The following post was written by Brandon Boyd, Global Delivery Management Communications Intern.

My experience as an intern at Avanade has been an incredible start to my career. During my stay here, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a professional environment with some incredibly talented and inspiring people. Being chosen for this internship was truly a blessing that I am thankful for.

I was looking hard for a summer internship after my sophomore year at the University of Washington in Seattle, and my search had paid off. I had gone through several rounds of interviews at a marketing firm in Bellevue and had scored a fancy corporate job that would give me my start as a marketer and communicator. I was ecstatic for the opportunity and couldn’t wait to start.

But a search into my would-be company a few weeks before my start date led me to some disturbing news: the company that had hired me was a scam, and I had taken the bait.

I felt angry and foolish for what had happened, but I didn’t let it slow me down. I sent off a slew of resumes to companies to work for that summer, and my efforts ultimately had me balancing four jobs during those months.

The trials and tribulations of finding work motivated me to seek the authentic work experience that I thought I had already secured. That drive led me to the posting for a communications internship with Avanade. I worked diligently on the application process before anxiously hitting “send” on the application.

An Avanade recruiter called me and moved me through the interview process. After four rounds of interviews, I sat waiting for my phone to ring with night-before-Christmas anticipation. When I did get the “Congratulations!” phone call, I ran around my house like a human cyclone, celebrating my accomplishment.

I started at Avanade in December 2013 as a part-time intern for the Global Delivery Management team in Seattle. My role has me chiefly responsible for writing the delivery success stories that reveal how we help our customers every day. These stories have taught me loads about how we actually run our business and the types of projects we undertake for our customers. I’ve learned how to speak “tech” fluently.

But my job responsibilities go far beyond corporate news writing, as I frequently fulfill a variety of communications roles for the team. I’ve done everything from writing to editing to graphic design to video editing and much more for my internship.

My role as an intern here is shaped by my tremendous boss, Megan Sharma, who leads communications for the team. Megan took the time to not only introduce me to the ins and outs of what I would be doing at Avanade, but also who I would be working with on our team, and why our job really matters to the company. This obviously helped in future collaboration, but it also introduced me to the guy who would introduce me to the famed latte machine, which has been the gasoline to my engine at Avanade and a theme among interns in Seattle.

My role has given a tremendous boost to my writing and communication skills that I wouldn't have been able to get elsewhere. Just when I think I think I am a complete writer I am swiftly reminded that there’s always room to grow. It’s been a great opportunity to grow with Avanade.