Intern—a mystery-cloaked word we hear constantly throughout college, and in popular culture through hit movies like The Internship and The Intern. While a job requiring getting coffee for everyone in the office and getting paid next to nothing (or, quite literally, nothing), comes to mind, we wanted to explore what it really means to be an intern. We already take you into the morning and nightly routines of successful women, and into the day-to-day jobs of employees across the country. Now, say hello to Intern Diaries. Below, a twenty-one-year-old working in finance tells us about her experience.
Age: 21
City your internship took place: Birmingham, AL
Industry: Insurance/Finance
Internship Title: Underwriting Intern
Salary: $15/hour
Duration: 10 weeks
What does your internship title mean?
As an underwriting intern for an insurance company, I was responsible for entering new policies and renewals, analyzing frequency and severity rates, and creating a comprehensive template for new hire onboarding.
Were you close with any of your team members?
I grew close to several people in the company, but my underwriting supervisor became a confidante. I would go to her in times of panic, with questions, and with funny stories. She helped me through the entire process.
What were your favorite parts of the role and why? 
My favorite part was my independent project analyzing frequency and severity in claims data. It was definitely a long, difficult experience but I learned so much along the way! I became comfortable with a new coding language and Microsoft application.
What was your morning routine? 
6AM – alarm goes off, maybe snooze for 5 minutes, but I am pretty good about waking up on time. 6:10 – stretch in my room, practice a few yoga moves but nothing too strenuous. 6:30 – shower. 6:45 – get dressed, moisturize, apply makeup, tame hair, pack gym bag. 7:30 – breakfast, consisting of fruit (either cut-up melon or berries), eggs, and bacon. 7:40 – sprinting out the door to beat traffic
What was the most shocking thing that happened during your internship? 
There were some big changes in leadership.
What did your evening look like after work? 
4:30 – leave work. 5:00 – exercise class (I like to do a mix of barre, yoga, and cross fit). 6:30 – Wednesday night trivia! Or, on other days, I went home to read or relax. 8:00 – I watched every episode of ‘Dietland’ on AMC, I highly recommend it!
What were the coolest perks of this internship? 
They had a lot of meetings with food and company restaurant outings. There are much cooler perks for full-time employees (free gym membership!), but I was always excited about the free food.
What is the most important thing that you learned in this position? 
When you’re working with data, it will never be perfect. You’ll never be given a clean, complete data set; there will be a lot of data manipulation and building before any modeling can be started.
Would you work for this company if they offered you a position? 
Definitely! I love Birmingham and this company. It’s small, and I am comfortable around everyone. I had a great experience here, and I would be honored to come back as a full-time employee.