If you took me back to September 2018 and told me to decide where to do my first internship, I would choose Groundswell Cloud Solutions again without hesitation. Throughout my dozens of interviews, Groundswell was the only company that consistently showed me (an inexperienced intern-prospect) respect and professionalism. The more I interacted with the people at Groundswell, the more I grew confident that these were the kinds of people that I wanted to learn from and work with. For those of you that are currently looking for an internship yourself, I want to share with you what Groundswell has to offer, in hopes that you too can come to make your mark on this company and grow alongside Groundswell as it becomes one of the best consulting brands out there.

Growing with Groundswell Cloud Solutions

First off, the firm provides an abundance of opportunities for anyone willing to step up. This is what I love the most about Groundswell. Because we are a steadily growing company, there is never a shortage of new roles that need to be filled and new opportunities for advancement. During my 8 months here, I have seen over a dozen people join the company and a handful of others being promoted, and I don’t think we intend on slowing down anytime soon. Are you a developer who wants to learn more about the business, management, and consulting side of things? You have the opportunity to do so. Are you someone with a lot of ideas on newer and better ways to do things? Speak up, and leadership will listen. Your responsibilities and tasks are only limited by your proactiveness. If you are a self-starter who is dedicated to learning, Groundswell definitely has a place for you.

More than “just coding”

Because Groundswell is a technical consulting company, you have the option to participate in client interactions – and I highly encourage all developers to do so. It gives you a broader perspective on the impact of the code you write. I am regularly invited to participate in client meetings, which allow me to receive direct feedback on how my work impacts our clients and end-users. I get to see first-hand the excitement and gratitude they express when our work exceeds their expectations, as well as their disappointment and frustration when I misinterpret the business requirements or introduce new bugs. This gives me a heightened sense of ownership and pride in the code I produce and helps me realize the real effects that my code has on other peoples’ lives and businesses. Through these experiences at Groundwell, I’ve come to understand that the code I write must ultimately benefit our clients and end-users in some way, shape, or form and help them succeed in their work.

Walking the talk

Trust, passion, and teamwork are some of the core values of Groundswell. And from what I can tell, people here do more than just verbalize these words – they put them to practice. Consistent hard work and dedication to your craft are not met with jealousy or cynicism. Rather, it will gain you the trust and respect of your colleagues. When you express the passion for your work to your colleagues, they reciprocate the energy back to you and are always willing to share with you their experience and knowledge. And lastly, the teams here at Groundswell are led by talented and caring leaders who foster an environment where everyone has each others’ backs when the push comes to shove.

You get out what you put in

The time you are spending right now in preparing for interviews and searching for an internship is a valuable investment that you’re making in yourself. Similarly, committing 8 months (or longer) to a company for an internship is also a significant investment. Groundswell understands this, and has a proven track record of investing right back into its interns by extending full-time offers to many of them. Many key members of our development team were former interns who excelled at their job, received a return offer, and decided to continue working with Groundswell upon graduation. For those of us who aren’t quite ready to graduate yet like myself, Groundswell also works with you to find a middle ground where you can continue working with Groundswell in some capacity while finishing up school, if you wish.

Let’s talk

September 2018 was a stressful month for me. Job searches are exhausting as it is, and I was under the added pressure of not willing to let myself work for just any company that gave me an offer. I knew what I brought to the table, so it was crucial for me to find a company that I genuinely want to work for. For me, that company was Groundswell Cloud Solutions. For those of you who are in the same place as I was in September of 2018, keep your head up and try to not let the anxiety and stress get to you. Refuse to take “no” for an answer and keep searching for that one company your gut tells you is the right place to go. And if you feel that Groundswell might be that place, reach out to us. We wish you the best of luck in your job search and hope to hear from you soon.