Seattle MBA internships: a win-win for businesses and Foster MBA students
An MBA is about learning new skills, making long-lasting connections with peers and alumni, and of course, launching yourself into a new and exciting career. Foster MBA students relish the opportunity to create a significant impact by using their skills to implement solutions and propel businesses forward. When it comes to careers, Seattle always delivers. With Amazon, Microsoft, Zillow, Expedia and Starbucks a 20-minute drive from campus, Foster students have exceptional access to some of the most lucrative post MBA career opportunities. Summer internships mark the all-important transition from the first year to the second year of the MBA and give students a chance to use all the new skills they have accumulated in their business “toolbox “over the first year of the MBA. This year, Foster students found themselves securing an internship at various Seattle-based companies and got an opportunity to work on complicated business solutions.
As Kate Neupert says” All Product interns were placed on a new business venture, which was created 3 months prior to our first day. Once we settled in and started gaining some traction, it was a remarkable experience being a part of a brand-new team that was laying down the foundation for an entirely new way of business for Zillow. Even as an intern, I got to wear a lot of hats working with numerous teams: sales, engineering, operations, product, customer services, etc. The position also granted me a lot of autonomy and flexibility regarding my project and responsibilities throughout my internship. Overall, Zillow is an awesome company to work for because while it’s growing exponentially, it still views itself as a start-up – full of young, ambitious people eager to get their hands dirty and solve problems. Plus, they have great snacks and incredible office views.”
Nick Oliver and Rachel Forst at their PwC intern retreat
For some students, internships provide an excellent opportunity to test out a new industry and learn important business skills. They are then able to leverage that experience and use it a launchpad to transition into a full-time career of choice. Rachel Johnson spent her summer at Microsoft and will now be joining Deloitte as a consultant post-graduation.
Rachel says “Spending the summer at Microsoft as a Marketing Manager Intern was an eye-opening experience. Having worked pre-MBA at a small company in Austin, TX, I had no clue how such a huge company operates or scales at the level of Microsoft. The first couple of weeks were pretty intense, as I tried to quickly get up to speed so that I could make headway on my project. I found everyone to be immensely helpful and genuinely curious about me and my path.
I was lucky enough to work in a global team, with conference calls with colleagues around the world – France, Brazil, and China to name a few. I even got the chance to travel toward the end of my internship to the UK and Paris, to gather feedback on my final deliverable. I was afforded an amazing opportunity to learn about one of the largest companies in the world – how it scales around the world and how it has and continues to transform its culture under remarkable leadership.”
Rachel Johnson at Microsoft HQ
Summer internships are not only about big-name technology companies. Many students choose to use their skills in a variety of other industries such as healthcare, consulting, marketing and social impact. Seattle is also home to several boutique consulting firms that have some big names as their clients. Jeff Rechler spent his summer at marketing consulting firm Lenati, and had a great internship experience which encouraged him to join Lenati post-graduation.
As Jeff says “ I worked at marketing and sales strategy consultancy, Lenati, and joined a team developing sales enablement strategy for a global software company. Over the course of the summer, I did everything from mobile UX testing to stakeholder interviews to customer journey mapping. It was a great opportunity to roll up my sleeves and not only draw from prior corporate and consulting experience, but also apply frameworks from the MBA program.”
(From L to R) Nimit Pathak, Mallory Green, CEO Kevin Johnson, Asal Mirsalimi, Michael Kerper at Starbucks HQ
Companies large and small call Seattle home and they are always on the lookout for the best MBA talent. The summer internship highlights the great contributions that Foster MBAs are ready to make in their future careers. Combine our strong impact with our expansive and incredibly supportive alumni network in the region, and it’s easy to see why Foster MBA graduates continue to make a significant impact on the business landscape of Seattle.
