Nicola Scott is a Dalhousie alumna who graduated from the Bachelor of Management program in 2017.

Attending Dalhousie was an easy choice for Nicola – she is from Halifax and preferred to stay close to home. In her second year of study Nicola transferred to the Management program. “I decided to switch because I was interested in the relationship aspect of business.”

Once enrolled in the Management program, Nicola decided to take advantage of the 8-month internship option and landed her internship as Project Coordinator with NTT DATA Services in May 2016. NTT DATA Services is a division of NTT DATA Corporation, a top 10 global IT services provider with over 130,000 employees in more than 50 countries. Nicola was responsible for administration of client accounts and assisting with invoicing and contract set-up.

Taking advantage of the internship option allows students to apply knowledge they have learned in their courses to practical work situations. Management Career Services makes it a top priority to give students a competitive edge when applying to the internship program, investing in each student’s career to enhance employment opportunities after graduation.

“It was exciting for me to be able to apply the information I learned in classes to my role at NTT DATA Services,” says Nicola. “The Faculty of Management does an amazing job at preparing you for the real world, but if students really want to apply that knowledge, the internship program is a fantastic way to do that before you graduate. Jennifer Coombs and Jessica Mackenzie were both so helpful in preparing me for my internship and supporting me throughout the process.”

Throughout the Bachelor of Management program, students have numerous opportunities to make connections with organizations and leading industry professionals at networking events. Through myCareer, organizations to post open positions, some of which are privately offered to Dalhousie students.

“During the internship search, MCS was an invaluable tool for me. The staff at MCS were so supportive with resumes, networking, and interview support. I wouldn’t have found this internship role at NTT DATA without it being posted on myCareer. If students aren’t actively looking at myCareer, I really suggest they start because it is such a helpful resource.”

Sometimes, when students exhibit an exemplary performance throughout their internship, they are offered further employment with their organization. Fortunately, this was the case for Nicola. In fact, she is still with the company. This coming May will mark her fifth year with NTT DATA Services. “I am very lucky that my internship transformed into a full-time job after graduation. I’m now a Project Program Management Senior Analyst. I don’t think I would be where I am in my career without the internship program. My education from Dalhousie and the skills I learned on the job during my internship allowed me to create a new role within the company. I’m now part of our account leadership and run all administrative functions for multiple accounts.”

When asked what she would tell students thinking about getting involved in the internship program, Nicola responded, “I cannot recommend the internship program enough. The benefit of an 8-month internship is that you are at a job twice as long as a regular co-op. This allows you to take more tasks on and build a strong relationship with your employer, which is what helped cement my permanent role. You also get to add the job to your resume, which generally means you have more work experience at graduation than someone who didn’t do an internship which is really helpful for the post-grad job search. Plus, MCS encourages paid internships which is amazing because it allows you to make money while finishing up your degree.”

 

Pronouns: She/Her