Having the elite opportunity to intern at Goldman Sachs and explore 150 ORR was like a dream come true. However, little did I know that a man's dinner in China would change my internship in a way I did not see coming.
'NDS' became the 'Friday' to my Iron-Man, which was primarily a virtual desktop embedded onto my desktop. Not having the chance to participate in the Community TeamWorks (CTW) Program or spend one week at Radisson was a total bummer. However, the virtual environment did not curtail my learning curve and, indeed, enhanced my communication and work regime skills.
I interned with the CIMD Division as part of the Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) team. Now, let me tell you that I am as good at finance as Indian batsmen are playing swing bowling in the gloomy English conditions. However, at GS, internships are not about what you come with, but more importantly, the knowledge you leave with post your internships.
As any great thriller might have told you, the devil lies in the details; the same stands true while analyzing markets. The six weeks instilled in me the practice to develop an analytical eye while going through vast chunks of information. I realized through the course of the six weeks that collaboration is critical while delivering results, and it always pays to follow the practice of 'nemawashi.' It is a Japanese term, guys. Google it!
Most certainly, the best part of my internship revolved around interacting with business professionals on a global scale in London, New York, and Hong Kong. It enabled me to understand the multiplicity of projects they were involved with as well as replicate their best practices into my work routine.
It was also great to see the firm organizing leadership sessions with the top brass of the firm for the interns. Getting to know the journey of these highly experienced individuals and the trials and tribulations they had to overcome was a profoundly influential experience.
Even though internships are a mandatory part of MBA course curriculums, they are an experience unlike any other. They are like the Ranji season to your eventual Test debut, the blissful dating period to your marriage. I am sure by now that you get the point. Internships are a huge opportunity to integrate oneself with the firm's culture and see if it could be the residence of your future employment.
It was an exhilarating and enjoyable two months, trying to meet the project deadlines, preparing the final presentations, unlearning, and re-learning concepts. While going down south to Bangalore and booing RCB in the Chinnaswamy Stadium would have been lovely in itself, the virtual internship was exceptional in every essence.
I'll be going back to my college campus at IIM Shillong, taking along with me an enriching internship experience, coupled with some corporate exposure, and most importantly, much-needed CV points.
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Comments
Akshay Kumar
Is CIMD a front office, middle office or back office.
24 Aug 2020, 08.51 PM