Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Major and class standing: Business Management/Chinese, Senior
Where you interned: DTE Energy, Grand Rapids, MI
What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
As apart of a Student Co-op with DTE Energy, I interacted with customers and aided in gas renewal scheduling, plotted grids/maps to plan large-scale projects of gas renewal, utilized Maximo, Excel, SAP, ESRI, and CRM to manage customer information efficiently and effectively, and worked alongside the management team in scheduling renewal jobs around the West Michigan area. In addition, I created SWI (standard working instructions) for employees to follow in the execution of work and provided input on large-scale projects to increase productivity and provide innovative solutions
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
Applied at the DTE Energy Website. I submitted my resume and proceeded with an interview.
What did your daily routine include?
Managing customer information and contacting customers to schedule appointments for gas meter move.
Your favorite experience from the internship?
Getting to experience the company culture at DTE. My co-workers were very nice and were always willing to aid me if I needed. There were also bonding events over the year, which were fun to participate in.
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
The repetitiveness of my task. I have been assigned calls for 5 months straight.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
Communication, professionalism, management, and efficiency when using Excel.
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I found that I prefer a position that is not so set in stone. I do not want to sit and continue the exact same task every day 8 hours a day 5 days a week. In the future, I hope to find an internship that will give me more insight into what I could apply my degrees to and provide me with opportunities to grow my skill set.
What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
Give it a try! There is no harm in applying for an internship if it is not exactly in the field you are wanting your career in. You can always learn something and create connections to expand your network.
