What It’s Really Like to Have a JP Morgan Internship
It is truism to state that the economy is changing at neck break speed; as this is happening, you need to align your skills, talents and experiences with it. This is very important if you want to be part of the growth cycle. The job market is extremely competitive, this is a fact that many recent graduates learn later on. In order to compete on the same levels with other people, there is need to sharpen your skills and increase your work experience. In the job market experience is king. This is usually a very tough learning curve for many graduates. Only the most disciplined and resilient are able to whither this storm.
This is the reason why internships play a huge role in the growth of a student’s life. For many, it is an eye opening experience. It also forms a key component of a student’s college life. This is because internships give you an insight into the real world. It is a combination of class work and real life work experiences. Dictionaries define internship as any program that is designed to furnish students of any profession with practical experience. Internships are usually beneficial to beginners of any profession. Internships provide students with a treasure trove of benefits. Below is a list of some of the benefits that accrue to participating in internship programs.
1. They help the student apply his or her education practically
Internships afford students with the opportunity of applying theoretical knowledge learned in class to real life experiences in the job sector. Applying the skills you learned in the classroom in the workforce is a fantastic experience. This is mainly because it gives you the opportunity to explore your career. Its different specializations and paths; It is at this point where you will learn what path suits your individual interest.
2. Helps enhance your marketability
By going through internship you are able to gain experience in your field, this gives you an edge over other candidates in the workforce. Additionally, internships help you learn what to expect on the job and also boosts your confidence as a professional.
3. Networking
Internships help you build networks in your profession. There is usually a good chance of landing a job by utilizing networks. Internships offer students the opportunity to meet other professionals in the field they want to pursue. They also meet other interns who they may have similar interests. These people may be important links in the future.
4. It helps enhance professionalism
Internships equip a student with soft skills that are needed in the office place and leadership positions. According to experts, soft skills are more valuable than technical skills. Skills such as effective communication, teamwork, and leadership can all be learned through internship. Additionally, these skills can be used to enhance you beyond the internship experience.
5. It helps the student understand how a professional workplace operates
Depending on your respective field, you may have read about how organizations are structured and operate. You may have also heard it from your classmates, colleagues and guest speakers at school. All this is nothing compared to the actual experience. Internships offer you the opportunity to learn about different workplace cultures, leadership structures, and employee relations. This will help you enter your first job much more easily compared.
6. Helps build your resume
Most jobs and organizations you will apply to after graduation will require that you have some sort of professional experience. This applies even for entry level jobs. You may be a finalist for a job position and fail to clinch it simply because you lack some professional experience. It is, therefore, advisable that you get some professional experience before joining the job market.
7. Gain professional feedback
Professors and teachers only give you feedback based on theoretical work. By interning, you get feedback from someone who works in your field on a daily basis. This will help you grow professionally and gives you hands on experience in your respective field.
8. It helps you figure out what you like and what you don’t like in your profession
The truth of the matter is that not everything in your profession will impress you. This why people specialize in different sectors of the profession; for example, not all lawyers do litigation. By interning you find your niche. This will help you do something that you love and enjoy. Ultimately, it will help you go up the professional ladder. This is because passion, hard work, persistence and experience are the main ingredients of a successful career.
Interning at J.P. Morgan: The Experience
Once you set foot in this world renowned financial institution you immediately come to the realization that you are surrounded by smart people. This institution is a machine. Things actually work here. There are intricate processes that have been established for the purpose of ensuring smooth operations. Additionally, there is accountability, strategy and people work closely together long after they leave the institution.
JPMorgan has created the perfect environment for interns to learn their respective careers. Office culture in this institution varies from one department to the other. This means as a student you get to learn different office cultures. The institution is so big it is very easy to move from one department to the other as a student. This makes it a great place to know people from both your profession and other professions.
It is a perfect place to network. While working here as an intern, you will be required to keep abreast with the latest occurrences in your respective field. This requirement helps you remain sharp at all times and inculcates a reading culture in your system. You are also required to keep abreast with the politics and internal developments of the company.
