Inside the Corporate Internship Experience at Northwestern Mutual

19 August 2024

NM Interns Campusinside Group B 3689 Low

Every summer, Northwestern Mutual opens its doors to a new class of interns who are itching to begin their professional careers. Not only do these corporate interns get to learn new skills while working side-by-side with talented mentors, but they also gain experience that will have an everlasting effect on their future careers.

Four 2024 interns reflect on their corporate internship experience and the lessons and skills they have learned that will allow them to grow in their chosen fields.

On what makes a corporate internship at NM valuable

“As an intern, it's nice to get this kind of corporate experience because I've never really had any job experience at this level. At NM specifically, at least in the Milwaukee office, I’ve found that the culture is almost like a community . And I know every company says that, but it really rings true here, especially with all of the opportunities you have to meet and bond with other people.”

Katie, Marketing Intern

“This internship gives you really good experience in a lot of different ways. On my team, management wants to hear my input because they want to hear a different perspective, and that's a very valuable experience because there's 25-year industry professionals asking me questions and giving me feedback, which I've never gotten before.”

Dawson, Public Investments - Credit Investment Intern

On skills needed to achieve success

“I think teamwork and communication skills are really important. Within my own work, I am doing some independent tasks, but I am also collaborating with my coworkers. I have learned that have a good team dynamic. Leaving a positive impression as an intern involves not only having strong professional skills but also being able to communicate and collaborate effectively with your team.”

Madison, Software Engineer Intern

On lessons learned

“One of the most valuable lessons I've learned is really understanding what you want to achieve, and for me that's understanding what's necessary to be successful. I’ve learned that it depends on two things: how committed you are, and what you take away from completing tasks. Being committed, means that you’re willing to go above and beyond every day, which is part of the culture NM has created. But beyond that, this internship has taught me to critically think about the next steps after completing work. I like to ask myself how this task/project is positively contributing to my team and what I can do to accelerate that process. It’s more than finishing tasks, it’s the constant learning that happens as you work through projects and challenges.”

Danny, Investment Strategy Intern

On a current project that is preparing you for future career

“My first week, I wasn't expecting to do a lot. But my manager gave me a task that she was going to do herself, but she was like, "Why don't I let you take this on so that you can get that experience?" Essentially the project required me to build a landing page within the CMS for NM.com. At first, I was like, "What is that? I don't know how to do that. I've never done that before." But my manager was nice, and she helped me through that process and gave me that creative freedom to develop the page how I saw fit and how I thought the user would like to see it. Seeing how the whole process works was super interesting, and it taught me to have patience. The results of your work might not be seen right away, but that's all part of the process, and this lesson is something that I know will apply to any job that I have in the future.”