In the autumn of 2008, Michael Jadoo (BBA ’10, BA ’09) took his first government assignment, participating in a virtual internship program with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).
Fast-forward two years and Jadoo is packing his bags and moving to Washington, D.C. to work as an economist with the DOC’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). His job involves verifying and analyzing state-related data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Jadoo credits two things with helping him secure his new position: his business education in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU) and the experience he gained through the DOC’s virtual internship program.
“My course work in the college prepared me for my current job,” said Jadoo, who undertook a double major in finance and management information systems along with a double minor in economics and Asian studies.
Also, he participated in numerous academic and extracurricular activities and was named the William G. McGowan Scholar for the 2008-2009 academic year—a prestigious scholarship that recognizes exceptional business students.
The DOC weighs in on the virtual internship program.
The relationship between the college’s Career Management Services and the DOC was instrumental in providing Jadoo with the internship opportunity.
Paul Thanos, director, Financial Services, DOC, participates in the virtual internship selection process. He believes the internship helped Jadoo prepare for obtaining his “real job” by giving him real-world experience in writing and researching a complicated issue affecting economics and trade.
“He admitted that one of the reasons he applied for the internship was to improve his writing skills, which is a requirement for the position he later accepted at the BEA in Washington,” Thanos said.
He cites the proven skills of the college’s students for boosting their viability as candidates for sought-after DOC internship positions.
“FIU students are a nice fit for our virtual internships in part because of their diversity and international focus,” he said.
Thanos also recognizes the outstanding mentoring provided by Scott Schmith, program manager of the DOC-FIU Virtual Research Partnership program.
“Without Schmith’s efforts and leadership, we would not have achieved such success,” he said.
