Hello, Anteaters!
How’s it going? Set for for summer break? Gearing up for the internships? Excited and nervous to join the respective internships? Don’t worry, even if you are still looking for one, good things take some time to materialize) How do I know? Well, a year back even I was sailing in the same boat.
Hope this post will cheer some of you and be a piece of encouragement while you guys embark on the 12 weeks long journey.
- Remember 2 D’s: Dedication and Discipline
Although most of the companies have a provision of flexible working hours and facility of working from home, as an intern, it is a good practice to follow a routine for work, say, 9 to 6 or 10 to 7, may be, learn team’s work timings and adjust accordingly. It is not a bad idea to spend some extra time and effort in the initial days to know more about the work, the culture of the team, and understand the project you will be working on.
- Never Stop Learning
Know about your project. List down the things that need to be learned in the process. Try to develop expertise in what you are doing. Try to think a step ahead. Understand what, why, and how of the project. Look at the business model of the project. How it is going to impact your team/company. Have a bigger picture about your project. Explain your understanding to your teammates, gaze their opinion about the project. Think, how can it be made more interesting. Be innovative.
- Set Milestones
Divide your projects into various milestones, have a rough timeline of your own estimates — may or may not share with your manager/mentor, but it is good to get it reviewed since one might end up over/under estimating the task. Document your work, just to reflect upon your internship. [Personally, I maintained a status document for my own reference during 12 weeks of internship and added my tasks at the beginning of the day and at the EOD, I updated the same document with a detailed explanation about what I achieved/attempted etc.]
- Read, Read, and Read
Be it about the company, be it about the team or product or team members, spend some time in reading and understanding how company’s goals and team’s work are aligned with what you are passionate about. You may also connect with other teams, try to explore their work. See if other team’s work excites you. Expand your horizons!
- Be a Team Player
Avoid being a solo performer. Set up one-to-one meetings with other team members to understand their work, to explain about your contribution. Know what your team is up to. Become a part of daily meetings, be proactive in answering and explaining if you know or want to know some things.
- Seek for the Feedback
Set up regular one-on-ones (bi-weekly or once in 3 weeks depending on your internship duration) with your manager/mentor to discuss the progress of the project and evaluate your performance. It is very very important. Be proactive in learning the feedback. Strive to improve.
- Infidelity is a Sin
It happens with most of us. As a law of nature, grass seems greener on the other side. But, frankly, infidelity is a sin. did I say it’s a sin!? The internship is an opportunity to understand what kind of work you like and what you don’t. More than that, it’s an opportunity to network and know eminent people in the industry. I would suggest to not pursue other companies during your office work hours. As an intern, you get weekends and pre/post office hours to explore other options. Try to keep your interest about other companies in that time. Having mixed up internship project time and other internship/full-time applications, your team may get your impression as an unproductive and less dedicated/unmotivated person.
- Work Work Work, What about Life?
Everyone has their own idea of life. Just to limit to this post, pursue at least one hobby outside of work. After 8-9 hours of work, it is necessary to rest your brain, relax your mind, and channelize it for the next day. This breathing space is really really important to have the following day a productive one.
- Explore the City
As it is going to be your home for next 12 weeks, enjoy the city. Get acquainted with the weather and people around you. Connect with other interns within and across the company. Meetup is one such a platform to find some of the intern/company events happening around you. It would be a good opportunity for networking. Roam different places in the city. Enjoy your weekends. Become friends with the city, say hello to the shining sun and crowded streets. Explore the food places/tourist spots etc.
- And the most importantly, in the process, don’t forget to have fun. As they say, success may not lead to happiness, but happiness would definitely lead to success.