The following guest post is from incoming Graduate Business Council President Ian Jones who is wrapping up an internship with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in New York City.
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There are few places that can match the energy and beauty of New York City. I have been fortunate to intern at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York over the summer, and it has been fantastic! I had visited the city a few times in the past, but never had I actually lived here. I’m a native of Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Chicago after undergrad, so I feel that I had the “big city experience” under my belt. Chicago minimally prepared me for the organized mayhem that is New York City.
On a typical day I wake up around 6:45 and am usually out of the door by 7:45. Hopefully by then the trash bags have been picked up off the streets and someone has swept the sidewalk. With 1.6 million people packed into 23 square miles of land, you can imagine how dirty the place can get. I take the 1 train and transfer to the 2-3 to Fulton station (If Im feeling adventurous, I’ll get off at Chambers Street to swing by Jamba Juice, my favorite).
Forty minutes after getting on the train in Morningside I arrive in lower Manhattan, financial capital of the world (sorry Midtown investment bankers, this is where the action is). As I peak my head from the underground tunnel, I am surrounded by ornate masonry and overall architecture that makes midtown look like rows of steel poles. The New York Fed building is beautiful and takes up an entire city block. It is hard to find though if you don’t know where it is because the Bank only has one sign on a single brick stating what the building actually is, and not to mention that the Bank is surrounded by much taller offices.
Inside the Bank is where some of the most important economic activities are executed. I have had the privilege of working on a special project closely aligned with the Markets group. This is the team that carries out FOMC directives to sustain a viable national economy. I urge you to consider opening up your career search to a wide array of firms. When I first entered b-school I never thought I would intern as a central banker. Now I have an experience on my resume that few can match.