“You are the luckiest one in the batch” they screamed as I got placed for my summer internship. It was at GSK Pharmaceuticals for a role in Sales and Marketing. Being a post graduate in Biotechnology and terribly vocal about my affinity towards that field, everyone knew that getting to work in the pharmaceutical sector would be my dream. And to add to it, I had got my hometown with the office at a distance of 5 minutes by car. Needless to say, I was walking on air and waiting for my internship to start!
The journey I was looking forward to, commenced on the 3
rd of April. 16 of us assembled in the conference room all suited up. A complete orientation program it was. We were made aware of the company culture, values and mission, given an overview of the pharmaceutical industry and introduced to our mentors. My mentor happened to be a handsome guy in the prime of his youth, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus. The IIM association dragged me to the ‘I think I am lost’ mode where I was discussing with him the actual “Inside IIM” stories the world is so ignorant about!
And thus, began my project, a comfortable discussion over a cup of hot cappuccino. I had to structure the concept note for a patient adherence program for Asthma and COPD patients. That required me to have a thorough understanding of the adherence scenario in India and interact with the other company, an online healthcare management one who was to execute the program. Day 2 of my internship I had a meeting with the external stakeholder, my first client, West zone manager of the company. I don’t remember when otherwise I had felt so important! Only a non-engineer fresher like me will understand the feeling!
With some relevant information at hand, contact details of all the parties involved and an eternal support of Google I worked on my project. I realised what goodness the program will bring with so huge a proportion of the population suffering from those chronic conditions. An important aspect of the project was understanding the perception of the people and make them enrol for a better living; To help them appreciate the fact that just because they have the symptoms, they need not have to live with those leading a restricted life. With this project, I can touch peoples’ life and make a difference to the society made me feel elated.
My manager assessed my work every two weeks. The positive feedback and suggestion seeded bolts of energy that made me work harder. The work on the field was challenging. Few doctors responded exceptionally well while few others said a straight ‘no’. It involved waiting for hours till all the patients were treated. The sun watched it all and that made it worse! But more challenging was finding my guide for a discussion. All the other interns had one additional job and that was letting me know if they spot my guide! Our National Sales Manager once commented at lunch, “Your guide is the most eligible bachelor of GSK India.” We did make him the most sort after gentleman!
I got inputs from different teams on various aspects of marketing. The buddy assigned to me sent across interesting articles and books. I was free to meet people across the organisation and gain insights. What made me feel empowered was that I could communicate with the other company on my own and just inform my guide about it later. What my friends with work experience meant when they said they expect autonomy from their organisation made sense to me. No better would have I gained an understanding of sales and marketing in the pharmaceutical industry.
By the end of my internship, I had conceptualised the program, submitted the concept note for formal approval, created a marketing strategy and drawn the process flow for the pilot run. Accomplished would be a big word, but I was happy with the experience I had gained. One thing I missed was executing the pilot run myself. We cannot stretch time, can we? My co-mentee, if there ever exists such a word, was fun to work with. Our projects were different but we shared the common pain of finding our mentor and that brought us closer!
Made friends, heard new stories, created memories and most important, I lived for myself. I figured out how well I fit in the corporate set up as I always thought I was a research person. I pampered myself with food and shopping. Not even once did I repeat my outfit, I doubt if anyone noticed! I never got tired at work and spent quality time with my family, two weddings and two outstation trips to be precise! Caught up with old friends, met my professors from earlier institutions, discussed life and filled my treasure chest with rich values, acuities and learning. My world was at its best…