It’s a common question.
“Do you know what you want to do with your life?”
And yet…we often overlook the importance of knowing what you don’t want to do.
Mary Neiman was haunted by this question.
A former student at Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy and a current Saginaw Valley State University senior, Mary stood at a crossroads between two career paths: accounting or marketing.
She wanted to know which choice would be best for her future. But she wasn’t finding clarity in the classroom.
“Originally, I had gone to college with a Marketing degree focus,” Mary explained. “Then I took an Introduction to Accounting class, and I loved it, so I was like, ‘Huh… maybe this is something I want to explore more,’ so I started taking more upper-level accounting classes.”
Mary’s professors invited accounting professionals to speak to their classes, which helped open Mary’s eyes, but her heart was still slightly unsure.
“I was enjoying the material I was learning, but as guest speakers came in, I started to question whether I could see myself in the accounting field long term,” she said. “I was leaning towards marketing but didn’t really know what that would look like in real life. I had no idea what I wanted to do.”
Gaining Real-Life Experience
Mary decided it was time for some hands-on experience. Hopefully, she would then find the answer to the question swirling in her brain: Accounting… or Marketing?
And she did find her answer, right behind the doors of Garber Management Group. Mary was selected to participate in Garber’s paid summer internship program during the summer of 2025.
“I found out about the internship program at Garber from a mentor,” Mary said. “I knew Garber was a good place to work and heard a lot of great things, so I thought seeing that environment for myself could help me get a better idea of how different businesses function.”
Mary was especially drawn to Garber’s internship program’s rotational aspect. Rather than remaining in one department for the entire summer, interns rotate across different areas of the company to experience several aspects of dealership office operations and the automotive world.
“One thing I liked about the internship with Garber was that it was a rotational program because, at the beginning of summer, I was double-majoring in Marketing and Accounting, so I wanted to figure out what route I wanted to go down,” Mary explained.
“Getting an internship where I was able to touch different parts of the business was important to me. I didn’t even know companies did a rotational program. When I found out about it at Garber, I was like, ‘This is amazing.’”
Mary said Garber’s positive presence in the community sealed her decision to apply to the internship program.
“When I told my family I was applying to Garber’s internship program, they were excited because they knew Garber is such a great company based on the reputation they’ve built in our community.”
Finding Clarity
During her internship, Mary worked alongside various accounting-focused teams within Garber Management Group, including Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable and the Deal team.
The hands-on, accounting-specific responsibilities gave her the experience she needed to make an informed decision.
“The rotational program really helped me,” Mary explained. “Just getting my hands on balancing accounts and those types of accounting tasks really cemented for me in my head that it wasn’t a career path I wanted to go down.”
While she confirmed that accounting was not where she saw herself professionally, Mary also clarified what path she’d now follow full-steam ahead.
“Then I worked with Garber’s Digital Marketing team, and it was my favorite thing,” Mary smiled. “I’m actually still working there now, around my schedule part-time, so being able to see the marketing side of things and get a bit of experience made my decision so much easier.”
As part of the Digital Marketing team, one of Mary’s main responsibilities was scheduling content to post on Garber’s social accounts. She also got to meet one-on-one with every person on the Digital team.
“They got to explain what they did in their marketing role, which was so helpful and interesting because I got to see all the different roles in a digital marketing department, and I really enjoyed that,” Mary said.
Once she identified Digital Marketing as the path she wanted to take, Garber was flexible in helping her adjust her internship program experience to best align with her passions and interests.
“As the summer progressed, I met with Ty Mier [Controller at Garber and head of the internship program] and he asked me how everything was going,” Mary said. “He was really flexible in giving me opportunities to go back to the areas that I liked.”
A Confident Step into the Future
On track to graduate from SVSU in May 2026, Mary officially dropped her Accounting major and is pursuing Marketing. She said she has Garber to thank.
“Thanks to the Garber internship program, I feel a lot more certain about my career path,” Mary said. “Once I decided on Marketing, it was a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
So what if she hadn’t been an intern at Garber?
“Garber was a big clarifying moment for me,” Mary said. “If I hadn’t done the internship, I might have graduated with both degrees, and I wouldn’t have been pushed to really decide what I wanted to do. I’m more sure of myself. I know what I want to do with my life now.”
Fast Five
Favorite food? Tacos
First job? I still have my first job! I have been a childcare provider/nursery worker for the last 6 years at New Life in Saginaw.
Favorite memory from Garber? My favorite memory from Garber was helping out at Habitat for Humanity.
Three words to describe Garber’s culture? Supportive, Friendly, Engaging
A piece of advice for future interns? Make the most of the internship! Explore new opportunities and departments to learn as much as you can. The internship goes by fast!