The company holds everyone who works to a very high standard. There is no room for slaking. Generally, you are required to be sharp, dynamic and competitive in nature. Failure to adhere to these standards may cause you to lose your job or internship. In the office, the culture is collaborative and supportive in nature. As a student you will feel accommodated in the system and the staff is always ready and willing to guide and answer any questions you may have.
The company reviews its employees and interns annually so as to establish the value they add to the company. This ensures that the workforce works diligently throughout the year. Those who are found to be exemplary are usually rewarded one way or another. JPMorgan is an investment bank. One of its main purposes is to provide its clients with creative financial solutions to their respective problems. This being the case as a member of the workforce, you are required to be an analytical thinker. This skill is impressed upon all interns from the first day they commence working for the company.
Internship here begins with a mandatory nine week virtual training program. After the virtual training, the students attend class for five days. The purpose of attending class is to be taught: accounting fundamentals, valuation, financial modeling and Excel. Through this teaching and hands-on experience, an intern acquires important skills in the investment banking sector. These critical experiences help launch your career in the field.
As an intern at JPMorgan, you will be exposed to transactions and deals from all over the world. In the course of internship you also get the opportunity to interact with colleagues, teams and clients from the whole world. This is because JPMorgan is an international institution with offices in major cities of the world. Another amazing thing about working for this company is their emphasis on team work. The company is committed at ensuring all workers appreciate teamwork. For every project, a new team is formed. This creates, not just, a new team; it helps foster a dynamic working environment. Teams are always working on ad hoc requests, live deals and pitches.
Interns stand to gain a lot from attending the daily meetings. These meetings update you on a wide variety of things regarding the industry and the company itself. They are a learning experience in their own right. For example, every morning, an analyst recaps what happened in the financial markets in the course of the night. This is done by a different analyst every day. This meeting is not compulsory but it is very helpful to a person who is interested in learning.
The internship program at JPMorgan is designed to afford interns the opportunity to network with successful members of their respective profession. The internship program enables you to learn what sector of the industry best suits your interests and talents. It also gives you the chance to be hired permanently.
The company offers paid internships. Interns are paid quite well and are given opportunities to attend organized events that help grow their careers. During these organizations interns engage in team building activities and training sessions. Normally, interns are given an idea and asked to brainstorm. During these sessions, there is usually a lot of exchange of ideas. It is common to find someone desperately trying to sell their irrefutable theory.
Those who intern at JPMorgan but don’t desire to work there usually find themselves being in high demand in the job market. This is because employers are aware of the value interns and employees get from this institution. The value addition JPMorgan does to its workforce is one of the best in the world. The company is committed at ensuring their employees and interns are highly skilled. It also focuses on nurturing its employees and interns into well-seasoned members of the society and profession.
In internships and experimental learning programs, real learning is acquired through reflecting upon what you saw and the experiences you had. There are sessions, which students are asked to reflect about the things they have learned so far. The guiding mantra for this program is the saying by Confucius that highlights the importance of active engagement and experiences in the learning process.
An internship at JPMorgan will teach you more than you can ever imagine. As an intern, you are given diverse duties which are ever changing. This always keeps you on your toes. It may be tough to recall everything and may take a few weeks to get the hang of things; but in the end, it is very rewarding. The internship program here will improve your skills immensely both on and off paper. A internship position in this company serves not only as a positive learning experience but also a resume builder. When you first come into the company, your resume appears to be naked. By the time you leave the company you find that there is need to make a lot of additions on your resume.
The internship experience at JPMorgan is what is called an eye opener. It opens the participants’ eyes to see the endless possibilities that are available to them. Every day comes with a new learning experience. You will be surprised by how much you don’t know regardless of being the best in class. This is not to say that the experience did not have its own fair share of challenges, the point of the matter is that each and every challenge was worth it. You will realize this when you look back at things in retrospect.
Every intern has a mentor who he or she is supposed to shadow, that is, follow around. Your mentor is required to answer and guide you during your internship. Additionally, the mentor is required to guide you identify, which field in your profession best suits. The company is committed at churning out students who are well rounded and professional. During the program attributes such as professionalism, integrity and punctuality are usually impressed upon the students.
By and large, I feel that the internship experience plays an important role in every student’s life; it gives them a small taste of the real world. This experience helps them fortify their knowledge, sense of responsibility, drive, focus and ambition.
