Cigna TECDP Internship – Project Management
Cigna is a global health services organization with the mission of improving the health, well being, and sense of security of their customers. They have been focusing their strategy on going global, going deep, and going individual – and going digital.
My internship took place for 12 weeks over summer 2017. I worked in Cigna’s Philadelphia office. The intern program was part of Cigna’s Technology Early Career Development Program – or TECDP. I was hired as a Project Management Intern in Group IT. Group IT is an umbrella term to refer to all the IT operations that relate to Cigna’s disability and life insurance. Specifically, my team works on the platform used to submit and track short term disability claims. I also participated in an intern summer innovation challenge, which involved working with a team of 9 other TECDP interns from across the country to solve a technology-related problem.
Key Takeaways
- The Importance of Agile – I definitely see how crucial this is for the future of IT, and I will be spending more time researching this methodology.
- Are cubes my thing? – I had some difficulty adjusting to cube life, to be honest. I missed interacting with people, and I missed the human interaction that comes with the jobs I’m used to – especially as an RA. It is “food for thought” as I work to figure out what kind of job I want post-college.
- The importance of working with people who want you to succeed – Cigna had an amazing, supportive atmosphere. I never once felt unsupported or alone. I know that whatever company I work for, I want that environment.
- BA > PM – I ended up doing more BA work than PM work, and I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed my digital media work! This gave me some insight into what jobs I should apply for and where I will excel the most.