Three Successful Careers That Started With Internships

In my nearly 10 years of managing Mutual of Omaha’s internship program, I’ve had the privilege of seeing many early careers begin and grow within the company. At Mutual of Omaha, we see the value of interns and believe in the impact they make. We’re a better company because of our interns. In the last five years, we’ve grown our intern program by more than 160% and now have opportunities in 10 different departments.

Our interns work remotely with some departments offering hybrid options during the 12-week program. Throughout the summer, interns work alongside business professionals to enhance their skills and deepen their knowledge of their field of interest. They’re given real-world work that directly impacts our business and our customers.

Real stories of interns turned associates

But what happens when the summer is over? What’s next for our interns? Many of them have a chance to convert to our full-time student programs or begin a full-time career with us. While there are numerous examples of this happening, I’d like to share the success stories of three associates in particular. Each show how Mutual of Omaha supports its associates and encourages continuous learning to grow a career.

Actuarial intern to vice president

Laura Huscroft, FSA, CERA, MAAA, vice president, started her career at Mutual as an actuarial intern before quickly advancing to an actuarial assistant in 2011. She’s held a variety of roles within Mutual of Omaha’s life insurance divisions, as well as vice president of Enterprise Risk Management, where she was responsible for the company’s risk management practices.

These experiences granted her access to a wide array of insurance and business disciplines and exposure to all levels of the organization, including regular reporting to the company’s executive leadership team and board of directors.

“Mutual of Omaha has helped me grow every day since I started,” Huscroft said. “The company has invested in my professional growth via exam support and educational opportunities that span actuarial science, diversity, equity and inclusion and leadership skills.

“Much more than that, the company has invested in my future. I’m entrusted with new challenges regularly and have been given countless opportunities that I may not have been ‘ready’ for on paper, but the company believed in me.

“In every project and career change, I’ve felt truly supported by Mutual of Omaha leadership. They’ve been there to celebrate my successes, help me learn from my inevitable mistakes and make coming to work truly enjoyable!”

Information technology intern to engineer

Vidhya Sagar began his career with Mutual of Omaha in 2019 as an information technology intern. Following the completion of his internship, Sagar took the opportunity to continue with Mutual of Omaha as an application developer. He has since been promoted twice and is currently an engineer II.

“I would emphasize that learning and growth has been tremendous, and the journey has been quite remarkable. Each day gives you an opportunity to learn, evolve and implement something new,” Sagar said. “Mutual of Omaha has a multitude of factors that empower its employees and pave a path full of opportunities to develop and grow continuously. The opportunities available at work keep me tech-thirsty and ignite me to keep learning.”

Finance and Accounting intern to senior financial analyst

Patty Altenbach joined Mutual of Omaha’s summer internship program in 2019 in our Finance and Accounting department. After previously holding an internship at a public accounting firm, Altenbach was seeking experience in an industry setting.

She was particularly interested in working toward her certified public accounting (CPA) certification. Mutual of Omaha offered her a chance to do just that. Once Altenbach completed her summer internship, she was offered an opportunity to join our Finance and Accounting Development Program, a three-year rotational program that provides students with the skills they need to succeed in a finance role.

In 2020, Altenbach completed the development program and attained her CPA, as well as a promotion and full-time position as a senior finance analyst with Mutual of Omaha.

“At Mutual of Omaha, they compensate you for your CPA exams and study materials,” Altenbach said. “With industry roles, you need three years of experience to obtain certification, whereas in the public sector, you need two years. The Finance and Accounting Development Program is three years, so the experience fulfills the required hours. And many of the leaders in the Finance department are CPAs, so they’re willing to sign off on your hours.”

Mutual of Omaha’s commitment to career growth can be seen throughout the company — even beyond our internship and student programs. Our dedicated Learning and Development team, generous tuition reimbursement, virtual training, mentor programs and supportive leaders are just a few of the benefits you’ll experience when you join our team. You truly can come, learn and grow here.

For more information about career opportunities, visit Mutual of Omaha’s careers website to learn more and apply for open roles.