During the summer of 2018, I spent my time in Chicago as a product management intern for Motorola Solutions Inc. in the Software Enterprise group. It was my first time interning within the tech industry, which made it an incredibly valuable experience.
My main project was to work with my manager on planning a large-scale end-to-end demo that crafted a narrative surrounding many of Motorola Solutions’ offerings. The nature of this project and product management enabled me to interact with a variety of people across the company. I facilitated meetings with engineers, marketing, demo teams, product owners, and product managers who each represented different products involved with this project. During these meetings, we determined the logistics and necessary next steps needed to plan a seamless demonstration. Alongside my manager and marketing, I helped stitch together these different product demonstrations into a coherent narrative that would resonate with the audience of this presentation. Due to the many moving parts involved in this project, it was imperative that I kept track of progress, remained organized, and could provide thorough updates to my manager.
This project was only one aspect of my experience. MSI’s internship program provided me with a mentor and other opportunities to develop professionally. There was a calendar of events that included a kick-off event where we got to hear from the CEO, both informal and formal networking sessions, a presentation on professional etiquette, and more. I also had the pleasure of having managers who genuinely wanted to ensure that I had the most meaningful internship experience as possible. They connected me with others in the company, suggested my visit MSI’s Schaumburg campus, and took me to a 9-1-1 call center where I saw first-hand how MSI’s products were used in the most critical of moments. One highlight of my summer was meeting with one of the VP’s of the company and the Chief Human Resources Officer about diversity within the tech industry and my experience as an intern. It was great to know how willing they were to make time to speak with me and it only reaffirmed my positive experience with MSI’s company culture.
In addition to my internship at MSI, I was a Duke Technology Scholar. As a DTech Scholar, I lived with other Duke students interning within the tech industry through housing provided by the program. It extremely beneficial to hear from my roommates who worked in different companies and different positions than me. Together, we visited tech companies, attended networking events, and explored the city of Chicago. The program also provided me with a mentor who I still remain in touch with.
Overall, I learned so much from this summer. I gained better clarity of what it is like to work within a tech company, the different positions that exist, and how they work together. My mentors and managers gave me valuable advice that I will carry with me as I embark on wherever life takes me next.
