Name: Vivek Desai
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Laureate Education
Position Title: IT Programmer Analyst
Major(s)/Minor(s): Master's IT
Expected Graduation Year: 2015
Briefly describe your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.
This is my first IT job. I am lucky and proud to say that it got me the best learning experiences, incredible supporting colleagues, and coolest Mentor/Manager/Boss. During my last year at UMBC, I opted to do research/Master's thesis in the field of Data mining and collaborated my IT job with my academics. My Professor and Manager came together to decide the research topic which can be utilized in a product of Laureate Education. During my year at this internship, I wore multiple hats. I have worked as a salesforce administrator, project coordinator and programmer analyst. It is a great roller coaster ride to learn and explore new technologies.
Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.
I participated in every career fair that UMBC organized. At each fair, I walked around and did not skipping any encounter. I provided my resume and talked with employers face to face, and I was very specific and clear on what I am doing in my academics and what my interests are. It was a good practice for networking, and it was great to meet new employers all under one roof.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?
They are very friendly, and the working environment is very professional. They provide a flexibility to work from home as well. All these advantages sum up to a positive outcome; it encourages you to work more effectively and be more productive.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
I have used my knowledge of the salesforce to create a ticketing system to handle real-time customer facing issues. After I implemented my system, the issue storing process has become more efficient and effective. It saved a lot of time and reduced the waiting time for customers to get their problems resolved. Research work which I have done for my Master's thesis is actually a solution to a real-time problem statement/business requirement at Laureate Education.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Never give up! Attend all career fairs and networking events, and be crystal clear on what path you want to move forward on in your career. Self-teaching is something which is required at each phase of life, be it in professional life or in academics.
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