Ben Nally, an IT intern in our Raleigh office, grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and recently graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in information systems. Here, he shares what he has learned from and contributed to the Moseley Architects team.
Why did you choose to study IT?
IT itself is pretty broad. In school, I studied information systems, which is the study of the movement and communication of data (thrilling, I know). Data is how we digitally quantify the world around us—everything is data. However, systems can operate on and use data differently. Much like how you wouldn’t put diesel into a Tesla, you wouldn’t feed a Revit model to Paylocity. Yet, as users, we expect to have these systems be interconnected; for the systems to know that ‘X’ project has ‘Y’ costs associated with it and ‘A’ models made by ‘B’ employees. How we bridge these systems and communicate information between them is what Information Systems is in a nutshell. I chose to study it because I found the puzzle-like nature of the topic to be intriguing and the creation of a web of networks to be satisfying.
TLDR: I know how to put diesel into a Tesla.
What building typologies are you most interested in?
Though building typology doesn’t have much impact on what I do, broadly speaking I find organic architecture to be interesting and a lot of Kengo Kuma’s works to be pretty neat.
Is this the first time you’ve done an internship?
Yes, sort of. I interned with Moseley in the winter and spring, so in terms of continuity this is still my “first” internship but calling it that doesn’t seem accurate.
If you had to describe your Moseley intern experience thus far using three words, what would they be?
“Ice cream Thursdays”
“You Tried Rebooting?”
“Revit sync issues”
“Bluebeam is gone?”
“Unique. Interesting. Fun.”
What are some of the assignments you’ve been given?
Mostly intranet-related items, such as the community investment calendar/page, additional navigation/UI changes, checklist updates, and updates to the “Dates of Identity and Culture” panel.
Currently, I’m helping with our internal database transition.
What assignment have you enjoyed the most so far?
The community investment calendar/page was an enjoyable assignment since it’s something that people directly interact with. The database transition has also been interesting to be a part of, since it’s such a massive undertaking with a lot of people and many moving parts.
Have you encountered any challenges during your internship?
The biggest challenges I faced were when I was getting started. There were a lot of new concepts that I had to learn quickly, but luckily everyone I’ve worked with has been super patient and open to answering questions.
How has the actual experience differed from your expectations of it?
The variety of tasks and projects I’ve gotten to work on is beyond what I expected. It’s awesome being able to come in and have each day present a unique puzzle or problem to solve.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned or the best advice you’ve received during the internship so far?
“Remain user focused.” No matter how technically or functionally impressive something is, if the user doesn’t need or use it, then it’s wasted.
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