From Classroom To Virtual Corporate

By: Luke Pilsl, CANA Futures Program Intern

As my summer internship at CANA comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on the experience and share my overall appreciation for the past couple of months. In fact, this was my first time working in a corporate structure and a full virtual setting coming into this role. The transition from a traditional office environment to a virtual work environment was definitely a change but it proved to be a great opportunity for growth personally and professionally. 

One of the most useful lessons I learned from this experience was how to best organize my virtual presence. If you don’t see your coworkers in person every day, learning how to communicate well online is a must. I received priceless information about how to present myself and speak so that others would understand me fully. I understand that learning how to manage my presence remotely, whether that be keeping my status updated, sharing progress efficiently, or ensuring my ideas come across clearly in digital meetings, is a skill that will apply to all areas of my future career. 

Beyond adapting to a virtual environment, another area where I noticed major growth was in my research capabilities. During my time at CANA, I had to delve deeply into complex topics that I had no previous knowledge in, specifically with regards to cutting edge RF technology. Instead of just jumping in without a clear direction, advice from Chris and Eric encouraged me to carefully plan my approach and gather solid information early on in the research process in order to truly grasp the concepts. Getting comfortable with technical topics that initially felt unfamiliar taught me how to break down complex problems and build a strong foundation of knowledge. Developing the skill to efficiently research and organize my ideas around the evidence I found made the quality of my work much higher, and it gave me the confidence to speak accurately on technical topics in meetings. 

Looking back on the entire summer, I am deeply grateful for how much CANA has taught me and for the opportunity to integrate into such a collaborative workspace. Being actively involved in a team dynamic taught me so much about how individual contributions fit into a larger goal. Specifically, stepping into group discussions and learning how to articulate solutions to complex problems allowed me to see firsthand how important thoughtful communication is in an engineering and corporate environment. Cooperating with peers and higher-ups, getting feedback, and working together toward a common objective gave me a much clearer picture of how real-world virtual workplaces operate and have given me skills and knowledge that I will carry with me in the future.

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ABOUT CANA

CANA is a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that empowers federal and commercial organizations to thrive in a global digital world through precise and adaptable technology solutions. We fuse our rigorous analytics and top-tier talent with deep expertise in complex supply chain and logistics to design customer-centric, powerful solutions. We strive to create an environment that allows our Team and Clients more time to focus on the things that matter most.