When I began my Year Up journey, I had no exposure to the corporate world. My only experience was as a manager at Cold Stone Creamery. Year Up offered training I thought was only possible in school. I learned not only the technical skills I would need to start my career, but also the soft skills that were harder to grasp. I was learning software development and public speaking at the same time. Things I never thought of, like email etiquette, were highly prioritized during training. All these things, although seemingly small, were extremely important in my transition to the corporate world.
Since Capco works with clients regularly, those soft skills Year Up taught me have come in handy. The ability to give a presentation, and do it well, are huge when meeting with clients, my team, or anytime I need to present my work. In this virtual setting, I feel as though I’ve sent more emails than ever before, and I’m glad it was a part of my Year Up training. In terms of technical skills, Year Up was not only a great introduction to my software skills, but the resources I have at Capco are helping me grow into a software developer. I have access to online learning resources, but, as well as having my team to help me whenever I need it.
During my time at Capco, I’ve had the pleasure of learning so much. I spent the first few weeks learning React, and the application my team was working on. When I started doing my own work, I learned how to navigate the team and who to ask for help. As my first project came to an end, I started training on a tool I’ve never used before, Unqork. Although it is mostly self-learning, I’ve been lucky enough to find that my team members have also done this training. Whenever I get stuck or have a question on something, I know I have their support to help my understanding. Capco has also put together learning modules for me and the other interns. These modules have covered anything from Microsoft Suite to creating our presence in this virtual space. This training can go a long way in my career, being that everything has shifted to online. Capco is not my only corporate experience, but also my first fully virtual experience.
One major thing I learned is the ability to present. If giving a presentation, being virtual can give you the upper hand. In the past, I have had to mostly memorize my presentations, but now you can fully utilize your notes. The training modules also cover PowerPoint presentations, how to present them, how to make slides, and useful resources when creating slides. Another major thing I’ve learned is the ability to network. Since I have been virtual, it has sometimes felt like I am not getting the exposure I would if I were in the office. Capco has many events where I have met people and been able to create connections. I have also been lucky enough to have been introduced to people by my manager so that more people know who I am while also learning about their backgrounds and how they got to Capco. Lastly, one big thing Capco has taught me, is how to make each experience your own. I have had the ability to choose what I want to work on and what I want to learn during this experience. My team and manager have supported me with learning React, which will help so much in my career.
For anyone coming in to their first corporate experience, or virtual experience, the training Capco has provided has been extremely helpful. I would also highly recommend keeping an open mind and taking any opportunity you can, as well as networking as much as possible. I have made this experience my own and have loved every second of it.