Name: Joel M.
Position: Global Tech Intern
School: New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dream destination: Key West
Treat of choice: Flan. Whenever there’s a special occasion my grandma usually makes a giant pan. I’ve never had a flan that topped hers.

Joel was doing what he loves most — playing video games — when he learned about Marriott’s HQ Fellowship/Internship Program.

“I was playing Destiny 2 with my friend Alex and his father (a Global Tech VP at Marriott), when he said ‘Doesn’t your friend do computer science? Marriott is doing internships.’ Hearing that and knowing that the hospitality industry is one to be in, I signed up and got the position,” he recalls. “I didn’t even realize I’d be working in his department. I just thought it’d be a good use of my time at a good company.”

→ Transform Your Career: Find Tech Jobs at Marriott

A student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Joel is putting his technical skills to the test this summer as a fellow in the Marriott HQ Fellowship/Internship Program, which allows undergrad and graduate students to experience first-hand different aspects of the industry.

Although for many computer science and technology students, working at a hospitality company might not be an obvious option when considering where to get your career started, for Joel it made total sense. In addition to his father having worked in hospitality his entire life, Joel saw a great opportunity to apply what he’s learned in school in this internship. Now, at the completion of his summer internship, Joel is surprised by the hands-on experience he’s had and even sees his long-term career developing here at Marriott.

“This will look great on my resume when I reapply to Marriott next year and the year after that!”

Learn more about how Joel is building the career he wants on his own terms, below.

How are you making the most of this experience?

I want to use this internship as a learning opportunity. I’m sure there is a lot to learn from my position here at Marriott that I won’t be able to learn at college, both in soft skills and in computer science.

What has been your favorite part of the internship so far?

Seeing the tech demos and the code I’ve written being run is super cool. Every two weeks we do a demo of what’s new to our department Vice President — knowing that code I’ve helped write is functioning in the real world is something I thought would happen after college. A few weeks ago, we were doing a dry run to make sure everything would go as planned, and there was some error. We had updated a variable name, but there was a difference in the name between the user interface and server. Someone read the names and I thought “hmm that doesn’t sound like what I typed,” and got to claim the credit for finding it first!

How would you describe the tech field in hospitality?

Most “big tech” companies provide services that seem to get worse as time goes on. Marriott, and other hotels in general, don’t have to worry about this as the majority of their front end are real people who certainly care about their jobs. It’s also really hard to mess up a booking website.

What makes Marriott different as a company in the tech field?

When I think of a tech company, I think of a company trying to put as many trackers and cookies into their products as possible. With Marriott, I don’t think that’s the case. Most of the developments I’ve seen have been to make the associates work faster and better, which is far more human than other big tech companies.

Of all the college opportunities, why did you ultimately pick a Marriott Internship?

I know hotels, in general, have very good benefits — as my father has worked in the industry for years — so there was no way I was saying no to this opportunity.

What’s next for you?

My dream job would be working somewhere at Valve or Mojang (video game developers), as I’ve been gaming since elementary school.

→ Marriott Is Hiring! Find What You’re Looking For in a Career