Like so many students, Keion Adams, an Economics major at Florida State University, realized his career options late in his college career. For Keion, it was halfway through his junior year when he realized that numbers and analysis - something he’d always loved - were also something he could make a career out of. Despite being excited about the possibility of a role in data analytics, Keion didn’t have time or the financial ability to pay for the additional year that a change in major would have required. Keion had just enough time to add a minor in Business Analysis to his graduation plan, but still worried about his employability in his desired field.

Weighing Options Without Being Weighed Down by Debt

Keion’s senior year concerns were well documented in an article by The Wall Street Journal during his final semester at FSU. At the time the article was published, Keion was still struggling to find a post-graduation opportunity. 

“I’m an Econ major trying to get into data and financial analysis. They typically aren’t looking for my major.”

With this in mind, Keion was considering taking on a master’s degree to make himself a more appealing candidate. However, Keion had been well cautioned about the impacts of taking on significant loans, sharing that his mother had encouraged him to do whatever he could to avoid them.

Learning Real-World Lessons through Parker Dewey

After the Wall Street article was published, Keion was contacted by Parker Dewey CEO Jeffrey Moss, who wanted to make sure Keion was aware of the opportunities available to him through Micro-Internships. In Keion’s words, Jeffrey was “just the most helpful person that there could ever be.”

Intrigued by what Jeffrey had shared, Keion created a Parker Dewey account and started scrolling through the projects, quickly finding an opportunity that involved setting up a financial dashboard. 

Knowing that the Micro-Internship would be paid if Keion was selected, as are all Micro-Internship opportunities on Parker Dewey, Keion enthusiastically applied. To his delight, his unconventional major was not an issue, and Keion was selected for and starting work on the project less than 2 weeks later. When interviewed, Keion’s Micro-Internship supervisor highlighted that it was the Parker Dewey model that made Keion’s selection possible, sharing the following:

“The goal is to create an opportunity for someone that has a passion or an interest.  Even though the work needed to be aligned to what we’re requesting, it allowed me to be more flexible in terms of background.”

And an interest Keion certainly had! He eagerly jumped into the project, and reflected that he very quickly felt like a part of the team.

“I’m not doing the virtual equivalent of getting coffee. I meet with the CFO, CEO, and accounting team… Not only am I there, but I’m encouraged to contribute. It’s a formative experience.”

Keion shared that for him, the most impactful part of the Micro-Internship was the fact that it was a real professional project, and accordingly required investigative conversations, critical thought, and problem-solving.

“I learned about the restraints and restrictions that come with doing a project in the real world. It’s not like an assignment where the instructor already knows what’s possible and created the assignment accordingly… Sometimes you have to find different ways to get to an answer that you thought would be straightforward.”

Keion was ultimately selected for an additional two Micro-Internships with the company, and made it clear just how much his resulting experience and growth could be attributed to his Micro-Internship supervisor. At different points in the interview, Keion used the words ‘great’, ‘fantastic’ and ‘amazing’ to describe the professional who reviewed his work.

“He wasn’t just a supervisor, he’s been a mentor… He has given me great context that I could have never known otherwise… What to look for, what things mean, and why to look for them. He helps me rephrase things to help other people understand and explains why it’s helpful.”

Despite the significant impact in Keion’s life, the busy Head of Finance who supervised Keion found it to be an easy and efficient exchange, again thanks to the short-term, on-demand nature of Parker Dewey Micro-Internships. In the supervisor’s words,

“Having an intern is a big responsibility, but having it in micro format takes that weight off. It lets us try things while keeping it simple for both parties.”

Making an Informed Decision for the Future

Having acknowledged that his goal with Micro-Internships was to bridge the gap between his major and his target industry, Keion reflected that his Micro-Internships helped him do exactly that, describing them as “an opportunity to actually get in the weeds and get my hands dirty.” With a smile on his face, he also shared, “I believe this experience is helping me pivot to where I want to be.”

Happily, where Keion wants to be is also where he’s headed: a full-time job in New York as a Revenue Cycle Analyst. In fact, the day Keion was interviewed, he had just signed the lease for his New York apartment. Keion is excited to take his skills, newfound experience, and the lessons he learned during his Micro-Internships to his next adventure.

“Parker Dewey and [my Micro-Internship supervisor] have been extremely important in me getting to where I am and securing my job offer… I 100% talked about my Micro-Internship experiences during the interview, and [my Micro-Internship supervisor] helped me learn how to describe my work in a way that highlighted my impact and that was really helpful in the interview process… that’s something I’ll keep in mind for the rest of my career.”

Advice for Companies

Keion encourages companies to understand just what a great opportunity Micro-Internships are to engage talent they might be missing through traditional methods, and then to take advantage of that opportunity.

“You can get someone that wants to do the work and is ambitious. Oftentimes the people who are too busy for traditional internships or are blocked through traditional methods are so hungry. They’re looking to further themselves and their work. Why would you not want somebody like that on your team?”

Advice for Fellow Students and Recent Graduates

For his peers, Keion wants to make sure they feel confident taking that first step without feeling overwhelmed.

“It’s such a flexible thing. It doesn’t feel like you’re being swallowed. You can even pick up multiple Micro-Internships.”

Keion also took another opportunity to highlight the important role that pay plays in any opportunity, adding, “The Parker Dewey platform guarantees that you will get paid, and that’s huge, so take advantage of that.”

Great points, Keion!

Could your organization benefit from the hungry talent that Keion described? Post a Micro-Internship and start engaging those ambitious students!