Interning at a firm like Goldman Sachs was a dream come true! You go there with certain assumptions about the greatness of the firm, but once you are inside the premises, you realise that it’s much more than just great! The work culture there is unlike anything I have ever seen! I was blown away by just how accommodating and helpful everyone on the floor was! Goldman Sachs is a flat organisation and I routinely got to interact with VPs and we even had a session with the Managing Director of HCM! Needless to say, the industry knowledge and corporate exposure that I got in these 2 months was invaluable. My assignment was a relevant life project and its success could have far-reaching implications for the firm. The internship was a life-changing experience in the true sense of the phrase. When you have 8 meetings in a day, some of them with international stakeholders, you do get to learn a lot! I realized that while bookish knowledge is important, the real mantra of success is to be able to make the transition from just having the knowledge to actually applying it in real time projects. I also realized that no matter how big the firm is and how busy all the employees there are, you are never really left in the lurch. If you need help, ask for help! There is no shame in it. But shooting in the dark and not reaching out for help out of shyness? That’s a shame!
On the 18
th of September, I received the happiest news of my life when I finally got a PPO from my dream company. It is by far the most significant news of my budding professional career and I hope I can repay the faith Goldman Sachs has invested in me. It has been quite some time, but it is still to sink in! A dream awaits!