Finance and supply chain major Amit Patel proved you don’t have to be an upperclassman to immerse yourself in the limitless opportunities offered at the Darla Moore School of Business. Amit is confident his data analytics experience and internship with Amazon will serve him well upon graduation.
The sophomore data analyst
When a friend suggested he should check out the data analytics concentration, Amit decided to take the challenge. One of only a few sophomores in his class, Amit realized how early he was able to gain the valuable experience demanded by a data-driven industry.
“I didn’t realize until taking this course how much is within the field. It was tough at first being one of the younger ones, because I didn’t have that data mindset at first.”
Amit’s Management of Science course taught him three different analytics software. One particular third-party platform, Craagle, allows businesses to submit problems and students to analyze the data.
“This program is what landed my internship. The class was cool because the professor told us to download anything we want and analyze it. We had to create a storyboard, in which you analyze each piece and basically create a story out of it and do a presentation. I analyzed every country registered in the UN, all their global exports and imports and how they compared year to year. I really focused in on the supply chain aspect.”
The class motivated Amit to continue practicing data analysis, and the Moore School provided the opportunity to do so.
“The Moore School gives you a lot of different tools to succeed. A website called W3Schools helps you learn how to use the programming languages, and it’s all free. It lets you do practice runs, and that’s what I did while studying abroad in Thailand so I wouldn’t be rusty when I returned. There are a lot of great opportunities for me, and I just took advantage of them.”
This exact thinking would benefit Amit when he landed an internship with Amazon.
From the classroom to the production floor
Amit began his Amazon internship as an area manager. The internship focused on the operations side, which included day-to-day management, conflict resolution and morale.
I helped the area manager redesign one of the areas, and we were able to implement it. It produced good results, and I was able to help reduce the number of errors and defects.”
Amit faced real-life experiences, like managing conflicts among employees. He’ll be equipped with plenty of experience to talk about in job interviews. Luckily, one of his supply chain professors helped him embrace the “curveballs.”
“My professor told us, ‘In life, you’re going to have constant curve balls.’ I wasn’t sure it would really be like that, but as soon as I went to Amazon, there were curveballs every day.”
The experience Amit gained at Amazon will help him stand out among other candidates in his job search.
"I learned how to be a leader. Although I was a leader in clubs, there’s a huge difference being a leader in the field. I helped manage 80 to 100 people, depending on the day. I would never have expected myself coming to USC and getting an internship with Amazon. Knowing that I can do it, and it’s possible, was the best part of it.”
Because of supportive faculty and mentors, as well as the experiences South Carolina has provided, Amit is confident about his future in the industry, no matter where it takes him.
I am South Carolina.