Description of Internship experience
The internship is a formal program that provides students with practical knowledge where they apply the theoretical knowledge learned class to solve real-world problems; this will prepare them for future profession or workforce. After learning classwork for four years, I finally managed to enroll in an internship to further my skills. It was indeed a new experience that is worth reflecting on. I was very selective about where I wanted to do my internship. After school provided us with internship recommendation letters, I came up with a long list of the major prestigious companies where I wanted to undertake my internship program. I did a lot of research on these companies to ensure I make the right decision. I spent hours on the internet, and every day I got more and more excited. I couldn’t wait to practically apply the knowledge that I have been learning for the last three years. I was very happy that the school allowed us to choose the companies in any part of the country as long as we would provide a complete and conducive report on every detail on the experiences and encounters of our internship period. I am a computer science student since the early age of coding, and mathematical computation intrigues me. This paper aims to vividly describe the encounters and the knowledge I gain for my four months internship.
First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship, and I am quite sure I have gained valuable experience in my field of study. After narrowing my internship companies list to five, I finally managed to land in Google company. It was the one I hoped and prayed for. I was indeed very lucky. I was very anxious; first, I couldn’t wait to go and meet my fellow programmers from different parts of the world. Most importantly, I was dying to interact with people who are good at computer science. From the beginning, I knew that practical knowledge is very crucial for me, and I was ready to grasp as much knowledge I could get before within a period of four months. Google company is known for having various internship programs in the world. My first day at Google company was amazing. I was attracted to the flashy amenities, but most importantly, I was amazed at how everyone seemed drowned in their work, there was no noise at all. I saw interns working as if they are doing paid jobs with actual deadlines and expectations. Now the most challenging part for me was that the interns were required to speak in meetings and defend their projects in order to become a crucial part of the team. At that moment, I knew I had a lot to do.
It was on the first day that I met Marie. She had already been interning for three months. Marie was asked to explain to me all my schedule for the first month and tour me around to familiarize with my surrounding and be able to work on my own in the future. One thing that motivated me to intern at Google is that it was very attractive to students. The company pays and also offers lots of other benefits. I was mostly interested in the interaction part, but just to mention, interns were paid biweekly. Moreover, they were given a signing bonus that covered our housing and other expenses, for instance, traveling costs. Besides, we were also given full access to the internal Google housing dashboard in order to connect with other interns. Another benefit of interning as Google is that the company provides health benefits such as eye and dental insurance during the internship period.
The whole issue of interning at Google was to solve tech problems, and that is what made me excited. I realized that tech always needs a solution. I was freaking out at first. I didn’t know I could match the energy presented by other interns. I was in the sector of software and website developers, which required us to contribute to making Google more productive for users. My day starts at around 8:30 am, and I worked for eight hours days and more than 40 hours a week. It was hectic and tiresome but interesting at the same time. After 8:30, I would catch up on emails, code for about four hours, and then break for lunch. I spent most of my afternoons in group work to try and exchange ideas to provide solutions to the problems that we were required to solve. With time I developed both intellectually and morally. I learned how to talk and interact with people and clients.
Google is very flexible about schedules. The company encourages whatever schedules best works for a student. There was a Curtain garden. These are little pods where one can sit and pull the curtain around in order to block distractions. I spent most of my time in this place because it provided a conducive environment for focusing. Apart from coding, I was also tasked with other duties. My colleagues and I were expected to participate in advertisements once a weak. The company wanted us to be all-rounded; it aims at ensuring that the interns gather as much knowledge and experience as they possibly could. I was very happy to solve several database-related problems as I was good at it. Sometimes our boss would present us with codes with lots of errors and expects us to debug it. I loved this kind of challenge as they helped me to think critically.
Employees have always been happy and engaged even on Friday afternoon. They enjoyed their work. One skill that I didn’t for once hoped I would get is that of marketing. Being a member of the Managed Agency Team(MAT) was very involving and essential. It was part of the marketing group and was a task to drive across the town and advertising Google products. We helped the clients learn how to use Google to advertise their products. In advertising, my main task was to manage new sales initiatives while designing and tracking success metrics. Each one of us was expected to present weakly reports to the director of the team. The report had to revise several and errors free. I could now simply market a product without any problem. I learned how to talk to clients politely.
