The time for my second post is here! I’ll pick right back up from where I left off. So, what does ICB stand for? Individual Case Basis. This is just one of the many acronyms that I had to tackle when I started with AT&T. Not only did I need to learn the lingo, but I also had to get a firm grip on the diverse product lines that the company offers, the economic conditions of the industry, and AT&T’s goals for the present and the future. I leveraged the resources available to me, and spent the first few days really digging into what made AT&T tick.
Once I understood the basics of the products we were dealing with, and the meaning behind the commonly used phrases, I was ready to dive head first into my project. My goals for the summer were to restructure and expand on a trending and tracking pricing tool, to develop a model that can illustrate these trends, to analyze the pricing results, and to make recommendations based on my findings. The process was exciting, trying, tedious, and rewarding. I learned how to do things in Excel that I never thought were possible. I learned to spot pricing trends, and how to mold the model to fit the needs of different groups within our department. I hit roadblocks along the way, but I used the business acumen I had picked up from my first year in the program to navigate around them.
Every two weeks, I would present my findings to the executives in our division. These presentations were good benchmarks that I used to track my progress throughout the summer. Many of my findings and recommendations are now being implemented to drive change in our organization. Now that my time here is rapidly coming to a close, I am able to look back at a timeline of my work over the past ten weeks. It is satisfying to know that I came in and made an impact on such a large company.
In addition to working with the employees in the pricing division, I got a lot of invaluable opportunities to network with the full-time LDP employees. This was extremely beneficial because it allowed me to learn about different departments within AT&T, while also giving me in-sight into the way the full-time program works. All of the LDP employees are MBA graduates, so they know what I’m going through, and we got to swap stories about our programs. These conversations solidified my already positive view of the company.
With my final presentation and interview looming overhead, I must cut this post off here. I will be back to share my thoughts on the end of my internship shortly.
