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Finney Enjoys Learning Experience at Grand Rapids Based Open System Technologies

Each year, hundreds of Ferris State University students gain valuable work experience through an internship. The experience of an internship also can confirm or redirect career decision-making, provide marketability, develop people skills, and enhance classroom learning. Many academic programs require an internship, but the experience is encouraged regardless to provide students with a better understanding of what will be expected of them in the workplace.

Students are participating in various internships in a variety of locations this summer. Meet Wardell Finney:
 

Wardell FinneyWho: A senior from Grand Rapids majoring in Computer Information Systems

Internship: Open System Technologies, an information technology and business process services company based in Grand Rapids.

What he’s learning: Finney is responsible for researching, developing and implementing an in-house service solution for work processes.

“I am currently working on integrating Entity Framework, an object relational tool that allows .NET developers to work with data using domain-specific objects, and writing a Web service connecting a legacy application to the current application I am developing,” said Finney, who is being paid for his internship.

He is also learning C#, a high performance language designed for the Microsoft .NET framework; .NET practices; and creating and implementing solutions based on internal business rules.

How he’s benefitting: “I have had the opportunity to learn new processes in the .NET environment, learn from experienced developers that are working with new practices, and gain job experience in the field,” said Finney.

Goal for the future: After Finney graduates he would love to continue working at OST, as the company has “breathed ‘life’ or real-world experience into these fresh lungs.” Otherwise, he would like to continue to work in programming for about two years to learn the structure of software, creating and debugging, then work toward becoming an information systems analyst.


Visit our "Meet the Interns" website for the most up-to-date listing of this summer's featured interns. Click here.