Lessons learned from real-world internships 

Internships are a valuable tool for career preparation. Having a degree can provide you with the knowledge, skills and credentials needed to enter a given field — and supplementing that education with real-world experiences can help new graduates jump start their careers. 

At the University of Washington Bothell, students are encouraged to pursue internships and can find support doing so through Career Services. There, students can learn about all kinds of experiential learning opportunities even as they also explore career interests, prepare for job searches, meet alumni in the regional workforce and connect with employers. 

Career Services recently hosted an online panel event — called “Real Talk: Interns Share Wins, Lessons and Surprises” — so current students could hear real stories and ask questions from peers who recently completed internships. 

Gaining access, implementing feedback 

Panelist Aditi Menon shared her experience working as a data science intern for Quadrant Technologies, an IT consulting firm in Redmond, Washington. A senior majoring in Mathematics, Menon also plans to double minor in Computer Science & Software Engineering and in Data Science. 

Menon interned with a team at the company developing an employee management portal. While her experience with programming languages and data visualization came in handy, she also gained new skills through her access to software and other resources she hadn’t previously explored due to their cost. 

“Something that surprised me was how much you can learn on the job,” she said. “One of my tasks was to build an AI chatbot for the portal, which was something I’d never done before. With constant support from my mentors and supervisors, I was able to get regular feedback, implement that feedback and then in the span of two weeks build the bot and work on integrating it into the overall portal.” 

One of the most valuable lessons she learned, however, wasn’t the skills or knowledge she gained — it was a better sense of what jobs she didn’t want to do. 

“I learned that project management was not for me and decided to pivot to looking for non-management roles,” Menon said. “But something I learned that I want to keep pursuing is to work in tech just because of how much innovation I was able to see taking place on a day-to-day basis.

“My internship also made me realize that the need for extracting insights from data extends beyond tech into multiple industries,” she added, “and made me explore industries I hadn’t considered before.” 

After gaining some work experience, Menon now plans to pursue a master’s in applied mathematics and go into optimization research. She wants someday to work as a data analyst or scientist. 

Scaling up, expanding insights 

For Maria Pledger, a senior majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, her recent role as a human resources intern at Amazon was far from her first taste of experiential learning. 

“What drew me to pursue an internship with Amazon was the opportunity to see how the human resources function operates within a large, global organization,” she said. “Since I already had HR experience at a mid-sized company, I was especially interested in understanding how those processes and responsibilities scale at both a national and international level.” 

After graduation, Pledger plans to pursue opportunities in human resources, events or marketing and communications. She’s already gained experience in these areas through several roles — including an HR internship at Saltchuk Marine Shared Services and her two current positions at UW Bothell as a communications specialist assistant for graduate programs and as an events and communications assistant in the Division of Advancement. 

“Through these experiences, I’ve discovered that I really enjoy developing internal employee programs that create a positive impact, as well as gathering and analyzing data to support initiatives that improve employee morale and the overall workplace experience,” Pledger said. 

“At this stage, I’m still deepening my understanding of the different cultures that exist within organizations. I look forward to joining an organization where I can genuinely enjoy the work I do and contribute to a meaningful, positive impact for those around me.” 

When it comes to understanding workers’ needs and how to support them, Pledger said she learned a lot from her time at Amazon. 

“I was tasked with acquiring employee perspectives and insights on their benefits and employee experiences at Amazon,” she said. “Over the span of a month, I was able to acquire more than 150 responses to a survey that I had created. I was really proud I was able to have so much of an impact during my time there and gain so much insight regarding employee experiences.” 

Connecting students to resources 

The internship panel is part of an ongoing event series for students that highlights the real-world experiences peers have had and connects students to campus related resources. Career Services offers several support avenues for students interested in internships, including appointments to explore current opportunities, review resumes, prepare for interviews and receive personalized coaching. 

“We are a resource for UW Bothell students to tap into when they don’t know where to start in their career readiness or exploration, don’t know how to move forward in their career journeys, don’t have everything mapped out, just need a check-in — and everything in between,” said Gabby Ramon, assistant director of Career Services. 

“The Career Services office wants to meet with you early and often to support your success, not only in the workforce but in the confidence and ownership of your story.” 

Students interested in learning more about Career Services resources and support can visit online or stop by the Career Center in Founders Hall (UW1), room 103.