Driving through the early morning rush hour Atlanta traffic on my first day as a summer intern at Cox, I remember wondering what I had gotten myself into.
After a nonprofit internship last summer sparked my interest in community impact, I turned to Cox for a fresh perspective on the business side of things. But with just one previous internship experience under my belt (and only one pair of dress pants), I had no idea what to expect from my first corporate job.
Now, on the other side of throwing myself into a new adventure, I can see just how much I’ve learned and grown up professionally in the span of three months. As one of 180 Cox interns this summer, I’ve been able to experience the program firsthand and through the eyes of my fellow interns.
Let me share with you what I learned as a summer intern at Cox.
1. Network freely, but intentionally.
The biggest culture shock I experienced at Cox was how receptive everyone was to connect with each other, no matter their position in the company. For an intern, this creates a unique opportunity to connect with professionals across all fields of the business. Even top leaders are proactive in investing in early career talent. In my experience, executives were quick to extend the offer to meet with interns to break down any assumed hierarchical barriers.
“Anyone at this company is willing to talk to you,” said Anna Ayalew, a 2024 consumer analytics intern at Cox Communications. “And never leave a conversation without offering something in return.”
Anna’s advice on deepening a professional relationship by actively engaging in another person’s work rang true for me this summer. While I had the liberty to network with almost any employee at Cox, I refined my coffee chats to those who had similar interests to mine, and I sought chances to reconnect with them or their work.
This intentional networking proved particularly fruitful halfway through my summer when I sat down with a content manager and talked about our shared passion for creative writing. By the end of the conversation, I had an empty mug but a plate full of new projects — one of which is the article you are reading today.
Wherever you are in Cox, you are not limited to your job description!
2. Find gaps and fill them.
We’ve all seen it — or maybe even been there: the stereotypical intern who wants to do meaningful work, but with limited experience and having finished their tasks by noon, ends up staring at a cubicle wall or aimlessly scrolling through LinkedIn.
All too often, as early career professionals, we wait for interesting projects to find us. Out of respect for authority or fear of failure, we end up only ever doing what is asked of us in our first corporate jobs. And yet, taking initiative is one of the most desirable traits of any employee. If you are struggling to find things to do with your time during your internship, take on a consultant’s mindset for your team. Look for gaps or inefficiencies in processes and fill them!
As an early career professional, you will likely never be the most experienced person in the room. But providing an innovative solution that improves a team’s work is one of the best ways to learn in your field, stand out and leave a lasting impact on the business.
Max Koptik, a senior impact coordinator who was hired full-time after interning with the Cox Enterprises corporate social responsibility team in 2022 — therefore a certified intern success story — says filling areas of need is what helped him get his full-time role.
His advice to current interns? “Make yourself indispensable,” he said.
3. Think grand-scale.
No, this isn’t your typical “think like a CEO” five-year plan for making the cover of The Wall Street Journal. Understanding the business isn’t just for the C-suite.
As an intern doing what is likely the most granular level of work on your team, it’s crucial to know how your role directly impacts the company’s goals and strategies. This not only strengthens your value in your own work, but also enhances your value as a thinker to leaders who will undoubtedly ask you during your time at Cox, “What is it that you do for us here?”
In my experience, having a clear answer that ties your work to business goals makes for more productive and interesting conversations with forward-thinking leaders.
4. Prioritize horizontal relationships just as much — if not more than — vertical ones.
With 180 bright young professionals growing in all areas of the business, Cox interns have a lot to learn from each other.
In the whirlwind of coffee chats, meetings with leaders and thinking about the big picture, I realized I had nearly overlooked the potential for fruitful relationships with my fellow interns. I made an intentional shift toward connecting professionally with my peers, and I started learning about new fields like assurance and advisory, accounting, and media analytics — all just over a few cups of decaf in the afternoons.
Building relationships with other Cox interns isn’t just about exposure to new career areas — meeting an intern at Cox could mean meeting a future coworker, leader, or executive. A connection with a peer today could easily become a valuable professional relationship tomorrow.
Beyond professional development, making connections with other interns helped me find my Cox community. Throughout the 12 weeks of intern events, volunteer activities and afternoons in the Cox Café at the Atlanta HQ, I’ve been able to make genuine friendships that will last long after my internship ends.
I am grateful to the Cox community and its leaders for making this internship experience just as professionally rewarding as it was personally gratifying.
