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ONE WEEK! It just hit me that I only have one week left as an intern at Quicken Loans. Thinking back, I actually never once dreaded making my hour commute to work. And when I’m walking to classes, wishing it were the floors of the Compuware Building, I will carry a few things with me…

1. Knowing a Little, Learning a Lot.

I admit I was a bit hesitant accepting this job when I knew about next to NOTHING when it came to mortgages. A summer later, and…I am still no expert. However, I can tell you ARM doesn’t always stand for the limb attached to your hand, tips to improve your credit, and how to use an amortization calculator. This information is SO PRACTICAL. I’m definitely going to need it in a few years when I start to think about buying a home.

On top of learning the company jargon, I am specializing in Human-Computer Interaction in graduate school and was hired on as a “Usability Intern.” It wasn’t long after my mentor took a few weeks off that team members came to me for my “usability expert” opinion. Say what? Expert?

So what does it mean to be a “usability expert?”

I quickly came to realize that it’s a LITTLE about what you know and a LOT about what you’re willing to learn. Of course, I didn’t have answers to every question asked. I scoured through several resources to find appropriate responses—it’s taking that extra mile and doing the work to find solutions that are most important for the job.

2. The Meaning of Quicken Loans Family.

The people are AMAZING, and this is a place where I can completely be myself and express my opinions. I’ve sung and played mediocre guitar during my lunch breaks, and yet, the people in the Marketing team still acknowledge me (barely…just kidding!). And in a place where reply-all is the norm, I’ve learned a tremendous amount from my team. I will take away something from every relationship established—no matter how weak or strong. Go ahead, and think it. Awww.

3. Detroit Is AWESOME.

Awesome? How many news articles will say that? Before this summer, my volunteer work with Circle K International gave me exposure to the city. The majority of my time in Detroit was spent planting trees in various neighborhoods, cleaning up parks, and helping Kiwanis sticker books for kids in the Detroit school district. However, I had never spent a significant amount of time in Detroit and may have stepped foot in the downtown area on three or four occasions. I’ve witnessed a broken Detroit but never felt the extent of its potential until this summer, where the majority of my waking hours lie.

After seeing more of the area at various intern events and occasionally eating lunch at Campus Martius, I have learned to appreciate the beauty that exists downtown. I was in Chicago one weekend and all that came to my mind as I was walking the streets was, “Detroit can be bustling like this one day!”  From one blog post to another, you will see interns talking about the amazing atmosphere in downtown Detroit, and it’s true. Things are happening, and I want in.

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