by Gunnar Methlie ’17
Major: Business management major
Hometown: Altoona, Iowa
I am interning at BTC Capital Management, an affiliate of Bankers Trust, this summer. They provide portfolio management, consulting and investment advice to a variety of institutional and high-net-worth clients.
I got my internship through hard work and persistence. I’ve worked hard to make my resume as strong as it is, which is how I landed an interview. I wanted this internship because I am very interested in pursuing investment management for my future career. Bankers Trust and BTC Capital have great reputations, so I really wanted to be a part of it, even if for just a summer.
I have done a lot of different things at BTC Capital. I have conducted analyses and reviewed brokers such as Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, etc. I have also made stock recommendations on the buy- and the sell-side, some of which have been implemented into BTC Capital’s strategies. I have gained experience in financial modeling. Plus, all Bankers Trust interns have a project we are working on for the entire bank.
I really like the environment — focused and fast-paced. I also really like how well everybody at Bankers Trust has treated me as an intern. I have also met with my mentor Jana Rieker, who is PR and Communications Director at Trilix in Des Moines and a 1994 Central graduate. I have learned a lot more about the markets, the energy sector and its impact on the markets, credit, portfolio management/strategy, etc. I have also learned a lot about the Bloomberg, a computer application widely used in the investments industry. The Bloomberg is powerful, and I am very lucky to get such great exposure to it as a college intern in Des Moines.
I have used many pieces of knowledge that I learned at Central here at BTC Capital. I have used a lot of knowledge from the Corp. Finance class I took last semester, and I’ve even used random pieces of knowledge I learned in religion and history classes to have some great conversations with a few of my coworkers. You never know what you might need to know to succeed, which is why I am thankful for the liberal arts education I have received from Central.
This opportunity has helped and shaped my career the most by helping me decide what I want to do in the “real world.” Because of this internship, I know that I want my professional career to focus on the investment business. This opportunity has also put me above my peers seeking success in the investments industry because of the wide range of experiences I have had.
Read more about internships through Central.
