I’ve been sharing this with various people in the office, but this internship has really given me a much needed sense of direction. In fact, the most important lesson I wanted to take away from this experience was some sort of direction for my career. As a student of Business Administration, I have learned valuable lessons in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, and management to form a strong business foundation. While my business education allows me to spread myself diversely across different areas of business, I haven’t obtained a specialty in any one field. As I head into my last year of undergrad, I feel the urgency more and more to find my “niche” and discover my passion. I can’t say that I knew what my career would look like four years ago or even before this June when the internship began. I thought I might one day be a great doctor, but that plan became less appealing as chemistry and biology become more of a foreign language than an area of knowledge. Next, I believed I possessed the potential to succeed in communications, but that unraveled after taking a crash course in advertising. I thought about studying history, but decided the future was so much more exciting than dead people. Finally, I decided I would pursue my lifelong goals of becoming a full time rap artist, only Will Smith stole my routine ten years ago. Eventually I came to my senses and decided to go into business—or the glorified undeclared major—after my rap career fizzled. I discovered that I could really be successful in business with my strong analytical and organizational skills.
Still, I needed direction. In the past 5 weeks, this experience has gone beyond my expectations. I was sure I would be handling a certain level of administrative work, but GBS has given me the meat of this industry to sink my teeth in. I came into this internship believing I would have to “pay my dues” as an intern, but I have been challenged as “fresh talent” who can really contribute to the company in new and creative ways. While I can’t say just yet that insurance is my “niche,” I am definitely surprised by how much I am enjoy learning about an HMO, PPO, ASO, etc. I knew nothing about insurance before working at GBS, but I am constantly learning different aspects of the business. I discovered I like the consulting side most because I would ultimately like to help others through direct interaction with people. I hope I can continue to learn more as the internship winds down these remaining 3 weeks, but I’m still figuring things as I go–which is a good and exciting thing.
- Sarah, LA
