Interned at Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois
What types of skills did you need to obtain the internship?
Teamwork, leadership, quantitative, critical thinking, and analytical skills were a necessity in obtaining the internship.
What tasks did the job entail?
Over the summer I used R extensively to complete analyses and build tools to improve Caterpillar's global supply network performance and also cut costs. My main project was centered around developing algorithms and tools to optimize global supply network improvements. The same algorithms tools were replicated and are now used in optimizing data quality improvements. I also developed algorithms used in cost tracking tools. Other analyses completed included the use of machine learning techniques and regression models to extract business intelligence.
What knowledge or skills did you learn on the job?
Besides learning a lot about global transportation, I gained knowledge regarding international business and the application of data science in the corporate setting. I was able to improve several technical skills, some of which include data cleansing, machine learning techniques, regression, and functional programming. My projects included meeting with global business teams frequently and this allowed me to improve my ability to translate technical information into profitable business solutions.
Would you be interested in working for this company after graduation?
Yes, I would be interested in working for Caterpillar Inc. after graduation. The company offers a wide variety of analytical positions in many different functional areas.