By Jim Toes, STA President & CEO
This STA article is dedicated to financial services interns in the United States and Canada, many of whom are starting their internships in recent weeks. Please forward to those interns working among us this summer!
Welcome to the Intern Class of 2024!
Now that summer is upon us, we’d like to wish a warm welcome to all of the interns who are kickstarting their careers over the next few months. Many of us at STA were once interns (and now we might be your bosses), so we’ve been in your shoes and are here to be a resource. Whether this is your first gig or you’re a seasoned veteran, this is an exciting time to learn more about the field you’ve been studying, and about the world in general.
At first glance, the word “intern” doesn’t seem very worldly – it derives from the Latin word internus, meaning “within, inward.” However, beginning your summer internship is the perfect time to do the exact opposite and look outward. As you begin your career, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at the amount of things you can do, so don’t think you need to figure out your calling today. If you have – great! But don’t worry, there’s plenty of time.
How can you look outward during and after your summer internship? For starters, use this as an opportunity to network, and not just necessarily with people within your team. If something interests you, ask around for some coffee meet-ups with a member of that team. In your quest to look outward, one of those coffee meet-ups might help you with the next step in your career one day.
Also, remember to look beyond your individual experience, and appreciate the teams or working groups or partners you’re paired up with during your internship. You’ll almost always have at least one other person to work with throughout your career, so take the time to appreciate how your internship lets you collaborate – it’s a great skill for any career.
Despite the advice we just gave, don’t get too caught up in “looking outward” and forget to enjoy your time. Your interests can change at any moment, and that’s okay. So whether you’re looking outward to next week or five years from now, remember to ask questions, meet new people, and learn about yourself more than anything!
In the spirit of looking outward, we also ask that you consider becoming an STA Student in Finance Member. Students who are enrolled full-time as an undergraduate or postgraduate are eligible for STA’s Student in Finance (STA SIF) Membership.
Finally, we also reposted a handful of archived STA articles that we think you will find helpful in your internship, as well as provide an overview of what we do.
Enjoy the reads, and best of luck to you this summer!