From intern to full time employment: Mykaela’s story

In 2022, I was a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, majoring in business with a focus on marketing. At the time, I didn’t know what direction I wanted my career to take. I enjoyed marketing, but it didn’t quite feel like the path for me, so I was looking around for opportunities to gain experience and discover what I was good at.  

I saw an advert for a business development internship at Axis. I was a bit apprehensive at first as I didn't have any corporate experience or experience within the security sector. But the internship felt tailor-made for me as it was specifically aimed at students still exploring their career paths. I did a bit more research about the culture and learning opportunities that Axis offered, which made it even more attractive.  

So I applied, and soon after, I was offered a summer internship. It was an amazing experience, where I learned so much and got to know the great people in the team. What started as a short-term internship quickly turned into a longer opportunity, as I built strong relationships with the team and my manager offered to extend my role through to my graduation in 2024. Of course, I jumped at the chance, and soon transferred to Southern New Hampshire University, which is closer to the Axis US headquarters in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. I was able to easily combine my studies with the internship.

After I graduated, I transitioned into a full-time role as a Program Coordinator in the Solutions Acceleration team. I supported initiatives to expand the market by driving growth through end-to-end solutions. Since then, my role has evolved to Program Coordinator within the Data & Process Design Group (DPDG), a role I’m still in today.

Together with my team, I take on various tasks that drive digital transformation by reducing manual processes, accelerating execution, and building scalable automation capabilities across the organization. So that might mean designing more streamlined workflows and processes, improving consistency and reducing the chance of human error. We also continually help the organization adopt and maximize the use of impactful digital tools and emerging technologies to improve collaboration, efficiency, and innovation.

The main thing I’ve learned during this journey and that I’d pass on to others is to always be curious. Say yes to learning and opportunities even when they feel challenging and dare to step outside of your comfort zone. Also, don’t worry about having everything figured out. By staying open to different pathways and roles, you will have a greater chance of finding your career path. For me, growth came quickly when I actively engaged and put myself out there.  

It’s been such an amazing personal journey going from focusing on marketing at university to realizing that I excel in a role where I can use my skills to scale up automation in the surveillance industry. I never thought I'd be in a role like this, and I'm still learning new things every single day. 

People at Axis really embody the Axis values: Act as one, think big and always open. I can’t emphasize enough the impact my Axis internship mentors had on me, both professionally and personally. They supported and believed in me, which gave me confidence.  

I also appreciate the strong focus on employee growth and development, the learning opportunities and the importance of work-life balance.  

It would have to be somewhere warm like Hawaii, preferably on the beach and definitely surrounded by friends and family.