Jan Menzel
Tell us a bit about yourself.
“Hi! My name is Jan Menzel, 24 years old, from Moers in Germany. I am a second year master’s student in Business Information Technology from the University of Twente in the beautiful Enschede, Netherlands, who made the decision to go abroad and intern for a German start-up expanding in Chicago. My studies are a 60/40 split between computer science and management, so it is very versatile. My main focus is on data science and machine learning, as I just find it fascinating how much information you can gather from specific datasets and taking different perspectives on their use cases to help businesses thrive.
In my free time, I play beach- or indoor volleyball (also here in Chicago!) and enjoy cooking a lot, especially together with friends.”
Why did you apply for the Internships in the Valley program?
“The idea of connecting students with companies in the US and also preparing them for work life is a very unique proposition, so without giving it too much thought initially, I filed my application.
After discovering their platform and joining two introductory webinars, I decided to give it my best to actually make an internship abroad happen! During the office hours sessions, I received some great feedback on how I can tailor my approach to companies more to the US-culture and transparency on all the required steps to actually go abroad, which made quite a difference in the responses and communication I received when applying to companies of various sizes.”
How did you end up with an internship at Markt-Pilot? Can you tell us more about your role and projects you’ve been busy with?
“Markt-Pilot is a German startup from Esslingen, a very beautiful town in the South of Germany, with branches in Chicago, Milan and soon Stockholm. The company gathers, aggregates and analyses market intelligence on aftermarket machine manufacturing spare parts.
I discovered the position through another member of Internships in the Valley, who posted this position on the network feed. I reached out to the current intern and connected with her to get an impression of the day-to-day work she is doing and then one thing led to another! As soon as I signed my contract, I started working for Markt-Pilot as a working student to already get familiar with the company and processes, which helped me settle in when I arrived in the US. I also visited Esslingen for a day, so I got to know my German colleagues, before I flew to the states.
My position is called “Business Operations Analyst” for the North-American market, which means that I am responsible for research projects for our US-customers, while collaborating with the German team. My main tasks include enhancing customer data, researching price points, cleaning and consolidating the results for a handover to our stakeholders.
Nowadays, my primary focus is on automating existing operation processes, finding new ways to gather the market data and big data analysis, therefore there is a lot of diversity and room to explore my own interests.”
So, you’ve recently been offered an extension. Congratulations! How did this unfold?
“Initially, I was offered a six-month internship which is a sweet spot of getting to know a company and the day-to-day life in a different city/continent. I viewed this internship opportunity as a break from my studies before starting to write my master’s thesis, so I can return to the Netherlands and write my thesis with some fresh energy.
But now that I am here, I realize that I like life in Chicago more than I initially anticipated, especially the fun work environment with young and ambitious colleagues here at my company. Therefore, my supervisor and I now drafted a plan on how I can write my thesis at Markt-Pilot, while extending the internship duration, so that both parties benefit from it, and I really look forward to the next six-month period!”
What’s life like in ‘the Windy City’? Have you been enjoying it so far?
“Chicago is by far the most diverse and biggest city I have ever lived in. Every city district has its own flair and totally differs from the other districts, which makes exploring the city very exciting and fun. Also, Chicago has a good public transportation system, so you can reach most of the inner districts without much inconvenience using the “L” (tram), buses or rental bikes.
My favorite places to hang out during the summer was the beach, especially North Avenue beach, as it has a huge sand lakefront, 30 volleyball fields and you can always see the skyline of Chicago in clear view. As it is November while I’m writing this, I’ll admit that I am a bit scared of the upcoming winter, as it can drop down to -20 degrees Celsius due to the winds of Lake Michigan, but let’s see how it will turn out!”
What are some of the biggest or most important skills you’ve learned so far at Markt-Pilot?
“One of my biggest things I’ve learned from working at Markt-Pilot is how the life and business environment of a start-up differs from bigger companies. Internationally, there are a little over 100 employees at Markt-Pilot, with our team in Chicago consisting of 14 in total. Therefore, if you step up and become an expert in your processes and field of work you cover in the company, then every other colleague in your team will rely on you and trust you in the work you deliver. With such a small team and everyone sticking together like this, you can notice big changes in collaboration and office energy, which is very rewarding.”
Any cool trips or adventures you want to share with us?
“Yes, for sure! Life moves very quickly in the US, and I experienced a lot. Just in the four months of being here! For example 3 days into my internship the US-office of Markt-Pilot went for a “workation”, a mix of work and vacation, where we rented an AirBnB and worked from there for 2 days. We did some workshops and meetings in the morning and after work, went for a boat ride, BBQ or table-tennis tournament. This was an even better start to my internship than I imagined, as you get to know your coworkers on a different level than just working with them from 9 to 5 in the office.
Last weekend I went for a roadtrip with friends to Niagara falls and Toronto, which was also a very nice and adventurous mix-up to Chicago or the US as Canada has its own flair and culture!”