The Internship Experience: Akshay Anand Erapalli, MIS Candidate 2015, Reyes Holdings

Akshay Anand Erapalli

Full-time MS-MIS Candidate 2015

Field of Work: Business Intelligence/Data Analysis

Undergraduate Degree: Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate School: University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore University

How did you find your internship?

I found my internship through an online job posting. After submitting an online form and resume, I was shortlisted for two interview rounds which were both over the phone, as well as on Skype.

Did you receive any help from the Business Career Center in finding your internship?

I was very proactive from the beginning in my search for an internship and I tried to get all the help I could. The job fairs held at UIC by both the Business Career Center and College of Engineering gave me exposure to various companies and job profiles that I would have liked to apply for.  Also, there were at least two resume review sessions that I remember attending which helped me tighten my resume.

Did you have multiple internship offers?

Yes, I did have multiple offers. In the end, I took the option which had the best job profile.

What factor(s) did you consider when choosing to accept your internship offer?

For me, the biggest factor was the job profile and the capacity that I would be working in. As I mentioned earlier, I was very proactive in my search and applied to a lot of places, but I only applied for the positions that I wanted to work in. The name of the company and the pay were not the main deciding factors for me, as gaining experience in the BI/Data Analysis field was my primary focus. Also since the job was in Chicago, I was more than happy to take it up.

What were your responsibilities at your internship?

I worked as a Business Intelligence Project Intern. I worked with an upcoming Business Intelligence tool – IBM Cognos and IBM RAVE. My work primarily revolved around creating data visualizations with the RAVE tool and creating customer reports using Cognos Workspace Advanced.

What did you like most about your internship?

My company gave me the opportunity to explore and work on projects and tools that were completely new to me. I got an opportunity to get exposed to the latest techniques in the world of Business Intelligence and was given the freedom to explore the tools and learn how to use them in different projects. I have already worked in the field of Data Analytics before and the reason behind taking up this position was for me to be able to learn something new in the field. I strongly feel that I have been able to achieve my goal.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned at your internship?

You are not done with your job till you get it right, no matter how long it takes.

Did you have a mentor at your internship? If you did, what was the most valuable piece of advice you received?

My manager was my mentor at my internship. He was very instrumental in getting my best work out of me. The most valuable piece of advice that he gave me was to always question what we are doing when we work on something and why we are doing it.