Security badge. Valet parking. Sensitivity training. Subsidized cafeteria. On-site gym. Cubicles. Creating PowerPoint decks on a daily basis. Money left in my paycheck after paying rent. This summer was my first experience with all of the above as perks, as this was my first time working in Corporate America.

My search for an internship in a corporate setting did not stem from a desire to work out and eat a balanced breakfast on the company's dime, or from a Secret-of-My-Success-esque fantasy. Rather, as I detailed in my previous column (see BW Online, 09/03/04, "Adam Miller: Reflecting on the First Year of B-School"), I wanted to utilize the unique opportunity of the summer internship to test out a new environment and a new function, and to reposition myself for my post-MBA career goals. I found an opportunity that would meet all those requirements, as a strategic planning intern for Countrywide Financial.

I began the summer with high expectations for the internship as I had been impressed with the people who interviewed me. I thought the internship might offer a rare opportunity to work with interesting, intelligent people on complex and challenging problems. I am happy to report that my expectations were met, and my instincts were correct. I thoroughly enjoyed my summer working at Countrywide's HQ in lovely Calabasas, Calif., where I worked down the street from Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.

As soon as I had my ID hooked to my belt and a few days before central IT had set up my computer, I was put on the first of several projects for the summer. I want to tell you what I worked on to show how high-level and interesting the projects were. However, in an interesting paradox, I can best prove the importance of the projects by letting you know that I cannot tell you. Simply put, the projects I worked on are of strategic importance for both the short-term and long-term success of the company. Since some of my meetings took place in a vault that was once used by Lockheed Martin to hold secret meetings on the stealth bomber, something tells me they do not want me taking the content of these projects for a spin on the information superhighway.

What I can share with you are four things that I took away from my summer internship:


1. Countrywide Strategic Planning cares about its interns. From day one, I was exposed to the decision-making process and decision-makers at the highest level. Even more surprising, my opinion was solicited from the start. The company's great team genuinely cared that I was getting as much from the experience as I could. They made the extra effort to ensure that I was working on valuable projects that interested me. They also made sure I was comfortable, so much so that I was soon moved into a VP-level cubicle -- yep, I'm talking a high-walled cubicle. Until this summer, I had no idea that was something to value, but now I'm thinking of throwing it on my résumé under "Additional Information."

2. I actually learned something in my first year of business school. In my previous five years of working, I had probably applied about 10% of my actual knowledge from 19 years of schooling. Yes, yes, of course I needed my reading, 'riting, and 'rithmaticing and the complex reasoning and analysis skills I had learned over the years. However, surprisingly, my ability to discuss the role of mitochondria in the cell, to chit-chat on the remilitarization of the Rhineland, to take a Weberian perspective, or to cite the learnings of Donald Duck in Mathemagicland did not prove all that vital to my business success.

On the contrary, this summer I quickly realized I had assembled a very useful toolkit over the past nine months. On almost a daily basis, I utilized lessons from my strategy, marketing, finance, statistics, and accounting courses. My internship this summer allowed me to apply what I had learned in my first year, solidifying this knowledge and confirming for me that my time was well spent at Marshall.

3. I am the kiss of death for projects. My fellow intern, Kelly, from Anderson, quickly saw a trend in the projects that I was working on this summer. For some reason or another, most were eventually shelved or postponed. Even when I was not the lead intern on a project, as soon as they brought me over to lend a hand, that was it. I am not sure what this means. Some would contend that it was because I dove so far into projects that I got to a point that was ahead of the group's thinking on the issue. Currently, that "some" may only include me, but I'm comfortable with that small sample size, so let's move on.

4. I want strategy to be an integral part of my post-MBA career. Prior to business school, I had leadership/management positions in small businesses. One aspect that I loved in these positions was the moments when I wasn't putting out fires, and I was able to think about where the organization needs to be in three months, six months, two years, and five years. However, inevitably in the process I'd open the wrong door, and next thing you know, Billy Baldwin and I are back on duty. This summer, I was able to work almost exclusively on strategic issues and found that to be engaging, both intellectually and personally.

My internship this summer at Countrywide was an invaluable experience. I had the opportunity to take a risk-free venture into a new industry, new environment, and new function. I met a fantastic group of people -- both the Countrywide employees and my fellow interns (I know I've said this multiple times, and no, it's not because I'm waiting on/begging for an offer. I really enjoyed them.) I confirmed that my decision to take two years out of my career to attend business school was a good one. Lastly, I further focused my post-MBA job search.

Now I'm in the midst of the second-year recruiting period. With the knowledge gained from summer internship that I want strategy to be a central part of my career, I've focused my efforts on an industry that will help me further develop the essential skills -- consulting. You'll have to tune in to my next column to see if I crash and burn, or alternatively, to hear the secret of my success.