The Perks of Being an IS Intern

October 17, 2012 at 1:55 pm | Posted in Internship Experiences | 1 Comment
Tags: Computer Science, Information Systems, internship, Networking, Northwestern Mutual

Complementary tickets to a Maroon 5 concert, hors d’oeuvres with company executives, a company sponsored team outing to Dave and Buster’s, and discounted Six Flag, State Fair, and Summerfest tickets, in addition to daily free lunches, are some of the many unexpected perks of working as an Information Systems (IS) Intern at Northwestern Mutual (NM).  Known for their conservative and many times boring image, I never would have imagined that Northwestern Mutual would offer such a dynamic intern experience.

To be quite frank, although I was elated when I found out that I got the summer internship at Northwestern Mutual, I was also extremely overwhelmed.  Aside from being completely intimidated by the prospect of working as a IS Intern after completing only four computer science courses, I also had no idea how I, the unsophisticated girl who lives in her sweatpants and uses “like” every other word, would fit into the über polished business culture of Northwestern Mutual.

My qualms about fitting in at NM were quickly quieted when my team lead helped me to set up lunches with NM employees from many different departments and divisions.  These lunches allowed me to “learn the ropes” from the experts.  I was blown away by how diverse the employees at NM were.  Through these lunches I met some rather interesting folks such as an organic farmer, an Olympic time trials qualifier, and a South African refugee.  Not what you’d expect from your typical computer science professional.  These networking opportunities were invaluable and provided me with connections beyond the scope of limited intern duties.  Although I was sad to leave Milwaukee at the end of the summer, I am excited by the many opportunities that this internship opened for me!

Breanna Fabry, Computer Science, 2015

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