The BostonHacks Intern Life COVID-19 Edition: Marco Raigoza, Principal Financial Intern

Hello there! Please introduce yourself, your role at BostonHacks, and where you interned this summer.

My name is Marco Raigoza and I’m a junior studying Computer Science at Boston University. I joined BostonHacks last spring and I am working on building our website with the tech team! This summer, I was a returning intern for Principal Financial while working remotely from my house.

What was the application process like and how did you prepare for the interview?

I was a returning intern, so I didn’t have to reapply. However, the first time I applied, I was asked a lot of questions about my interests in programming, with a big emphasis on my programming interests outside of class. This is a great time to show what you are passionate about learning.

What are some tips you have for those who would like to intern at Principal Financial in regards to the application or interview process?

The hardest question I remember being asked was to talk about a time where I messed something up. For software engineer interns, this happens a lot when you are writing code and it doesn’t work the first time. So it is important to show that you can persevere through bugs and be able to solve problems.

What is it like to work remotely at Principal Financial?

I loved working with my team this past summer! They were all very friendly and happy to have an intern join their team. They had me learn Denodo and by the end of the Summer I was able to create my own reports using Denodo. In addition to your intern project, there is also a Code Jam during a week in the middle of the summer. All software engineer interns at Principal participate in the Code Jam and you are able to create projects using Amazon Web Services. Then we present at the end of the week and see all of the other projects that interns made. This is my favorite part of the summer because it is a fun time to learn something new.

What does an average day look like for you and what are some of your responsibilities?

Due to time zones, I would log on at 6:30am for a daily stand up meeting with everyone in our team. Then, I would get started on the tasks I had assigned for that day. Later, I would also meet with one of my mentors or have 1 on 1 meetings with my boss, which were check-ins to connect with them and also to ask them questions. I would also attend Principal’s intern events and virtual meet-ups where you could meet other interns that you would not see during your day to day.

What are some of the perks of interning at Principal Financial?

Principal sends out free swag to their interns and this summer I received a free Principal hat, notebook, and pen.

How did interning at Principal Financial help you grow personally and/or professionally?

I was able to learn software tools that I wouldn’t learn in school such as Denodo and Power BI. I was also able to meet a lot of people through working on my project and members of my team so I built a network of people that I am able to reach out to.

Do you have any advice for those who would like to intern at Principal Financial or any advice about interning remotely?

Principal Financial is an amazing place to work and I would highly recommend students to apply for one of their many internship programs.