"Believe you can and you are half way there"
-Theodore Roosevelt
It all started when my inbox showed another mail from the placement committee. But this time it was not for a typical summer internship selection. It was Bosch, one of the biggest and most prestigious companies to visit our campus, and they were conducting a competition which gave the winners an opportunity to intern with them. And like the process, the competition was also unique. The participants had to come up with a business idea for a startup in the Retail sector and the best and most best idea that could be implemented in real time under the incubation of Bosch itself would be given the grand prize of being the envy of the entire college as well as earning an internship opportunity in their Koramangala office situated in the heart of Bangalore.
We chose our team of 3, wherein we shortlisted our ideas and sought recommendation from our professors and friends so as to come up with an idea that was both innovative and implementable. On the D-Day, we were supposed to present our idea to a panel consisting of industry experts from Bosch. Much to my happiness and to my competitors envy, the panel was so happy with our presentation that we were among the 2 teams that won from our entire college who were directly offered a Summer Internship opportunity.
I was fortunate to get an opportunity to intern with Bosch,one of the largest German multinational and engineering company.I experienced one of the most employee friendly cultures that a corporate can have.It defied the stereotypes of how an intern's work was supposed to be.
Being part of the Strategy and Innovation team allowed me to gain valuable experience and variety of skill sets.It also taught me various facets of Business Modeling,Development and Market Research.My guide and mentor ensured I attend all the business meetings with my team to make the most out of my stint.I was given projects which had a direct impact on my team.The hierarchy was just a tag,everyone was willing to support and offer advice.It gave me a wide exposure of how innovation and incubation is done at Bosch and the processes involved with the same.
The Bosch office boasts of modern infrastructure and is located right opposite Forum Mall,which hosted most of our team lunches on various occasions.My mentor Mr. Debasis Goswami was very helpful and guided me throughout the project.He also ensured that I was given a project which aligned with my area of interest and also asked for my feedback for the same on a regular basis.He also involved us in all the board meetings right from day one.It was a great learning experience to be mentored under him.
The added bonus was the pampering of interns with team outings and scrumptious buffet spread for breakfast and lunch everyday.I also got a chance to interact and connect with other B-school students across India which made my internship a lot more fun and enriching.