A solid goal for every student in college is to get an internship. Experience, money, and wanting to look smart among your friends and peers are all legitimate reasons and concerns.
But these days, with the amount
of college students every year, any internship will suffice for students.
Desperate times indeed call for desperate measures.
But how many of us actually stop
and think about the sort of work environment we want to be in? How many of us
place ourselves into a company and imagine working there 40 hours a week? When
I started applying for internships, I made a rookie mistake: Not reading about
the company. It was when I was not receiving responses from these places that I
started to realize I was applying to these places not because I respect their
goals and missions but because I wanted a job. The things that actually
matter to me are the people, the work, and what the companies’ values are.
When I applied for more internships,
I came across Capital One, and one of the values that stuck out to me is
bringing out the best in people. Long story short, I did my research and found
that this company was where I wanted to work. With the background I had, I
applied for the Design Development Program and a few weeks later got an offer.
Indeed, Capital One is not just a
banking company, but also a technology company. As a design intern, I have
found an appreciation in seeing not only the banking industry, but the world
around me differently. Everything around me was designed at some point, and in
the company, there is a reason for every design decision that is made – and it
all comes back to what’s best for the customer. My interests are focused in
research, and I have gotten immersed in a few hands-on projects.
I have been interning here for
almost 4 weeks, but I feel like I have been a part of Capital One for a long
time. Not because the days are slow, but because every day is different. Every
day is a unique conversation, challenge, and opportunity to try something
new.
This is a lot different from
college, where some students skip classes on days where they “ don’t feel like
going.” When you’re working with a great group of people, you can’t help but
bring your best every day, to show your teammates that you’re worthy of the
trust they’ve placed in you..
As I’m thinking of content to write about how much I love it here, I realize that
I don’t need to. It is more of a feeling, and that’s why it’s difficult to
put it in words. I look around my workspace and see that I’m surrounded by so
many great people who have passions outside of work, goals for their future,
and different perspectives that make them unique.
- Alvin
