When people ask me what my favorite part of the job is, they may be surprised to hear my answer.  While there are so many wonderful aspects of being an entrepreneur, starting your own company and watching it grow – one of the components of it that truly brings me joy, has been the internship program we began.

At PROPENSITY4, each semester we take on interns who are seeking a career in data and analytics.  We do this for both selfless and selfish reasons.

From a “selfless” perspective, we feel it’s important to give back to young talent.  In the post-2008 marketplace, young adults starting into the job force have faced real challenges in finding entry-level opportunities, particularly in notable organizations in the analytics space.  With this in mind, our internship program provides intelligent, promising young analysts the opportunity to develop their resumes and experiences, in hopes of breaking into the industry after graduation.

But from a “selfish” perspective, the internship program has given back to myself and our company just as equally.  Personally, at this chapter in my career, I have found how much I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring young people. I get to experience that in my work as an adjunct professor at West Chester University, and in overseeing our interns as well.  And while teaching in these ways is incredibly rewarding, I find myself learning along the way.  Our interns, as do my students, see things differently than myself, and than our other employees.  Their naivete, mixed with raw intellect, gives them an ability to cut through to insights, opportunities or ways of doing things that do not come to the rest of us.

As a company who prides itself on “powering smart data,” the ability to apply different viewpoints to a common challenge makes our ability to be “smarter’ all the more likely.  We may be helping these young talents grow in their careers, but we are certain that they are helping us grow our perspectives along the way.

And if you, or a family member, may be the next smart data guru – get in touch to learn more about our internship opportunities!