Interns Love AccumTech — Here’s Why You Will Too

Joyce Jung knew she had joined a special place when the first person to rush to the parking lot when her car broke down was the company’s President. And while having your car break down after the first day of your internship isn’t a great experience, it was the beginning of a great summer.

An upcoming junior at the University of Michigan, Joyce is a Business Analyst Intern at AccumTech in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She, along with three other interns, has spent the summer learning the ins and outs of AccumTech. 

As the summer comes to a close, Joyce and software developer interns Dan Erickson, Kim Vroman and Swaraj Yadav, are sharing all about their experience as AccumTech interns. 

6 Things You’ll Love About Being an AccumTech Intern

1. Getting to do real work

Internships can often turn into busy work, but that’s not the case at AccumTech. Because the company employs around 50 people, everyone on the team makes an impact — including interns. 

“College can be very theoretical,” says Swaraj. “Here, I get to see that theory applied in real life on a real software product. There’s a lot of value to the work we do.”

Dan has appreciated getting to work on non-traditional projects. 

“I was hired on as a Software Developer, but I have a background in cloud computing,” he says. “I get to do a lot of independent work here, and it’s been a great learning experience.”

2. The training and learning

Dan and Swaraj aren’t the only ones who appreciate the learning experience. Kim and Joyce both found their training and growth opportunities to be top notch. As a coding bootcamp graduate, Kim is making a huge pivot in her career from education administration to software development. At AccumTech, she works on backend and frontend development, as well as some user design.

“Working at AccumTech has been rewarding and everyone has helped push me out of my comfort zone,” she says. “Bootcamps can sometimes have a negative connotation, but AccumTech could see that I wanted to learn and gave me the chance.”

For Joyce, who’s studying economics and political science, there was a bit of a learning curve to the software when she joined the team. 

“The team did such an amazing job with training, and it’s been fun going through the different projects and challenges,” Joyce says.

Swaraj felt the same kind of support on his team, too. “I liked that my boss has had my growth top of mind. I’m not a cog in the machine,” he says. 

3. Working independently and with a team

One of the best ways to learn on the job is to be able to try things on your own. At AccumTech, interns are given the training and support they need as well as the freedom to work independently. 

Photo Courtesy of AccumTech

“I worked at a really large company before this,” says Dan. “I really appreciate the lack of red tape here at AccumTech. You get the benefits of a small company, while still being established in a lot of ways. People aren’t scrambling, but it’s not so massive to the point where you don’t get anything done.”

On the other hand, Swaraj loves the team aspect of the internship. 

“I love how collaborative it is here. With the open office, I can just walk up to someone and they can help me. It’s a great place to learn a lot. When I speak with my manager, I feel like a priority. I can pick my manager's brain, ask questions and learn a lot.”

4. The community

The work is certainly an important part of the job, but it’s not the full story. The people you work with can really make or break an experience. 

AccumTech is known for having a fun-loving culture. They care about each other on a personal level, support each other inside and outside of the office, and build connections through the company’s six interest groups. The camaraderie has really stood out to Kim. 

“The culture here has been amazing. I love everyone I've gotten to work with. People have great personalities and are great to talk to. Everyone is welcoming,” Kim says. “They don’t just say they have a great culture. Their culture is actually true.”

Joyce was also struck by the strong sense of community and camaraderie.

“The community and the personal connections have surprised me the most,” says Joyce. “Everyone is interested in your personal life and wants to get to know each other more, taking a real interest.”

5. The cows

Being located on the campus of Domino’s Farms, AccumTech has a unique and amenity-rich office. With a petting zoo, walking trails, putting green and more, their office is one of the best offices in the Midwest. 

“Working at Domino’s Farms is cool. I’m looking at cows right now as we speak!” says Kim. “I love tech but also love nature, and this is a cool place to combine all that.”

Kim has also loved working in Ann Arbor for that reason. She has spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor throughout her life, coming into town on the weekends, and appreciates the chance to work in the area in such close proximity to nature, parks, hiking trails and other fun summer activities.  

And if you live closer to downtown or campus, like Dan, there’s a bus that can get you to the office, too. 

6. It’ll prepare you for the future

All the work that interns do at AccumTech is helping them hone their skills, become more agile, and learn how to make a real impact. 

“I definitely recommend the AccumTech internship, especially to people who are looking for first-time professional experience,” says Joyce. “This experience taught me a lot about what I’m looking for in the future, and it set the bar high.”

Want to be a part of the AccumTech team or snag an internship for next summer? Check out AccumTech’s careers page and follow them on LinkedIn to stay up to date on opportunities.