Each month, we shine a spotlight on three of Aptitive’s data consultants to learn how they got started in data consulting, how they have benefited from their Aptitive careers, and who they are when they aren’t at work. This month, we’re doing things a little differently and shining a special spotlight on our 2021 interns: Angela Chen, Erik Bendt, and Sam Huff.
Our interns enjoy many of the perks Aptitive’s data consultants are able to take advantage of, such as work/life balance, challenging projects, and a fantastic team that supports them every day. To read more about the perks of an Aptitive career, head to our Careers page.
Angela Chen | Intern
Alma mater & major: Loyola University Chicago, information systems (with a minor in computer science)
What is your favorite part of your internship at Aptitive and why? There are so many good parts! I enjoyed getting to experience and learn about the different services that Aptitive offers. Classes at school usually focus on one subject, so it was nice getting to see a little bit of everything. It was also really cool that I got pulled on to the very beginning of a client project so I was able to see how projects start and evolve into bigger projects.
What surprised you about your internship experience at Aptitive? How quickly I started working on a client project! I was put on a project at the end of my second week at Aptitive, and the next Monday I was already in client interviews. I wasn’t expecting to be so involved, especially so soon, but I was working on proof-of-concept work and deliverables right away.
What is a skill you gained or a skill you improved on while with Aptitive? I felt pretty confident about my SQL skills when I first came into this internship, but I quickly learned there’s so much more to SQL than what I did in class. While I know there is still a lot to improve on, I was able to learn about some aspects of SQL I didn’t even know existed.
What is something you like to do outside of your internship? I’ve really enjoyed exploring Chicago with my friends, especially since most of us are in town this summer. I also got into crocheting amigurumi (basically stuffed yarn creatures) during COVID. It’s been a great way to feel productive while watching TV, and it’s really satisfying to have a physical product when you’re done.
What are you most looking forward to going into your senior year? Finally being in-person again! I did all my classes online in Michigan for the past year and a half, so I’m looking forward to being on campus and seeing people in person this year.
Erik Bendt | Intern
Alma mater & major: Bradley University, computer science (with a concentration in data science and a minor in mathematics)
What is your favorite part of your internship at Aptitive and why? My favorite part by far has to be all my colleagues. From the other interns to the senior leadership, everyone treats me with respect, patience, and encouragement. I’m quite the shy type, but Aptitive has made me feel welcome and right at home, and I have all the employees to thank for that.
What surprised you about your internship experience at Aptitive? I was definitely surprised at the amount of industry and technology knowledge I would gain in such a short amount of time. I haven’t mastered anything yet, but I’ve gained so much valuable experience over the summer that will help grow and strengthen my career.
What is a skill you gained or a skill you improved on while with Aptitive? Throughout my internship I was able to greatly improve my application development skills. Being a computer science student, I was already familiar with programming but had little to no experience with application development. Only two months later and I’ve learned and worked with front-end and back-end frameworks, version control, HTML CSS and JavaScript, and how they all come together to create applications.
What is something you like to do outside of your internship? I’ve always been in love with basketball; I’ve been watching and playing it since I was 10 years old. I also like to stay active, whether it be through weightlifting or running. Finally, I love travelling. I haven’t been able to travel too much yet, but it’s something I’ve always been interested in and something I plan to do all the time!
What are you most looking forward to going into your senior year? Bradley will finally be back in-person next year! After a year and a half of remote learning, I couldn’t be more excited/happy to get back and experience a normal senior year with all my friends and classmates.
Sam Huff | Intern
Alma mater & major: Indiana University, informatics (with a minor in business)
What is your favorite part of your internship at Aptitive and why? I really got to experience a lot of what we do here, from data engineering and development to analytics and reporting. It’s exciting to have so many practices to choose from.
What surprised you about your internship experience at Aptitive? There are so many technologies and software that Aptitive’s employees know how to use. Before coming here, I had barely scratched the surface; and I still feel like that. There’s so much to learn.
What is a skill you gained or a skill you improved on while with Aptitive? I had to learn C# without ever using it before to write a function that can save any API table call to Azure storage and run concurrently. It was a challenge and the first few days were rough, but it was super rewarding to see everything finally execute correctly.
What is something you like to do outside of your internship? I hate going to the grocery store, but I love to cook. So, I made it a challenge for myself to only go get groceries once a week but cook/eat everything. It’s fun to combine ingredients in creative ways that produce delicious results and no waste.
What are you most looking forward to going into your senior year? My senior year was last year, where I went to school virtually at home, so I’m going into my last semester at IU just appreciating the chance to be on campus again.
Originally published at https://aptitive.com on August 30, 2021.
