Farm Credit Illinois

Generalist Intern

May - August 2022 • Mahomet, IL

What I liked

The internship gave me an exposure to the entirety of Farm Credit Illinois. Being a generalist intern with projects in a variety of departments, I had the opportunity to determine my strengths and interests as well as my weaknesses and dislikes. One of the things I liked most about the internship is the importance of these projects that we completed. At Farm Credit Illinois, the projects that interns complete are pulled into the daily operations of the business and are used long after the conclusion of the internship. While our projects helped us narrow our interests, we were also encouraged to job shadow across all departments and branch offices to further discover our interests and better understand Farm Credit Illinois. Along with the ability to determine my strengths and interests, I was also given the opportunity to use resources provided by Farm Credit Illinois, like linkedIn Learning and other training sites, to improve my abilities on subjects such as Excel, Power BI, credit underwriting, time management, communicating among co-workers and several other subjects. This internship was the perfect balance of job shadowing opportunities, project work, training sessions and fun!

What I wish was different

Advice

With any internship you can only gain as much knowledge as the effort you put in. Show up every day with an open mind and a willingness to learn and you will be successful no matter your career path or choice.

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Credit Intern

May - August 2018 • Mahomet, IL

What I liked

Farm Credit Illinois offered me a wide variety of experiences in different areas of their company. I had the opportunity to work with/job shadow crop insurance agents, credit analysts, appraisers, and loan officers. Spending time in each of these areas allowed me to determine what fit my interests best. I was then assigned projects accordingly that were engaging and valuable to the company. Farm Credit is a great place to work, with great people and an outstanding company culture. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship with them.

What I wish was different

Advice

Communication is key in any work setting, but especially when it comes to working for Farm Credit Illinois. The way that the summer internship is structured, interns get quite a bit of freedom to set their own schedule and complete tasks on their own. This means that communicating with others about progress, questions, and expectations is an important part of this internship.

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Summer Intern

May - August 2020 • Mahomet, IL

What I liked

Farm Credit Illinois provided me with an unforgettable summer internship experience despite Covid-19 complications. I was able to work remotely and in different offices as the summer went on. I was provided with different departments to choose summer projects in and chose to mainly work with business intelligence, credit services, and commercial lending. Expectations were outlined throughout the summer but I was generally granted the freedom to explore areas of interest. The cooperative is full of exceptional individuals and learning from them was great. The wide variety of valuable experiences provided by passionate staff members this summer provided me with professional and personal growth. This was my first internship experience and I am continuing to intern with FCI through the winter!

What I wish was different

Advice

The way to get the most out of this internship experience is to put yourself out there, not be afraid of trying new things, and meet new people. Everyone has their own way of doing things and it takes time to absorb the different experiences. If I could go back to this summer, I would focus more on planning ahead to make sure I had time for all the experiences Farm Credit Illinois has to offer.

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Summer Intern

June - August 2020 • Mahomet, IL

What I liked

Farm Credit Illinois provided me an internship that allowed me to explore different areas of interest in a short period of time to decide a specific focus area. The generalized nature of this internship helped me determine the specific career path I am interested in. We were given opportunities to network within the company and participate in professional development opportunities. They value helping their interns grow through their time there. The projects I received were important and beneficial to the company as a whole, which made me feel like I was completing meaningful work that impacted farmer members. I enjoyed serving the agricultural community with a company that puts their members first.

What I wish was different

Due to COVID, the internship looked a little different, and I was not able to attend Member Events over the summer. Those events are one thing I wish I could have been involved in, but look forward to in the future.

Advice

Take time to network and build relationships with people inside of Farm Credit Illinois. They will help you succeed in your internship, and future career. Ask good questions to strengthen those relationships and carry conversation with those you are in contact with.

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Summer Intern

May - August 2019 • Mahomet, IL

What I liked

Farm Credit Illinois provides an outstanding hands-on internship program for college students looking to explore many facets of the agriculture industry. I enjoyed having the ability to choose projects in areas that were of interest to me and added value to the company. Some projects I enjoyed worked on included updating our Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer program (FreshRoots) application materials to improve loan turn around time, assisting with the creation of a credit training program for employees on an interactive digital platform, and helping with the planning and execution of the "Farmer CEO Summit", a conference for loan officers and one of their customers to attend in St. Louis. I loved being able to network and build relationships with employees in each of our 14 branch offices through these projects as well as job shadowing and helping with member appreciation events.

What I wish was different

Advice

One piece of advice I would share for students who are interested in this experience is to connect and communicate your interests early! Communicating your interests, willingness to learn, and passion for the agriculture industry are 3 important things. Upon entering the internship, don't be afraid to ask questions, jump into a project in an area you don't know much about, and set up job shadows to learn and grow. This will put you on the path to becoming a successful intern!

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