The following is a conversation with Nathan Brand, recent UMD graduate and the BBER’s longest serving intern. Nathan started at the BBER in October 2018 and worked continuously until his graduation (even during summers!). We were so lucky to work with Nathan over the past two and half years and wish him the best of luck in his new role at Wells Fargo!
What drew you to apply to the BBER?
I was looking at a lot of student positions. Most of them were just mindless roles–answering phones or monitoring the front desk at the planetarium. I was drawn to the BBER position because it looked like a role where I’d have to learn things and have to think.
Has your initial career focus changed since starting at the BBER? If so how has the BBER affected your plans?
I came into my internship with the goal of going into finance. I did not intend to be an Economics major when I started at the BBER. However, through my conversations with the other BBER interns and Economics faculty Chris McIntosh, I realized that I was very close to earning an Economics major. By taking a handful of additional courses and taking the BBER internship for upper-level Econ credits, I was able to secure a second major (Finance and Econ) in spring 2020.
My career goals are still primarily in finance (Nathan is currently working as a financial analyst at Wells Fargo). However, the BBER shifted my focus more toward economics. Now, my goal is to go into a macro strategist role. There is more economics in the global financial markets than people think.
More generally, though, I learned a lot about Duluth and a lot about how businesses work from my experience working at the BBER.
What has the BBER done to prepare you for your career?
I think I’ve grown a lot since starting as a sophomore. I am much more cognizant of punctuality and of the quality of my work now than I was three years ago. The BBER has helped me a lot with email communication skills, double checking my work before I submit it, understanding what’s expected of me when I’m being told the first time, and professional skills in general.
What was the most enjoyable project you worked on during your time at the BBER?
I really liked working on complex projects that required a lot of economic impact modeling, such as the Economic Impact of Ferrous and Nonferrous Mining study (June 2020) and the Economic Impact of the Hermantown Amateur Hockey Association (January 2020).
I also really enjoyed presenting at the Regional Economic Indicators Forum in October 2020. I liked doing the research on my own – the added autonomy of it, and having the opportunity to present my research.