Over Winter Break more than 100 Eller students participated in Externships in the form of one-day job shadows.

Andreas Zai (Finance) shadowed James Samuelson who is the head of Mergers and Acquisitions at OmniTRAX in Denver, CO.

Why did you want to do this externship?

I am interested in pursuing a career on Wall Street, and James was a strong connection in that field and could share a considerable wealth of knowledge with me about the industry. Furthermore, I am from Denver, and I have an interest for the culture of the city and the lifestyle-oriented career that one can pursue there.

What did you do during this job shadow experience?

I spent time discussing careers with James and his coworkers as far as their overall experience, day-to-day tasks, opinion of their positions, the markets, etc. Additionally, I applied myself to a faux-research project in the afternoon and presented my findings to James at the culmination of the externship.

What did you learn as a result of the externship?

I learned a great deal about the private-equity side of Finance, the amount of work that goes into an average day, and the culture of a position in Finance. It was incredibly invigorating to spend time with a group of driven and successful individuals that shared my passion for the field. I would suggest that all students who have a love of their industry pursue an Externship through Eller. It is one of the best professional experiences I have had to date.

Photo courtesy Andreas Zai.