My Summer Internship at Deutsche Bank

Interested in exploring a career in Finance? We sat down with Kyle Higgins, a recent grad who joined Deutsche Bank, to learn all about how he landed the internship and what he got to do over the summer. Check it out!

Q: What was school like for you, and where did you expect to go career-wise?

Kyle:  I graduated from the University at Albany (SUNY) in the Financial Analyst Program.  There were roughly 20 others in my year, and all of them are now working in Finance. It was definitely a competitive program, with many students completing extracurriculars and internships in addition to full class-loads. One program that I was involved in was an asset management group, where we managed money from the school’s endowment fund. This gave me some fantastic experience that helped my resume in a big way. The overall culture of the program was very pre-professional—needless to say, we wore suits to class more often than sweatpants.

Q: How did you find out about Deutsche Bank? What other areas/companies were you interested in at the time?

Kyle: I had previously heard of Deutsche Bank but didn’t have any direct contact with the firm since none of my classmates in the Program had been hired there.  While at a networking event, a few alumni talked about their jobs at Deutsche Bank and they told us about the internship and Graduate Program.  The presentation they gave is what ultimately got me interested, and why I submitted my resume. I also applied to a few other banks, but to this day, I’m really glad I went to that Deutsche presentation.

Q: What did you expect going into the Deutsche Bank internship program?

Kyle: The presentation on campus gave me a strong impression of the caliber and type of people at Deutsche Bank and this was only strengthened as I completed phone screenings and final round interviews. My expectation was to participate in real-world scenarios while collaborating with other interns throughout the 10 week program.  Our group project ended up centering on two separate cases involving Russia and Argentina.  At the end of the summer, we presented our analysis to several senior managers in Risk, and our analysis actually helped them make important decisions in those markets.

Q: What was your first week like in the internship?

Kyle: The first week at Deutsche Bank was a combination of offsite intern training and introductions to your specific team, which for me was CRM Securitization.  The training helped teach us things to consider when working on the job, emphasizing practical knowledge like financial statement analysis.  My first day on the Securitization team made me realize how much interns were treated like full-time employees.  Although we were new to the role, real work was assigned to us with deadlines and expectations.  I remember how on the first day, my mentor gave me a live deal to read through.  Although he knew most of the information would take a while to digest, I appreciated  that on day one he treated me like a peer, giving me real insight into what he was working on.

From the moment I joined the Bank, I was impressed with the diversity of views and perspectives – not only in my intern class, but in the full-time staff as well.  Within Risk, there were several colleagues with diverse nationalities including Chinese, German and French, and everyone seemed to bring unique perspectives to the table. Something really valuable I learned on the team was that the combination of several cultures and backgrounds bring out the best quality of work.

Q: What are a few things that surprised you about Deutsche Bank?

Kyle: As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised by the level of diversity of backgrounds and cultures on the team.  The depth of knowledge my colleagues were able to draw upon, from previous positions they held both internally and externally was truly incredible.  As an example, one of my colleagues had previously worked for the rating agencies which ultimately gave him better insight into their methodology and approach. Finally, I didn’t realize how many locations and countries Deutsche Bank operated in globally; when I had the opportunity to go abroad with the Bank, I really felt like I was a part of this vast global team.

Q: I heard the Deutsche Bank Risk program offers graduates the opportunity to complete an international rotation. Where did you complete yours? How do you feel this enhanced your experience with the Bank?

Kyle: My international rotation was in Dusseldorf, Germany for nine weeks.  I worked with the Global Credit Rating team (GCRT) and completed several ratings during my stay.  This experience helped me understand the work that the team completes on a daily basis, as well as how the end results flow into the CRM function.

The experience was extremely helpful in improving my skills when evaluating companies that are corporate as well as financial-based.  Being able to “deep dive” into financial statements and assess the health of a counter party is crucial to several roles in finance.

On a more personal note, it was a pleasure to expand my network and meet those who work in the Dusseldorf office.  Within that location, 22 languages are spoken and the nationalities include Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, and Venezuelan, to name a few.  The team welcomed me into their daily life and made me feel at home six time zones away from New York. It was awesome.

Q: What has the experience taught you about yourself?

Kyle: The experience has taught me that I can learn something new in a completely foreign environment.  No matter where I go or what I do in my career, it is reassuring to know that I can thrive in a challenging environment.  It has also improved my ability to collaborate with colleagues from very different backgrounds.  If I could succeed in an office in Dusseldorf, Germany, where people spoke 22 different languages, I could get by anywhere.

Q: What are you excited about for the future?

Kyle: The grad rotation has afforded me the opportunity to see many areas of the Bank, both domestically and internationally.  By the end of this Risk program, I will have worked with CRM Securitization, CRM Leveraged Finance, Global Credit Rating Team and CRM Hedge Funds.  I have developed so many valuable connections and expanded my network farther than I ever anticipated.  I am excited to bring all my experiences and general knowledge of risk to whichever team I am fully placed with. I’m also looking forward to finally moving into the city!

Interested in a career at Deutsche Bank? Head over to their company page on WayUp for more information!