Mirza Naveed-Featured Intern

3M is a Fortune 500 multinational conglomerate company that’s based out of Maplewood, Minnesota and operates in 87 countries with 93,000 employees. The company is a global brand that has products in twelve industries such as Wetordry sandpaper, Scotchlite reflective sheeting, Scotch tape, Post-it notes, and Nexcare bandages. 

As a Desktop Engineering Intern, my overall role was to administer the Nexthink PC Telemetry software to troubleshoot and optimize the end-user experience for 83,000+ global workstations at 3M. This tool collects events and indicators from all computers and compares that historical information to other computers creating scores, performance metrics, and trends. A major responsibility within my role was to assist with the Nexthink Slow PC project which involved creating and visualizing metrics that actively monitor workstation and application performance in 3M’s environment. For example, I created a module that monitored the day-to-day performance of Microsoft Office 365 applications on workstations at 3M. This module was published and is being used to identify what areas of performance need improvement within the Office 365 suite. 

During my internship experience, I learned/strengthened my skillset in HTML, SQL, PowerShell, Data Analysis, Data Mining, Data Visualization, and Agile Scrum methodology. I also learned the importance of handling situations proactively with resources such as predictive data analytics (especially in IT). Finally, I believe the most important learning outcome I walked away with was that I got to experience what it’s like to be a 3Mer through collaborating with other 3M employees (locally and internationally), volunteering at events such as the MN Pride Parade, conducting informational interviews, and more.
 
Before starting this internship, I had doubted myself and my abilities to succeed in the IT field. This experience gave me the confidence to determine that I do have a place in IT and I am excited to come back to 3M after I graduate in May to see where my curiosity will take me next! One piece of advice that I have for fellow students is to try to be as involved as possible on-campus and in the community. Not only do you have the opportunity to learn through your involvement in activities but you can also develop connections that can help you later in life. This was the case for me because I mentor a FIRST robotics team that’s sponsored by 3M, which has given me valuable experience in developing my soft-skills and the connections I needed to get my foot in the door.