Fourth-year Bachelor of Management student Calvin Nicholls is currently completing his 8-month internship at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development (CEED), a non-profit organization in Halifax that helps support entrepreneurship in Nova Scotia. Born and raised in Toronto, Calvin already had a connection to Nova Scotia, having spent summers here with his family. He shares that coming to Halifax for school wasn’t a big jump, and that he chose Dalhousie for its great reputation and internship program.

At CEED, Calvin is the Engagement and Communications Coordinator, where he collaborates closely with the rest of the marketing team to promote the organization’s events and services. He reaches out to members and partners who may be interested in hosting their community events and promoting them to entrepreneurs across Canada. He also leverages digital marketing and planned marketing campaigns to reach as many entrepreneurs as possible and equip them with the tools needed to succeed.

Calvin shares that he was drawn to working at CEED by the opportunity to work directly with the entrepreneurial community, learning from small business owners and seeing firsthand what makes a business thrive. “I’ve always been interested in the backend side of business, and what it takes for a business to be feasible, viable, and desirable.”

One project Calvin has worked on is helping with the coordination of the 2024 Tech MVP Summit, which was a joint pitch competition event with NuBinary. Women entrepreneurs pitched their tech product ideas for the chance to win $150,000 to develop a minimum viable product. Calvin’s involvement in coordinating this event, including securing the venue and handling communications with vendors like catering and photography, as well as developing social media posts and campaigns to find applicants, gave him insights into the complexities of planning large events.

Calvin shares that the best part of working for CEED has been the variety of projects. With a small team of 15-20 employees, everyone has the chance to contribute to different aspects of the organization. “I’ve been able to make marketing plans, network with small business owners, and even shoot and edit large video projects.” He appreciates the open environment at CEED, where his boss encourages the team to take on work that aligns with their passions and strengths. “When I’m passionate about a project I’m working on, I do better work.”

Calvin’s decision to pursue the optional 8-month internship as part of his Management degree was driven by his view of the importance of real-world work experience. “I strongly believe work experience is as important as the content you learn in school,” he says, emphasizing that internships not only help build professional skills but also expand career opportunities through networking.  He recommends that other students take advantage of Dalhousie’s myCareer platform as it helped him stay on top of job postings and application requirements. “I can’t imagine going through my job search process without myCareer.”

Looking back on the process of searching for an internship position, Calvin found the interview stage to be the most stressful. His advice to students facing similar challenges is to research the organization conducting the interview. “Being well prepared shows potential employers that you are serious about the role and the company.” He also stresses the importance of rehearsing answers to common interview questions to help reduce stress and boost confidence.

Calvin has made a point of attending networking events to further develop his professional development and connections. “I believe that networking is a necessary factor in applying for jobs,” he shares. By attending events like Dal Business Networking Night, Calvin has learned how valuable it can be to establish relationships with potential employers. His strategy for overcoming the fear of networking is to set realistic goals, such as talking to just two companies and getting their contact information, rather than being overwhelmed by the idea of trying to talk to everyone. Then at the next event, increasing to three, then four, and so on.