Whenever during my first year of MBA I thought about my first work experience, it would send chills down my spine. Finally, the day arrived and Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., it was. I was one of the few fortunate ones, who got a company and industry of their choice. I Felt like ‘The girl in the city’ in the financial capital of the country. The city has its breath and feels, very different from the Northern part of the subcontinent where I’ve spent my 22 years. It was a bit arduous to settle in the celebrity land but somehow manageable.
I was taking baby steps in this new world and, joined as the marketing intern in VOOT (OTT Platform of the Company). I was excited by the ambience, culture, office space, and employees. It was like a dream come true. I had made up my mind that in these two months I’ll have to overcome my fresher phase and be on par with my work experience peers.
I was introduced to my Manager (head of Digital Ventures), and my mentor. On the first day, I was in full fling to start the work. First Meeting! I’m clueless! Bang on! Didn’t know where to start, how to start. It’s that time when you realize that how profoundly you need to think, to match up to the level of your seniors. With the consecutive meetings with my Mentor and my Manager, I started picking up on the stride and tried to figure out what the expectations were. (Well, I thought). Overwhelmed by the fact, that I got a project of my interest that matched with my skill set also, I started working with my beast mode on. There were days when I was lost, again, but then regular meetings with my reporting managers made things better.
Spending time with my teammates, who were at least ten years elder to me and all married, was an enthralling experience. The lunch table talks are not just about office gossips and politics, but they are more fathomable and alluring. We had touched every single topic whether it was sports, politics, fashion, education, etc. These conversations made me realize, that how does working in a big company change you and forces you to think so deeply. I was in awe of their thought process. And then reality hits you hard that there’s so much out there to learn.
On the other hand, having colleagues of your age is also a very enlightening experience. The interaction with fellow interns, made me realize, that everyone is on par, no matter from which college you belong. Working with young and fresh minds give you a different perspective all in itself. We made our little clique and used to hang out together.
One month was over, with a brink of a moment! Then it was the time to face some more reality. (believe me, the reality is even worse than drama.)
My mentor had some family emergency, and my Manager was leaving for a long vacation, so he assigned me with a new mentor. I thought that now, I will have to start again on my project with my new mentor, but the twist was that I had two mentors now. Both of my mentors were poles apart, having different styles of working and different expectations. One was lenient; another one was stern, one held the hand; the other one asked me to find my route. One liked; the other one didn't. One painted the picture black and white; the other one painted it grey. I was wriggling, and was back to square one, clueless again! Didn't know what I was supposed to do. The work got doubled but didn't take a step back. But it's often said, difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations and, it is true.
Incorporated both mentor's expectations into one deliverable, and the grand finale was grandiose. My manager, really appreciated my efforts and even after my internship was over, my work was to be presented to the Operations and the Finance team.
I realized in the end that both of my mentors taught me two very different things. One taught me how to work; when there’s a grey area, and when you have to think on your feet, the other one taught me a structured way of work when you have to think deeply.
After two months, I came out with vibrant colours, battling with the greys, the whites, and the blacks.