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Intern Profile: Caressa Swanson
There are many jobs in the world and it seems almost impossible to pick just one and hope you like it for the rest of your career. This is where I find importance in internships. I want to be one of those people that enjoy what they do and don't dread going to work every day. What better way to know if you're right for a career, or a career is right for you, than to put yourself into that environment and situation? Internships provide excellent opportunities for doing just that.
I spent the summer of 2009 as an Actuarial Science Intern at Humana in De Pere, WI. Having read about what an actuary does and talked to a few I had a little bit of an idea of what they did, but until my internship I didn't realize all the different areas actuaries could be useful. My internship tasks mainly included updating monthly forecasting and persistency data and reports, putting together graphs to display data visually, and other small projects as needed. I was also provided the opportunity to work on a big project at the end of the summer that allowed me to utilize all the skills and knowledge I had gained since the beginning of the summer. Over the course of the summer I learned how to use the program Microsoft Access and increased my proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Using those programs daily allowed me to gain comfort with them and in return I could complete my tasks promptly and efficiently.
Starting a new internship or job can be a little intimidating and overwhelming, but if you give it a chance the outcome can have incredible results. As time went on I was learning more and I was given more challenging tasks. It was rewarding knowing my work was being used in senior level meetings and in reports sent to the whole department. I would highly recommend taking part in an internship. As a result, you will either be encouraged to continue down the same path or you are able to realize sooner rather than later to try something new. Both outcomes allow for growth in many different areas. You can't lose!
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| SNC Class: |
| 2011 |
| Intern Title: |
| Actuarial Intern |
| Company/Organization: |
Humana
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| Major/Minor(s): |
Mathematics (Major), Business Administration (Minor)
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