Each summer, we bring on a cohort of interns to gain real-world, professional experience in our fast-paced, innovative organization. Our interns own it by taking on challenging projects and create possibilities for the future of our company. Seeing how much of an impact they’re capable of making in a few short months, many of our interns choose to continue their careers with CDK as full-time employees.

Debasmita Ray is one of our many interns turned full-time employees. She began her CDK journey by joining our CDK Internship Program in the Summer of 2020 as a business intelligence analytics intern. At the end of her internship program, she was invited to work part-time until June of 2021, and was then converted to a full-time software engineer. As a software engineer I, Debasmita works with the Quality Engineering Team to create and drive data metrics through Tableau dashboards.

Hear what Debasmita Ray has to say about her career journey at CDK:

• What about your internship experience made you want to join CDK as a full-time employee?My team and my colleagues. I always received unconditional support from my manager and mentors while I was working as an intern. My internship experience allowed me to learn new tools and software from scratch, and I applied these skills to drive data transparency and quality. Additionally, my manager was very accommodating on the limited hours I worked since I was a full-time college student. It’s rare to see a company be so flexible and accommodating for a part-time intern.During my internship, I was recognized and acknowledged for my work and contributions to our team. One of the most memorable awards I received was the Yoda Award, gifted to me during my team’s quarterly town hall. The award exemplifies an employee who has demonstrated one or more of the CDK values in their work.I also really enjoyed the chance to work with so many different people and teams. A large part of my role consisted of creating Tableau dashboards used by various teams and people. CDK gave me the opportunity and space to explore different skills and find my passion for data analytics while working on applicable projects that were used and appreciated by the teams.
• How has CDK supported your growth as a young professional?Entering any company as an intern is intimidating because you have a set number of weeks to showcase your skills and make an impact. I didn’t know anything about Tableau or how to use the tool, and my main intern project was creating an intricate Tableau dashboard. I was nervous that I wouldn’t perform and meet my deadlines since I was starting from ground zero, but my mentor (aka Tableau teacher) taught me everything and supported me the entire way through. Not all companies consider training an essential part of the process, but CDK and my mentor gave me the time and resources to learn Tableau from scratch, which helped me excel and go above and beyond for my intern project. I am beyond grateful I got the opportunity to learn Tableau because it helped me discover that data analytics and business intelligence are my passion, which guided me to the position I’m in today!Another essential part of my internship and current job is networking. I work with several product groups and teams to create custom Tableau dashboards based on their requirements, and doing so has given me the chance to learn more about the different types of people and work being done at CDK outside of my team.
• Why would you recommend the internship at CDK to other students or graduates looking to gain professional experience?I would recommend the internship program at CDK because it offers students the chance to work on real intern projects that the organization applies and uses. For example, the Tableau dashboards created during my internship are still used by the company today. The program emphasizes growth and learning, too. They don’t rush the learning process and instead help you create a strong foundation in whatever tool or software you are working with.
• What has been the most exciting or rewarding project you have worked on?My intern project, which was to create a Tableau dashboard for Athena Mission Critical. I got to present to all the product leaders and high-profile managers. That project helped me attain the position and work I’m doing today. It also helped me get acquainted with the lead director for the Product Enablement and Operations group.
• How would you describe the culture at CDK?The culture at CDK is welcoming and supportive. Being a newcomer to a company and team is very intimidating, but all the people I have worked with have been nothing but kind. The culture at CDK is an embodiment of the company values. Ever since I first joined CDK, I’ve seen people living by the values and using them to drive the work they’re doing. It’s amazing to see how much innovation is happening here!
• How are you empowered to make an impact in your role?I am driven and determined to drive data transparency and understanding. There is so much big data available, but it’s often hard to derive meaning from it, so I want to support and help other teams better understand and derive meaning from the big data. I’m empowered through creativity. I want to use my skills and knowledge to make and create new opportunities.

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