Andrew Brandess
Graduation Year: 2010
Major(s): Economics
Minor(s): Environmental Studies
Campus activities: Co-President of A Financially Responsible Endeavor to Serve Humanity Water (F.R.E.S.H. Water), Treasurer of Culinary Arts Club.
Where are you interning now (or have interned in the past)?
I am interning at the Environmentally Preferable Products Procurement Program, a division of the Operational Services Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This internship works with products that go on the state contracts that Massachusetts issues, with the goal to require vendors and purchasers to use products that are more environmentally friendly as well as more cost effective.
How did you find your internship?
I found this internship through Prof. Laura Goldin. She sent out weekly emails that listed available internships. I sent my resume to the Operational Services Division which ultimately landed me an interview.
What resources did you utilize to help you prepare for the search?
Persistence foremost. I also utilized professors, major advisors, and minor advisors. Finding the perfect internship involves a lot of swings and a lot of misses. However, using all your networking options eventually will open that door that lands you the perfect internship.
What ways did you explore to fund your internship?
I tried to get Hiatt’s World of Work. However, I worked a side job this summer to help pay for housing.
What are the two most important things you learned through your internship?
I learned that I absolutely love working in the field of environmental economics. This is without a doubt the path I want to follow in graduate school as well as my eventual career path. I also learned specifically that I work extremely well in a business setting. I can command enough respect to be taken seriously, while simultaneously having a great relationship with all my coworkers. I also learned that I can work extremely efficiently and effectively.
What advice would you give other students looking for internships?
Besides persistence, I would advice to be ready to expand your horizons a little. A field that is slightly different that what you imagined interning in will not only broaden your perspective, but it will allow to you truly understand what is the proper career path for you.
How are you connecting this internship to your academic, personal, and career future?
This internship will not only open up doors for my academic future by helping me be accepted to a great graduate school, but also open up doors for my future career. This internship has allowed me to realize the career path I want to follow and therefore will motivate me to achieve success in environmental economics. Having personal and career goals reassured by the fact that I truly enjoy environmental economics gives tremendous focus and direction to my near future.