule. If you are having trouble doing your job, then you can meet with someone who has done something similar and ask for advice. The more people you meet with, the more people can speak highly of you when new opportunities become available. I attended every networking event that I could so that I could meet people and get their insight about the company. My goal was to get into their full time leadership program, so I reached out to many of the executives that were involved in recruiting for that program and met with them to ask about their careers, learn about the company, and to get advice for getting into these competitive programs. To my surprise, everyone was enthusiastic to meet with me and they gave me really great advice. Besides from that, I would always pay attention in meetings and take notes, and my bosses took notice of that as well. In my evaluation, my supervisor praised me on how engaged I was in the job. By paying attention in meetings, asking questions, and introducing myself to other members of my team, I showed more engagement than the average intern, and so they asked me to come back and work for them full-time. Had I just stayed at my desk and worked only on what I was told to, I probably would not have been asked back.

The best part about working in Corporate America is that you have the freedom to set your own schedule. If you are having trouble doing your job, then you can meet with someone who has done something similar and ask for advice. The more people you meet, the more people can speak highly of you when new opportunities become available. I attended every networking event that I could so that I could meet people and get their insight about the company. My goal was to get into their full-time leadership program, so I reached out and met with many of the executives that were involved in recruiting for that program to ask about their careers, learn about the company, and get advice for getting into these competitive programs. To my surprise, everyone was enthusiastic to meet with me and they gave me really great advice. Besides from that, I would always pay attention in meetings and take notes, and my bosses took notice of that as well. In my evaluation, my supervisor praised me on how engaged I was in the job. By paying attention in meetings, asking questions, and introducing myself to other members of my team, I showed more engagement than the average intern, and so they asked me to come back and work for them full-time. Had I just stayed at my desk and worked only on what I was told to, I probably would not have been asked back.

The biggest thing that this experience taught me is to look everywhere for opportunities. If you’re looking for a job, the first step is to start sending out applications, even to places you didn’t expect to see yourself working. Huskycareerlink and inroads.org are great resources,but also be sure to check company websites, or websites such as LinkedIn for opportunities. If you know someone with a career that you could see yourself doing, then ask them how they got there, and see if they can put you in contact with a recruiter. Finally, it’s important to do your job to the best of your ability. To really shine, it’s important to network and interact with your coworkers and supervisors. Once you get a job, try to learn as much as you can from your peers and superiors. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and remember that it’s always okay to ask for

help.