It’s the summer before senior year. This is what you have prepared the past four years for. Interview well, land a respectable internship, secure the full-time job offer before August and your final year will be smooth sailing. It’s that simple. Or at least it was prior to the year 2020.
This summer at NCW we were fortunate enough to still host nine in-person interns. They ranged from freshmen to graduate students, from Rockville, Maryland to Farmington, Minnesota. Our interns were still able to see all facets of the business during the socially distant days of summer.
On June 1st, full-time employees started trickling back in to the office and the interns started their first day. We all wore masks and remained as socially distant as possible. That is one of the advantages to working for a smaller sized company.
Unfortunately for most students, they watched their summer go by through the screen of a ThinkPad computer. Many were crammed in their childhood bedrooms creating a makeshift cubicle. Watching through zoom to see the process of manufacturing lines or scrolling through online catalogues to plan a virtual event. Our interns had the chance to be fully exposed into our work style.
The interns were treated as full-time employees having their own clients, facilitating meetings, and even being nominated as MVPs amongst other colleagues. For many of our students it was their first taste of the “real world”.
At NCW we pride ourselves in our core values; but one in particular comes to mind during these challenges – a will to win. Persevering in the face of adversity and maintaining high expectations for the entire team comes at the root of that core value. We strived to make the most of 2020 while still taking the proper precautions.
Intern Chandler Watson, junior from the University of Cincinnati explains that “a fun work environment would be the blandest way to describe what goes on inside of that old AT&T call center.” Even with an open-air office layout, we still blast the music. The option to work from home doesn’t put a damper on our call competitions and competitive nature. Interns had a hard time saying goodbye on their last day this past Friday.
Butler senior, Trent Thompson said it best, “ Very few people can say that they look forward to going into work, I am lucky enough to be genuinely excited about going into work every morning here at NCW.”
To all of our interns, we wish you the best of luck! Thank you for occupying a seat on this wild ride.
