Good work life balance and good culture, decent pay for a sophomore year internship
What I wish was different
Location, wanted more intern events
Advice
Be willing to ask questions!
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Fixed Income Intern
May - December 2022 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Great Co-Op program that gives an opportunity to learn about Investment Grade and High Yield credit markets. Very experienced senior team. Opportunities to work with different teams, direct lending, traders, and private credit. Required tasks aren't difficult, but after those are complete there are opportunities to help sector coverage, work on credit presentations, assist with sector presentations, and do independent research.
What I wish was different
Lack of opportunities for a full-time role if still in college. For a full-time analyst role progress toward CFA is a requirement, they also require you to complete a coding test. Work can be repetitive sometimes, and the internship is a big commitment since you have to take a semester off.
Advice
Learn Excel, Bloomberg, and how to analyze a company. The team is very kind and will help but try to figure it out yourself if it isn't too complicated. Take your work seriously, the analysts really appreciate it and it will make a difference for future work references or a long-term career with Principal. Be sure to do at least one Credit Presentation with the High Yield team. It was my favorite project and is a great way to practice real-world fundamental analysis. They treat you like one of their own, they will help but won't hold your hand through it.
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Actuarial Intern
May - August 2022 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The internship coordinators did a phenomenal job of planning fun events that were a great way to get to know the other actuarial interns and students. There were also a lot of opportunities to meet with senior actuaries and even members of the C-Suite. Everyone I met was very nice, and I really enjoyed working with the team I was placed on. I felt like I was doing meaningful work and could see the impact that my project would have.
What I wish was different
Des Moines isn't the most exciting place to be for a summer, but it's a nice little city and you can find things to do.
Advice
Say yes to as many things as you can, whether that's an extra assignment on your team or an informal event after work. This is far and away the best way to meet people and learn things that you maybe wouldn't have otherwise.
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Data Analytics Intern
May - August 2021 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Great culture and people
What I wish was different
Advice
Always ask for more work and projects aligned with your interests
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Fixed Income Intern
January - July 2020 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Collaborative environment
What I wish was different
Not having to work from home
Advice
Get good at excel
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Front Desk Receptionist
May - August 2018 • West Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The staff I worked with were extremely friendly, willing to help, personable, and made coming to work enjoyable.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Actuarial Intern
May - August 2019 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The campus was beautiful and everyone was very friendly! Interning at Principal gave me the technical skills and networking skills that will help me in the future.
What I wish was different
It was a difficult process of getting all the software & programs on my laptop downloaded. IT Support was helpful but it took quite a long time.
Advice
Take advantage of all the different networking events. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there to meet people and learn about the different parts of the business. Most leaders and teams will love to give you the time to do so!
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Software Engineer Intern
May - August 2019 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Principal has a very good culture to work in.
What I wish was different
I wish Des Moines had more things to do on the weekends.
Advice
Make sure to learn everything you can from Principals work culture.
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IT Systems Analyst Intern
May - August 2019 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The people that work at Principal are some of the most hard-working, yet family oriented people that I have ever worked with. The culture was friendly and accepting, so it was wonderful to come to work each day. I also loved the networking opportunities that I was able to have and I learned a lot about personal and retirement finances.
What I wish was different
I personally wish that I had more work to do. I don't think they expected very much out of me when I came, but I was excited to learn. I found myself having a lot of down time. I know this isn't the experience of every intern, but it is definitely what I wish would've been different.
Advice
Go to the information sessions and speakers! There are so many cool people that can educate you about things much further than Principal and you should take advantage of those opportunities.
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Software Engineering Intern
July - August 2019 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Everyone there was very welcoming, they made sure I felt at home and that I was immersed in everything going on. I got right to work on real projects with the rest of the team and had opportunities to go to different classes that were hosted while I was there.
What I wish was different
Maybe having two interns on a team would be nice to have someone to relate to but too many would not be as beneficial!
Advice
Don’t be afraid to give input during meetings and while working on projects. Be sure to ask questions to understand how processes work as a whole.
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Marketer Associate
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
It was very tailored to what I wanted to get out of it
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
Na
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IT Intern
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Hands on experience with personal projects. Also treated as an equal to Full Time Employees.
Company really involved with a full program that allowed Interns to get to know the company, and also the city we stayed in.
What I wish was different
More work, my abilities were under estimated. Would love to have taken on more challenging projects, or more projects in general.
Advice
Very good first job experience, allowed me to get a feel of what my industries work would be like, while also allowing me to experiment with different postions in my field. Take advantage of the different opertunities offered to you.
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Investment Operations Intern
May - December 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The culture was outstanding and it was a great experience to work on a team and gain real life experience.
What I wish was different
I wish that the job requirements weren't the same thing every single day. I would prefer a position without daily tasks/deadlines but preferably a project based style.
Advice
Do your best to network and build connections with various people within the company. Building a good relationship with team members & leaders helps build a good reputation for yourself and never know what others can do to help you grow in your career.
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Full-Stack Software Engineer
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The culture there is great and the mentorship I received was even better. Des Moines has been a growing market for some time so it was a lot fun getting to hangout with other interns around Des Moines.
What I wish was different
Although Des Moines is currently growing the location isn't as exhilarating as bigger cities. Interning in a larger city with more life would’ve been the icing on the cake.
Advice
Have confidence in your abilities as a developer, always ask questions if you have them, and let your mentors guide you.
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Fixed Income Analyst Intern
June 2017 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Work, learning opportunities, hands on analysis.
What I wish was different
Length
Advice
Learn Bloomberg, macro, understand financial statements and how to find drivers/catalysts.
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Global Product Strategy and Development Analyst
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
I was given lots of opportunities to learn the many different business units of Principal. It is important to learn how your company’s departments work together to deliver the final product. I was also given extensive networking contacts and even executive management took time to get to know me through coffee or lunch. Principal has an amazing atmosphere at its headquarters which allows people to fit into the culture.
What I wish was different
Do not take summer classes if you want to take the internship seriously.
Advice
Working at the headquarters of a company enables an intern to see the full scope of the business and its many functions.
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Actuarial Intern
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
They don't baby you. All learning is done on the job, but the people around your are awesome and ready to answe r any questions you have!
What I wish was different
I wish I hadn't been as focused on having the perfect project, and focused more on the analyzation aspect of my work. It's not the what, it's the how and why that matter .
Advice
Make the most of it, set up as many meetings as possible and try to learn something new everyday!
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Data Science Intern
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
Very scientific internship, challenging and engaging work.
What I wish was different
I wish there was other interns working on the same project. The intern class is over 200 strong at Principal, so they truly do try to make interns comfortable.
Advice
Learn R! It's a fantastic language.
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Data Science Intern
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Be aware of the cultural differences of, and cultural conflicts that might be induced by, the geographical area you choose to intern. I did not pay enough attention to this when deciding to spend the summer somewhere where I had never been and from where I did not know anyone.
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • Des Moines, IA
What I liked
The campus was gorgeous, the people were awesome, and the work environment was very relaxed.
What I wish was different
I don't think my team was prepared for an intern and as a result there wasn't a ton of work that I could do because of access roadblocks and security issues.
Advice
If given the opportunity take an out of state internship, they're a worthwhile experience!
