I was
attentively sitting in on a meeting during the morning of August 8, 2014 when I
truly realized that my view of what corporate America looks like is very
different from most people’s perspective. Imagine a loud environment, cubicles
everywhere, high-frequency traders buying and selling stocks quicker than we
can blink our eyes, and high-tech computers capable of doing anything you want
them to do with the click of a mouse. Sounds like a typical business company
seated deep in the heart of New York City right? Well, Csenge Advisory Group
isn’t your typical wealth management business, and they don’t have the usual
financial advisors that you’re picturing in your mind. The environment in which
I was placed in this summer from the beginning of June until the end of August
was friendlier and more laid back than you would expect. The aroma of Keurig
cups filled the office air bright and early in the morning. From time to time I
could even smell the scent of candles burning in one of the employees office.
Surprisingly, this had a calming feeling while I typed away in Excel mining
data on local companies, or when I was working hard developing pages for their
new website. Without a doubt, I worked harder than I ever have worked before, I
read more about finance, business tactics, and Wall Street than I ever have in
my lifetime, and I did something new and exciting that I never thought I would
have while interning this summer; I created a simple and local website
(csengepa.com) with the help of two other interns. The business relationships I
made with clients and the new friends that I made during my first internship
here in Washington, Pennsylvania however did not overshadow this hard work. I
learned great lessons along the way and valuable insights about life, business
and everything in between. There’s no excuse for being a “rookie intern” and I
certainly didn’t feel like one during the last couple of days in the office. I
felt like one of the other team members at Csenge and most importantly I felt
accepted and proud of the work I completed. Countless times I was congratulated
for the work that I have been doing and it obviously wasn’t done unnoticed.
Some large firms may be the other way around with their interns; glad that
they’re learning how the real world works but possibly not as appreciative as
they should be. That’s why I am very lucky that I was able to get into Csenge
and their small/mid-level sized firm.
In terms
of challenges I faced while interning and completing my Magellan, the main one
that I had to overcome was developing a website without having the background
of programming or computer information science to pull from. Obviously, growing
up as a Millennial, I’ve been surrounded by computers, websites, and
smartphones for well over a decade now, but actually putting that to use to
make a website was an arduous task at first. Luckily, with the help of my
friend/intern Conrad Burns (CIS major at W&J), he reassured me that this
would be easier than I originally intended it to be. The first week was
frustrating trying to understand how to use wordpress.com (Jim, the 3rd
intern had the same problems), but once we got a hang of it pages started to
develop quicker and the content poured onto our MacBook Pro’s. Another
challenge that I quickly overcame was my tendency to be shy and reserved.
Growing up I was always quiet, but competing in a business environment is not
conducive to that kind of behavior. Faster than I expected, I became vocal in
meetings and understood what my bosses were asking of me in terms of big
picture scenarios. With this challenge put behind me, I can work towards my
goals in the future striving for proper wealth management and great investments
in the ever-competitive world of business and economics. Understanding
terminology of the finance field was another small hurdle that I had to jump
over during my three months interning. I was obviously familiar with most of
what was being said thanks to the great economics and business departments that
W&J has teaching us, but some of the lingo had to be learned overtime.
Anytime I got stuck or had a question regarding a definition or example of how
retirement plans worked, I was able to ask my boss and get the run around of
exactly how it worked and the layman’s terminology behind it.
Improving on my developmental skills while creating a
website was a great tool for me to learn this summer. I would say that my
appreciation for fine details and a well rounded website have increased after
having to put in a lot of man-hours on the subject. My posture, presence, vocal
abilities, and overall effectiveness in meetings have also been a skill that I
have developed during my internship at Csenge. Having countless meetings every
week with staff, clients, friends, and prospects has showed me what it takes to
get a message across the right way and how to control a meeting. To briefly
touch upon some skills that I have refined this summer, I would say that my
finance, economic, business, and strategic investing skills have improved
substantially. I read multiple books this summer on the topics of investing (Buffettology
by Mary Buffett, Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings by
Philip A. Fisher, The Little Book of Big Dividends by Charles B. Carlson, and
End This Depression Now by Paul Krugman). Joseph Piszczor and Roger Bedillion,
financial advisors at Csenge Advisory Group, were my two mentors this summer. They
taught me so many valuable life lessons that I will take away with me for the
rest of my business career. Joe was able to teach me a lot about the history
behind financial markets, how money came to be in the world, and many real
world experiences that he has witnessed so far in his life. Roger on the other
hand, being an older gentleman and wise investor of his time, was able to get
his messages across to me by using stories, as well as analogies. He formerly
worked for PNC and his years and experience in the financial field have been
helpful for me to pick up on what’s been going on in the economic markets and
global economy for the past couple of years now as we have worked our way out
of the recession of 2007-2008.
Overall, I was able to get as much out of my internship
as possible and then even some more. The resources that I had at my disposal
were invaluable and it is truly amazing the great things that one can
accomplish with the help of a computer. This goes on to another issue in itself
of providing individuals with the necessary technology in order to learn new
things everyday and fight the never-ending battles that occur in this world. Democracynow.org
was a great resource of daily educational videos that I watched in the office
during the mornings. My perspectives on
certain world issues have broadened in my opinion. I’m able to see the “big
picture” now with the help of credible news sources. Thankfully there is still
a lot of work to be done on my end at Csenge Advisory Group and my two bosses
have agreed to keep my friend and I on board with them during the fall
semester. This had led to another job offer with one of Roger’s clients who
teaches at Case Western University and runs his own business as well. As the
case goes in business, “It’s not who you know but its who knows you.” I’m glad
that my networking opportunities have paid off and I think there could be something
extremely special for me in the future. For now I’ll continue to show up, give
it my all and see how my deck of cards unfold themselves. To quote the great
Albert Einstein, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming
attractions.” I’ve realized that everything around us that we call life
(houses, cars, technology, clothes, food, etc.) was made up by people that are
no smarter than you and I. I have the ability to embrace, change, and make the
biggest impact on the world that I physically can, and trust me, I intend on
doing just that. Thanks to the Magellan Project this was all made clear to me.
I could not be more thankful for the opportunity that Washington &
Jefferson College has presented me, continues to present me, and will present
me in the future with its great form of educating the young gifted minds of
Generation Y. I will cherish this project and the time that I spent on it for
the rest of my life. It has shown me that when you have inspired thought you
have to trust it and you have to act on it. All of which I have done!
