My name is Chris Dillard and I am a student at the University of Virginia. Working at Quicken was my first exposure to Silicon Valley, and my first time living on the West Coast. After a small culture shock, I quickly felt comfortable with the Bay Area, and had ample opportunity to explore and develop my interests.

From the start, I was amazed by Quicken’s culture of support and energy. Immense care was put into our intern program to ensure we were doing meaningful work while adding value to Quicken’s future. The approachability of senior staff and synergy between teams made daily operations incredibly fluid. Coupled with a history of success, Quicken’s startup culture created a unique and enriching work environment.

I worked with Kelly, a Product Manager for Quicken Web. Despite having limited exposure to Product Management, Quicken trusted me with multiple large scale projects for their new product launch. On the first week, I was challenged to do an App Store competitive analysis that I presented to Quicken’s senior staff, and shortly thereafter lead a group of 3 other interns on creating the beta site landing page. I was also tasked with planning a forecasting tool to help users of this new product view a snapshot of various financial options called Savings Goals. Both the leadership and interpersonal management skills I gained are invaluable.

Quicken employees also went out of their way to know us on a personal level. As an intern group we participated in lunches, a go-karting event (I got 3rd place), and trips into San Francisco with Quicken senior staff. Employees invited us to join in on their weekend plans, like sailing and morning golf. Daniel, head of Business Development, even sat down with a few interns (including myself) to discuss his life lessons and how we should apply them.

Outside the Quicken office I explored the Bay Area, flying out to Seattle and San Diego, and driving throughout Silicon Valley and San Francisco. I was also fortunate enough to play some of the worlds elite golf courses such as Torrey Pines, Cal Club, and the Olympic Club. Since a few of my family members live in San Francisco, I also tried to make a trip about once a week into the city before heading back to the East Coast in August.

Quicken was a fantastic internship experience, and I highly recommend it for anyone who has the opportunity to work there. The support and care Quicken puts into their intern program puts it lightyears ahead of other internships I have been a part of, and I am certain it will only grow in the coming years.

Chris Dillard

Statistics and Pre-Commerce student at the University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA