e:SolutionsOne, Inc. is a small tech company in Minneapolis, specializing in innovative Service-Now Solutions and IP Development. “We take on challenges from clients that other people wouldn’t necessarily take,” says Jake Laux (above right), a Lead Developer and Lead Consultant at the company. “One of our core competencies is ensuring the most efficient and high quality of data exchanges between ServiceNow and other systems.”
e:SolutionsOne hired two interns, Kevin Cunningham (left) and Noah Boltik (center), through the SciTech Internship Program. Kevin is a second-year student at Normandale Community college where he is majoring in Computer Science. He secured his first internship in the computer science field this summer at e:SolutionsOne, and is working as web programmer and application developer. “I’ve always been interested in computers but was never exposed to computer science as a field,” he explained.
Kevin works alongside the company’s other intern, Noah, who is a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in Computer Science. His interest in this field dates back to his senior year of high school. “I took a course – Intro to Engineering – which I thought was the most interesting class. We built robots and I thought it was cool,” says Noah. He later on took a Computer Science course in college, which led him to pursue this major. “I was going to major in engineering, but this sounded way more cool, so I decided to do Computer Science,” says Noah.
Small-sized setting enhances valuable experiences
Both students highlighted the significance of working in a small company setting. “It’s a good environment here because they are always here to answer our questions,” says Noah. He further explains that being a small company, e:SolutionsOne offers explorative learning experiences by introducing interns to the full scope of the company. This was further emphasized by Kevin, who believes that learning from people who have experience in the field is important. “It is definitely good to have some people look at your work that have more experience,” Kevin says.
The e:SolutionsOne internships are designed to equip students with transferrable skills that will be essential in any computer related work. “We give them big projects to work on, make them feel challenged and give them skills that apply to any job platform,” says Jake. Both Kevin and Noah are currently working on creating code tutorials and other internal applications for clients.
How different is it from school work?
Through this internship Kevin and Noah have realized the difference between their school work and real-world work. “When you’re in school, there is a very specific thing they’re trying to teach you and get you to understand, and there is a very specific way they want you to do it,” says Kevin. He goes on to explain that real world work gives you an opportunity to do a wide range of projects. “When you’re working here, it’s much broader and there is more freedom, which is more helpful.”
For Noah, real world work offers autonomy when working on projects because he has full understanding of what the client needs. “It is more fun to work on a project that is results-focused without necessarily being given details of what you should do, without knowing the end result,” says Noah. He believes that, “the logic of how to approach problems is what you get out of school.”
Why hire Interns through SciTech?
Jake values the contribution of the interns to the success of the company. “I like having interns around, they help with the work, and it’s cool to see people grow,” says Jake. He further highlights that “it’s so great to have people in the office who are willing to learn. We get to help them, but they also help us.”
Jake applauds SciTech program for providing incentive for e:SolutionsOne to hire both Kevin and Noah. “Having two interns allows them to work together to accomplish big projects. They share ideas and figure stuff out. We wouldn’t be able to have interns without the program, because we are a small company and this is our first year,” Jake says. Companies that register with SciTech get assistance finding qualified candidates and a $1:$1 matching stipend to cover 50% of the intern’s wages (capped at $2,500) when they hire an intern.