All the PGP 1s out there! Phew! Finally! You can breathe now because Summer Internship Recruitments are over!
To those who have made it into the “Dream” internship of your choice, Congratulations! Fly high, rejoice and feel proud of yourself, you deserve it! At the same time, remember to give it your best and grab that PPO. Trust me, many out there would probably be dying for that dream internship of yours.
To those who clearly felt “meh” while reading the above paragraph… Congratulations to you too! Trust me you have done great! And I will tell you why. If you are still meh, a professor once told, “In the time where even your first job is not the end of the world, let alone internship!?”
In 2011, MBA graduates changed jobs within 18 months after their MBA! (
READ HERE). I reckon, considering the economy, tighter Alumni circles and what not, this 18 months would have shrunk (This is just my opinion).
So, you are a Finance enthusiast and you have landed yourself in a Marketing role; you are a marketing enthusiast and you have landed yourself back into the IT role (your previous work experience; and you have come for your MBA just to escape that).
1) MBA is all about obtaining the Holistic view:
Riddle me this - with just 3-4 months into MBA, how do you know what is your right fit? (Ok, unless you are a CA, CFA, FRM person, Finance is clearly your cup of tea). Isn’t MBA Masters in Business Administration about climbing that corporate ladder to obtain a full-fledged knowledge about EVERYTHING that makes a business successful!? Just getting your hands dirty in finance or just marketing or just operations is not what MBA is all about. To get that well rounded Holistic view of why a business works and how it works and why it can fail, only comes if you are open to explore all the aspects of MBA!
2) Internship - A mere judgement indeed:
With just 3 months into MBA, there are absolutely no grounds on which one can be evaluated in terms of “MBA”. Hence your internship is just a mere judgement and you need not feel low or undermine your Management potential. You can save up all these worries for your final placements, because that is when your Management potential is exploited during the interviews.
3) Internship - Just another 4 credit course with Live Industry Exposure:
You take multiple 2, 3 and 4 credit of Marketing subjects even if you are a Finance during your first year...Why not another such 4-credit course? (In most of the Institutes, Internships are counted as a 4 credit). Take it up, explore the industry exposure and enhance your learning curve.
4) Internship is not the only thing that talks for you in your Resume:
Internships are not the end of the world! Why do you think the institute, various clubs, committees etc toils to bring in live projects, competitions etc.? Consider various certifications as well to enhance your resume.
5) Network! Make your Buddy your bestie:
MBA is all about networking. If you can display your potential during your internship and maintain good vibes with your mentor/buddy/manager, you have no clue how they would be able to pump you up into a role of your choice later. Or by knowing your potential they would understand if at all you would like to politely decline your prospect of the PPO. You never know how these networks can come in handy.
6) Learn all you can:
As an intern, you’re a temporary employee. In the olden times, “you are just an intern”. But in the recent times, there is so much of time, effort and money invested on your internship by most of the companies. When even permanent employees do not get the such an opportunity, you get paid to learn and contribute in those two months! Make the most out of this even if it does not seem like your cup of tea, remember that you are here to learn; Back in college, you pay fees to sit through lectures. Here, you are getting paid. So why not 'double the dhamaka' and make some learnings?
7) Make it a clear “NO” before you leave:
You have explored the domain, given it your best and you feel like you will be considered for the prospect of a PPO. But you feel like you don’t want to dirty your hands further in that domain/role you will not be able to contribute to the company. MAKE IT CLEAR and RECORD IT IN WRITING to your Mentor, Guide, HR before your leave and make your reasons clear. Most of the companies are rationale. I would like to 're-re-re-iterate' this point as certain institutes have stringent PPO acceptance policies and trust me, you would not like it if you were to get a PPO that you wanted to politely decline. (Besides, who am I to urge you to underperform to avoid all these hassles?!).
Rock your internship!
Oh and if you land up in a new city for your internship go explore the tourist spots AND their cuisines; cause who says NO to FOOD anyway?