From Summer Interns to Full-Time Coworkers: Creating Bright Futures for Students
At CDW, we go the extra mile to support our interns with meaningful hands-on experiences, professional development and networking opportunities. Our 10-week summer internship program immerses students with unique mentorships from dedicated professionals to set them up for long-term career success.
We asked Cristian Vaca (he/him), Account Representative, and Deonvell Shed (he/him), Software Engineer II — two interns who converted into full-time coworkers — about their experience during CDW’s internship program and in their current roles. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: What was your experience like during the internship program?
Cristian Vaca (CV): My experience with the internship was great. I was able to learn a lot of new skills during the internship. I learned how to become a better communicator and organizer and became better at Excel/PowerPoint. It was great to hear from my coworkers and learn about their college experiences. Leadership was friendly and helpful, so I never felt overwhelmed. Overall, the internship was great, and I got to meet some great people from around the U.S.
Deonvell Shed (DS): My initial impression was that there was a lot of individual work. I found this exciting because it allowed me to do what I believed was right for both my individual project and team project. There was always a CDW coworker willing to answer any questions that we had. It was important that we asked as many questions as possible to understand exactly what we were doing. During my internship, I was not only able to work on a machine learning project that I had full control over, but I also worked with a group of interns to research a new business proposal for the company. During those six months, I was able to learn more about the company while also learning what areas I personally needed to improve to get on the right career path.
Q: What is your current role at CDW? What do you enjoy most about your role?
CV: I am an Account Representative at CDW. What I like most about my role is meeting new people and having a dynamic day every day. No day is the same as the last, so there’s always a new learning experience every day, which I really enjoy.
DS: I am a Software Engineer on the Search Platform Team at CDW. I enjoy the work that I’m doing on this team because it changes every day. Our team is currently working on transitioning technology to the Cloud while creating a new autocomplete feature for our CDW website pages. The project has improved communication between various teams and helped me understand not only what my team does but how various teams work in the grand scheme of CDW.
Q: When transitioning from an intern to a full-time coworker, was there anything that surprised you?
CV: One thing that surprised me was the amount of fun I could have at work. There are a lot of partner events that are a blast, and you get to meet new people every day.
DS: When transitioning from intern to Software Engineer, I was surprised at the amount of work that is expected from the team. As an intern, I didn’t have set dates for my work, but when I transitioned to a full-time coworker, it completely changed. It wasn’t all bad because to be able to handle all the deadlines, I needed to be able to communicate with my team that I needed help on certain things. I had to learn that it wasn’t useful to be stuck on something for hours when I had the opportunity to ask other coworkers for help. Everyone on the team is there to help each other, so nobody feels overwhelmed.
Q: What advice do you have for graduating students looking for a full-time role?
CV: Look for a role where there’s potential for growth. Don’t just follow the salary; follow the role that will help you with your personal and financial growth. CDW does an excellent job at this because of its great leadership and resources. Also, make sure to enjoy your senior year because college is a great time.
DS: Apply to any job that sounds interesting. There are many job postings that have a giant list of requirements, but to be honest, if you check off at least three or four of them, it’s worth a try. Companies are always willing to give a new person the chance to catch up to speed and learn on the job. Even if you feel like you don’t have a chance to get the job, apply anyway. You’ll be surprised who calls you back. Most importantly, just know that even with a college degree, there’s a lot more learning to do when you get into the workforce, but that’s what makes it exciting. 
We’re looking for ambitious students to join our internship program. As an intern, you’ll have the opportunity to bring your best self and ideas to CDW to tackle our customers’ IT challenges. You deserve to feel confident as you transition to the real-work world, and we’re here to answer any questions you have along the way.
Think CDW might be the right next step for you? Explore our opportunities for students and recent grads.
At CDW, we go the extra mile to support our interns with meaningful hands-on experiences, professional development and networking opportunities. Our 10-week summer internship program immerses students with unique mentorships from dedicated professionals to set them up for long-term career success.
We asked Cristian Vaca (he/him), Account Representative, and Deonvell Shed (he/him), Software Engineer II — two interns who converted into full-time coworkers — about their experience during CDW’s internship program and in their current roles. Here’s what they had to say.
Q: What was your experience like during the internship program?
Cristian Vaca (CV): My experience with the internship was great. I was able to learn a lot of new skills during the internship. I learned how to become a better communicator and organizer and became better at Excel/PowerPoint. It was great to hear from my coworkers and learn about their college experiences. Leadership was friendly and helpful, so I never felt overwhelmed. Overall, the internship was great, and I got to meet some great people from around the U.S.
Deonvell Shed (DS): My initial impression was that there was a lot of individual work. I found this exciting because it allowed me to do what I believed was right for both my individual project and team project. There was always a CDW coworker willing to answer any questions that we had. It was important that we asked as many questions as possible to understand exactly what we were doing. During my internship, I was not only able to work on a machine learning project that I had full control over, but I also worked with a group of interns to research a new business proposal for the company. During those six months, I was able to learn more about the company while also learning what areas I personally needed to improve to get on the right career path.
Q: What is your current role at CDW? What do you enjoy most about your role?
CV: I am an Account Representative at CDW. What I like most about my role is meeting new people and having a dynamic day every day. No day is the same as the last, so there’s always a new learning experience every day, which I really enjoy.
DS: I am a Software Engineer on the Search Platform Team at CDW. I enjoy the work that I’m doing on this team because it changes every day. Our team is currently working on transitioning technology to the Cloud while creating a new autocomplete feature for our CDW website pages. The project has improved communication between various teams and helped me understand not only what my team does but how various teams work in the grand scheme of CDW.
Q: When transitioning from an intern to a full-time coworker, was there anything that surprised you?
CV: One thing that surprised me was the amount of fun I could have at work. There are a lot of partner events that are a blast, and you get to meet new people every day.
DS: When transitioning from intern to Software Engineer, I was surprised at the amount of work that is expected from the team. As an intern, I didn’t have set dates for my work, but when I transitioned to a full-time coworker, it completely changed. It wasn’t all bad because to be able to handle all the deadlines, I needed to be able to communicate with my team that I needed help on certain things. I had to learn that it wasn’t useful to be stuck on something for hours when I had the opportunity to ask other coworkers for help. Everyone on the team is there to help each other, so nobody feels overwhelmed.
Q: What advice do you have for graduating students looking for a full-time role?
CV: Look for a role where there’s potential for growth. Don’t just follow the salary; follow the role that will help you with your personal and financial growth. CDW does an excellent job at this because of its great leadership and resources. Also, make sure to enjoy your senior year because college is a great time.
DS: Apply to any job that sounds interesting. There are many job postings that have a giant list of requirements, but to be honest, if you check off at least three or four of them, it’s worth a try. Companies are always willing to give a new person the chance to catch up to speed and learn on the job. Even if you feel like you don’t have a chance to get the job, apply anyway. You’ll be surprised who calls you back. Most importantly, just know that even with a college degree, there’s a lot more learning to do when you get into the workforce, but that’s what makes it exciting.
We’re looking for ambitious students to join our internship program. As an intern, you’ll have the opportunity to bring your best self and ideas to CDW to tackle our customers’ IT challenges. You deserve to feel confident as you transition to the real-work world, and we’re here to answer any questions you have along the way.
Think CDW might be the right next step for you? Explore our opportunities for students and recent grads.
