During my fall semester as a senior at UMass Amherst I was fortunate enough to be employed by the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) in Springfield, MA as one of their Business Consultant Interns. While there, I participated in a variety of activities including client workshops, research projects, client sit-ins, as well as visits to local businesses in the region all to support the goals of MSBDC. During a regular day I would arrive at the office in Springfield and meet with my boss, Allen Kronick, and fellow interns to go over our to do list. This list would typically include meeting with at least two to four clients about any aspect of their business plans, reaching out to clients about our free-of-charge workshops, and performing any office task ranging from organizing files on the computers to working on financial forecasts. Nonetheless, my primary responsibility was to sit-in with my boss and our clients to provide the best feedback and advice I could offer.
HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OPPORTUNITY?
While the job search can be daunting to many, I was fortunate enough to have the resources of Isenberg at my disposal when it came to finding my position as a Business Consultant intern at MSBDC. I easily went through the sites they had to offer like Isenberg Works as well as CareerConnect and thankfully was able to stumble upon the internship with MSBDC.
WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
My experience with Allen and MSBDC has been one that has allowed me to explore a range of industries across the Western Massachusetts area that I never thought I would be genuinely interested in. There were some that I didn’t even expect to come across. Moreover, I was able to attend angel investor meetings along with other entrepreneurial events, both during which I made great connections with very successful individuals by their own right. With Allen and his associates as my mentors I was able to learn some essential skills that I can apply to several different industries and work environments to be an effective employee with whatever I do.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS?
The advice I will give to those that are interested in working for the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center is that if you are given the position to never be afraid to voice your opinion on something, Allen will actually promote this kind of confidence. At MSBDC everyone lives by the “there is no stupid question” motto, so don’t be shy! Another piece of advice that I will tell you is too make sure to take advantage of everything MSBDC has to offer in terms of how it can help you grow your network. The amount of connections you can get through this internship is truly astounding so I implore you to get out there and meet some people.