Summer Intern Review

My day-to-day work on the internship predominantly revolved around several projects. Firstly, to enhance the research conducted by the foreign exchange steering group by back testing behavioral signals using python and, secondly, to develop a potential equity investment idea based on an up-and-coming macroeconomic theme. I also had the opportunity to develop my knowledge of markets, cross-asset relationships and broader macroeconomics by attending meetings with sell side banks and research houses which are organised on a regular basis.

I wasn't necessarily given a particular role or task that was solely my responsibility, but the projects that I worked on were meaningful as their goal was to add value to, or enhance the business, in some way. For example, the outcome of one of my projects was that a new behavioral indicator has been permanently included in the research pack for the foreign exchange steering group, which is then used to form their views on different currencies.

I developed my coding capabilities by learning python as part of one of the projects I was tasked with. I had little to no coding experience prior to starting the internship so it was essentially a new skill for me. Fortunately, abrdn has lots of valuable online resources to offer and my manager provided a lot of support and guidance along the way. I also developed my networking skills by attending various events hosted by the early careers team, and also by reaching out to other colleagues to learn more about their roles.

My manager was great and provided a lot of support and guidance along the way if and when it was needed. I also had a 'buddy' on my team who I could ask questions, and within multi-asset we had a weekly catch-up with our stream head in which we were able to raise any questions, issues etc. The firm's culture is also very friendly and everyone I spoke to was happy to give up some of their time!

As I touched on previously, the firm's culture is very friendly and a lot of emphasis is put on personal development, especially for interns. As a result, everyone that I spoke to was happy to give up some of their time to speak about their role and answer any questions you may have. The company also has quite a flat structure which enables interns to work alongside senior colleagues from the start and provides a great opportunity to gain valuable experience.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed the internship at abrdn! I developed a broad range of skills, from learning python as part of one of my projects, to improving my confidence and presentation skills after showcasing our projects to the wider team. I also had the opportunity to attend some more social networking events hosted by the early careers team and various employee network groups which were always lots of fun and provided a great opportunity to meet more people.

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