“I am Neion George. I was an intern with Career Edge in 2015, and today I’m a Senior Solution Engineer at Salesforce.”
That’s a decade in one sentence. But the distance between those two points, fresh graduate and senior engineer at one of the world’s most recognized tech companies – didn’t happen by accident. It started with a mindset shift, and a program that made the first step possible.
He describes the internship in one word: transformative.
“It really helped me transform from a mindset of trying to get a job to actually being in the job and starting to build my career.” 
That distinction matters more than it sounds. There’s a version of early career life that’s entirely consumed by the search – applications, interviews, rejection, repeat. The internship broke that cycle. It gave Neion something no amount of applying could: real world experience that bridged the gap between education and the corporate world.
The most valuable lesson he took from it wasn’t a technical one.
“Communication, by far. Whether it’s speaking up in meetings or giving my perspective when it comes to a particular problem we’re trying to solve – that has been invaluable and has really helped me progress my career throughout all of the roles I’ve had.”
The advice he’d give his intern self is a reframe of what ambition should actually look like at the start of a career.
“Don’t strive to be perfect, just strive to be curious. When I was an intern, I was always looking to have the perfect role, find the perfect position, the perfect company. But instead, I should have just been asking the right questions, trying to be curious and learn more about myself – what it is that I like, and what value I can bring.”
The internship didn’t just reframe his thinking. It directly opened the door to everything that followed.
“Without my internship at Career Edge, I’m not sure where my career would have ended up. It was because of my internship that led me to a contract in my first organization. Within the first six months of having that contract, I was asked to be a full-time employee. Without Career Edge, I would not have had the ability to start my career – and from there propel it to where I am today.”
On what employers can do better for early talent, Neion’s answer is rooted in what actually made him feel like he belonged:
“Giving them meaningful work – work that actually matters. Giving them some form of mentorship and providing consistent feedback. In all of my roles, those three things are really what truly made me feel valuable and made me feel like I wanted to invest in the business I was working for.”
And for Career Edge, on its 30th anniversary – from someone who didn’t hesitate for a second when asked to be part of it:
“I want to say thank you to Career Edge for helping me launch my career. Career Edge did a great job in bridging that gap between my education and my actual working life – and I’m forever grateful and thankful for it. Career Edge has been a milestone in my life, and I’m sure it will be a milestone in the lives of many others.”
Want to learn more about Neion and his journey, watch the full video here