A few months ago, nearing the end of my third year of college, I found myself staring down the not-so-long pathway to graduation. And, like many of us this year, I was feeling really uncertain about the future. I knew I had a summer internship at Pega to help me gain experience to finally join the “real world,” but I had no idea how much this experience would change my life. Now, about halfway through my internship, I feel more prepared than ever to graduate and begin my career journey. The experience that I gained has opened my eyes to a new world of opportunities and raised my confidence in skills I didn’t even know I had.
I’m excited to share with you some of the great things a Pega internship has to offer. And don’t just take my word for it, I’ve asked some of my fellow interns to share their experiences as well.
Integrate with an experienced team
At Pega, interns get to work with many experienced employees who truly value us as team members. We get assigned a manager to guide us through our internship and give us our assignments. Interns are also assigned a mentor to offer guidance and assistance when we need it. Our team members are friendly, inviting, and interested in forming real connections with us. They love to see us succeed and are always there to answer a quick question or help us through any issues.
“From the start I always felt like I had a seat at the table. My colleagues made an effort to get to know me personally and then gauge me professionally. That really helped me to feel included and become my best self." – Yvia, Customer Engagement Intern
Do real work
As a Pega intern, don’t expect to do coffee runs and busywork. We are assigned meaningful, industry-specific work that gives us real-world experience, helps us develop relevant skills, and contributes to the goals of our team. Our assignments often challenge us to grow and try new things. Team members are always available to help us, so we never miss an opportunity to learn from our experience.
“Interning here is an authentic experience: you're doing real, impactful work alongside other employees.” – Finn, Software Engineering Intern
Become career ready
My experience as a Pega intern was largely characterized by thoughtful career development. My manager has done a great job of implementing my personal skills, interests, and goals into my workload. Across the board, our managers work with us to facilitate cross-department collaboration and specific goal development to create an experience that works best for everyone. Interns coming out of this program are more well-rounded, confident, and prepared to enter the workforce because of the individualized and intentional career development we have experienced.
“One thing I really like about working at Pega is the opportunity to work with different teams outside of the Research & Testing team. The level of exposure I received from the large variety of tasks and the mentorship that comes with them has been really valuable in developing my skills as a designer." – Sabrina, UI/UX Design Intern
Learn from industry leaders
Becoming career-ready goes far beyond developing skills and learning new things. Pega interns also get the opportunity to meet a myriad of employees to network with, get advice from, and see how everyone fits together. This inside look at how the business operates is really helpful for understanding what to look for as we start our own careers. Interns even get to interact with high-level executives as a part of the Coffee Chat Series, a weekly event where we hear from Pega’s CFO, COO, CEO, and even more.
“Having the opportunity to be immersed in the Pega culture has allowed me to experience several different management styles and see firsthand what type of leaders I want to be working for and what qualities I want to implement into my own leadership style.” – Brian, Sales Operations Intern
Connect with interns from around the world
When you become a Pega Intern, you join a network of talented, driven interns from around the world. We have internship programs running in North America, India, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This year, interns from all regions were brought together for virtual events and given opportunities to interact in small and large groups. Who knows, you may end up meeting a future industry leader or well-known innovator on the job.
“I found the ambience very amusing with all the folks interacting throughout the day. Everyone welcomed us in the team and motivated us each day.” – Cherry, Former System Architect Intern (now a full-time Associate System Architect)
“I was getting involved in organization-wide initiatives, which let me meet many great people and learn how Pega operates. I felt that everyone I’ve met wanted to help me reach my full potential and I can’t express how much I appreciate that.” – Michal, Former Scrum Master Intern (now a full-time Scrum Master)
Enjoy intern perks and make a lasting impact
In addition to the Coffee Chat series, interns are invited to fun team-building events such as improv, trivia, and virtual game nights. We are also given the opportunity to become certified through free technical courses offered at Pega Academy. Towards the end of our internship we participate in an intern group project where we collaborate with other interns to design and pitch an initiative that may be adopted by the company. Not only does this project help grow our collaborative and presentational skills, it gives us a chance to have our voices be heard and make a lasting impact on the company.
“I get to learn so much every day as a Pega intern. During my training, I had the opportunity to get certified as a Pega System Architect. I really enjoy working with my team as well - we even have game nights every Wednesday to connect with each other outside of work.” – Nisarga, Software Engineering Intern
Whether you are looking to kick-start your career journey or reinvent yourself, a Pega internship will help you develop new and existing skills with invaluable experiences. If you are someone that likes a good challenge, is always trying to improve, and never stops learning, Pega is the place for you. For more information check out our internships page and #LifeAtPega.
Join us! We’re on a mission to connect, engage, and empower people. Visit Careers at Pega for a full listing of available opportunities around the globe, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor to learn more about #LifeAtPega.