Not Your Typical Intern Experience
When I told my friends that I was doing an internship they gave me a disgusted look, assuming I was going to be doing the low-level work of the firm or running around the office taking lunch orders. But when I said it was at BCR, they simply knew that the internship process was the exact opposite. Professors and advisors reassured me that BCR’s internship process was what you would get as a full-time associate advisor. It made me excited to come on board and start learning from everyone.
Coming into BCR on the first day I was welcomed by everyone and automatically felt the family feeling the firm holds. Within the first week, what my friends, professors, and advisors told me was true; the work I was given was the same as a full-time associate. I was relieved, but even more, it was work that I enjoyed. I was able to attend meetings and encouraged to give my opinion on different topics. Going through each day, everyone has an open door policy which makes it easy to ask any questions and get guidance in any direction that I needed to be successful.
Interning here I learned a lot about different financial management strategies and even witnessed how to put them into action for clients. BCR has five core values that the entire team not only knows them, but lives by them, which makes this firm valuable and special. The one value that stuck with me was growth through knowledge and service. I learned a lot in my short time here. The projects I worked on made me dig deep and navigate around different scenarios that you would not expect from learning in a classroom or textbook. I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge on the whole billing cycle, contract management, required minimum distributions for different IRAs, and even got to witness how associate advisors managed and built client portfolios in their system. Helping with these different projects gave me satisfaction knowing I helped create a building block for BCR that they will continue to build on throughout the years.
Having already graduated in December and coming on board early January, I didn’t know which path to take and where it would take me. BCR holds a special place in my heart and has taught me numerous skills. Even though I was with BCR for only a month, I learned a lot in my short time, and BCR has definitely prepared me for my next step. I have decided to accept a position with the Department of Defense as a Financial Manager in Baltimore Maryland. Accepting this position and having confidence going into it would not have been possible without BCR, which showed me how the financial industry runs compared to a classroom or textbook. BCR has helped me grow personally by meeting people who genuinely care about me and showed me new interests such as listening to investing podcasts when I go to the gym…or at least when I try to go. I want to thank everyone at BCR for welcoming me and helping me grow in every aspect of life. Alabama is my home, and I am sure I will be back to visit!
- Slade Seetaram