Prior to starting my second year of university, I was unsure what I would want to pursue after completing my degree, and was unaware of what the world of graduate employment looked like. Through my mentoring sessions with Charlotte Bradshaw, as well as the wider resources and workshops provided by the LEAP programme I began to explore potential options for career path, but was very conscious of my lack of experience in certain fields coming from an architecture background. It was through these sessions that I learned of consulting and other analytical fields as a potential route I could take, and felt like I would really benefit from hands-on experience, and I am very thankful to Kate and Hannah who were instrumental in the procurement of my internship with Cambridge Management Consulting.
In the build up to this internship, the LEAP Programme offered many crucial workshops aimed at tackling general confidence as well as career building, such as CV and networking sessions which were greatly helpful to me and many others due to the welcoming group environment that they were held in. Additionally, the 1:1 coaching session with Denise Taylorson allowed me to develop my ability in public and interview speaking, which I anticipate will be vital in any upcoming graduate scheme hiring processes I face, the future world of work, and also in my degree where clear communication is paramount to a successful presentation. Furthermore, a separate session with Aryanisha Lawes permitted a discussion about strategical time management which was immediately incredibly useful considering the high workload of a degree in architecture, in conjunction with applying for summer internships, and will no doubt be useful in any future roles I take on – including my summer at Cambridge Management Consulting.
At Cambridge Management Consulting I was an intern on the internal AI Adoption Project, working on the roll-out of the newly approved governance and guardrails for Cambridge Management Consulting’s managed AI system, including helping to set up and test the processes and supporting apps, and the automation of tasks from human-managed to AI-assisted. As part of this project, I assisted in the creation and running of both beginner-level and advanced-level workshops. These aimed to train Cambridge’s employees on how to optimise their workflows through the usage of the managed AI system, resulting in time and resources savings across various project teams across the firm. Aside from this, I participated in frequent operational meetings where I gained an insight into the methods of project management used in an industry like consulting.
More broadly, the internship was valuable in demonstrating the day-to-day communication within an organisation like Cambridge Management Consulting, and functioning as a part of it developed my communication skills, whether that be learning new terminology regarding consulting, navigating a scenario where I needed to request resources or set expectations regarding the output of a task, as well as managing my own time and calendar when it comes to meetings. Being fully immersed in an environment like this, consisting of people who are vastly experienced, was a brilliant way to develop these skills over a short period of time, where I had to adapt quickly in order to keep up with the project and it’s deliverables.
Throughout the internship, I mainly worked remotely, but had frequent opportunities to visit the London office, where I found it highly beneficial to meet with other members of the team in person and sit in on operational meetings, which helped me build an understanding of the structuring of day-to-day meetings, as well as gaining practical experience in utilising the knowledge I gained from LEAP workshops to communicate effectively. As someone who lives far outside of London, this was also an excellent opportunity to visit the city and understand its working culture, which I have not had many prior opportunities to do. This was made possible by the LEAP Internship Grant, which greatly assisted me with travel expenses and formal clothing, for which I am immensely grateful.
Reflecting on my internship and the LEAP Programme, I have developed more clarity in the direction and career path that I might like to pursue upon the completion of my degree, likely being some form of analytical/ strategical consulting or adjacent industry that leans slightly in the direction of architecture such as engineering/ operations consulting. I am grateful for the challenges that the internship provided considering that they are significantly different from those faced during my academic journey. Throughout the year, I feel as though I have steadily developed my confidence with the assistance of the Programme, as well as the other professional skills that will be vital to my future in work. Both of these things, combined with the summer opportunity provided, have been vastly helpful, and I am very thankful to the LEAP Programme and everyone involved.
