Reflections

This summer has been an incredible experience. One of the most important benefits from my program is that I have learnt to appreciate the pros and cons of working at a large publicly traded organization. As an intern I think it is a great experience. Because these are so many different groups working in different sectors, there are so many different people to meet and chat with. It gave me broad exposure to many different types of products and services the company provides. However, long term I can understand why working at a large institution for many years can also be frustrating. At a certain point, most people are only working on a single aspect of the company and they lose sight of the big picture. Also, there is a lot of red tape and inability to present one’s own findings and move upwards in the company faster than expected. I feel that my summer has given me a lot of context and understanding into certain finance careers and has helped me figure out what I don’t want to do. I believe that is the most important part of an internship because better to discover what I don’t want to do during a summer before I get locked into it for a full time job. I have attached a photo of the view from my desk. Overall I found my internship to be both helpful and fulfilling.