I begin to pen down my summer internship experience, the most important question that crops up in my mind is, 'Was it the two most crucial months of my MBA?' I am sure most of the MBA students studying in reputed b-schools all over the country would have taken a moment or two to ponder over it during various stages of their MBA journey. As I begin to analyse the two months, the answer becomes a very resounding YES. I was placed in Brillio; a US-based technology firm which focuses on digital transformation and deploys disruptive solutions to enhance their customer's experiences. Being a Sales and Marketing enthusiast, I wanted to further my knowledge in Marketing and thus was hoping to get a project in that domain. We had an awe-inspiring induction where the top leaders of the company came and graced the occasion and emphasised on how the organisation has grown by leaps and bounds and how it focuses on speed and is inspired by potential. There were 22 interns in all from premier institutes like IIM Indore, IIT Bombay, SCMHRD, IIT Delhi, XIMB, NMIMS and all-in-all it was a great beginning. My hopes of getting a Marketing project were straightaway gone as I was inducted into the Consulting & Analytics team with a project on sales forecasting and demand planning. I tried hard to convince the management for a change to a Marketing- oriented project but I was encouraged to take it up as a challenge and work on the existing project. It was here that my first learning took place. NEVER EVER limit yourself to one domain or let’s put it this way, your favourite domain.With due course of time, I got myself acclimatised to the project which was a first in India in terms of the scale with which it was implemented. The amount of groundwork which had to be laid in terms of collecting data, analysing past trends, integrating data, predicting the accuracy of forecasted data, designing dashboards was simply staggering. What amazed me was the fact that I had to talk to so many teams not just in Brillio but also the client side which is what my second learning was all about. NETWORK till you die! In the short span of 2 months, I would have made close to 30 new acquaintances and interacted with more than 60-70 people. As they say, MBA is all about networking. In that sense, I was lucky to intern in an organisation which promotes an open work culture where everyone was so accessible, helpful and forthcoming. I worked hard at the same time on equipping myself with further Marketing knowledge undergoing certifications such as Google Adwords, Google Analytics, Hubspot. Having completed a year in one of the premier b-schools of the country, I can vouch for the fact that the amount of learning which certifications and participating in premier case-study competitions give is second to none. The third learning was NEVER STOP LEARNING. There is no limit to learning! You will be amazed at the kind of information and knowledge you would gain just by participating in a competition. My joy knew no bounds when on May 16th, I received my PPO for winning 3M's Invent A New Future Challenge National Competition. Winning a competition from among 925+ participants and presenting your solutions to the top management and being appreciated for the same surely was rewarding! It was an amazing competition in terms of its format (A video pitch eliminator followed by a case study solution and was held in mid-February) and was a truly enriching experience. To top it all, getting the first PPO of the batch really felt special.The fourth learning and perhaps one of the most important one is treating your competitors as your companions. Being in the company of elite b-school students, it was pleasure learning and taking inputs from other students. The kind of thought process and perspective which your peers can bring to the table can be fascinating in terms of the insights which it provides.
I finished my first project well before time and I consider myself fortunate that I got to work on a second project which was completely different from the first. I had to prepare a sales pitch for a leading breweries company in India from an analytics perspective. It is here that my second learning helped me find out more information about how to approach such cases. The fifth learning was No Matter How Silly a Doubt Might Seem, Don't Hesitate To Ask. It might not be as silly as you thought it would be! My final presentation involved both the projects and both the projects are being implemented by the organisation as I pen down this article. It was very heartening to see my suggestions being implemented by the top management.
I believe in the end, "It is your passion towards your work and the important relationships you form with every stakeholder during your internship that makes the difference." My summer internship definitely did bring me out of my comfort zone and was challenging at several points but it is only those moments when you surprise your own self, you feel truly accomplished. In the end as a tint of nostalgia sweeps in these words from a song by Coldplay sum up my experience. But if you never try, you'll never know just what you're worth.