The schedule was indeed tight, and all the interns are expected to perform to their best least. I went several days without sleep, just working on the projects and making sure I met all the deadlines. Diversity was another concept that I get them to move about during my internship period. At the company, I met very many people from different parts of the world, and we all have one thing I common the love for technology and discovery. I also learned a lot about people. Some people are simply difficult to deal with..
Before this, I used to believe that I would handle everything on my own. Another thing that I learned was never to be afraid to ask questions. Whenever I meet someone doing something complex and interesting, I would always inquire more. At Google, I learned more than I anticipated. At first, I thought I was ready to perform an internship, having participated in all my classwork. I noticed that no number of classes would have prepared me for what the world provides. Don’t get me wrong, and I know that the university did an excellent job of educating me, but I believe that most of the knowledge is treasures if it is integrated with first-hand work. The most challenging part was when I was required to present my work and defend it in front of others. Also, coordination with others was a bit hectic. While at school, I never focused on group work; I preferred working alone. This was not possible during the internship. We were also working in groups except for the time we were working on our personal projects. So being a perfectionist who preferred handling things in my own way, sharing duties was indeed a big change in my life. It was very difficult to cope up during the first times, but I eventually learned that group work was indeed very crucial; two heads are better than one.
I am very sure that if I had started working without internship experience, I would have received a wake-up call, and the news would not have a welcoming. Now I know that practicability of doing a particular task is not something that one can learn in class. Theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge we’re two very different concepts of learning. Practical knowledge expects the students all the content that they have learned in class. There is also a lot to learn in an internship. Most of these are the basic stuff that we always take for granted or even ignore because we somewhat feel it is not important. For instance, it is mother wit to show up on time. The college might teach us to do some basic things, but we always ignore it until we face them.
Interning at Google also boosted my levels of responsibility. Despite the temptation to sleep, I had to wake up very early in order to create plenty of time to prepare me to get to work. I had to make this a routine. The first few weeks were hectic. The work world is sapping, and now it is clear to me why it is very vital to specialize in something you lose. Even with those jobs that you love, there is always that moment that is crappy. However, these experiences have somehow shaped my behavior and how to handle myself in difficult situations. I felt good when I did a task, and it positively impacted the company.
More than anything, I learned the importance of hard work and teamwork. We had to do our part and then combine our knowledge and expertise to meet the company’s goals. This is one experience I will take with me. I can now cope with real-life problems and situations. Moreover, an internship at Google has made me able to develop strong skills in coding. We were presented with more complicated projects to code. This really helped us because we were able to share knowledge, and each one of us has to come up with a solution to the problem. I now feel very much prepared to achieve my future goals. I believe I can solve a tech problem thrown my way. Furthermore, I have obtained marketing skills, and I can now easily market any type of product. However, much tiresome it was interning at Google; I believe the positive impacts that resulted from it are way better.
Google also made me overcome the scary thought that I always had in mind. I was afraid underperforming once I am employed. Now that I have managed to intern at Google, one of the biggest technology in the world, I believe I will be able to work in any other company. If it was not for an internship, I would have never known simple things bosses notice when you are late for work. They also note good impressions. They are always watching. Also, I learned that one has to dress in demeanor that recounts a good apprehension of their organization. Besides, I realized that work is not always a conducive place. It is very different from university life. Even though I am surrounded by individuals that I spend my entire time with, the company is necessarily not a place to spill my guts over an issue
Open communication is among the most essential and strongest expertise that I have acquired during my internship. At first, I was intimidated and nervous to ask questions or even talk to people. Fortunately, after some time, I had to overcome fear because it was the only way I could learn. I started interacting with almost every employee, and within the first month, I became a member of the “family.” As Steve Duck and David T argue in the books that though socialization tends to develop and shared a cultural understanding of work and its place in society and personal life.
Another important skill I developed is that of understanding people’s intentions without them actually having to say anything. I could easily tell when one needs help and could not ask. This ability to understand people’s intentions and meanings hugely increased my personal relationship with most of the other interns and employees. I learned that the trick of getting closer to people is by first understanding them better and learning how they “tick.” I knew I was not good at socializing and making friends, so I only had an internship opportunity to change this habit and for once try to socialize and make friends with strangers. I figured that good communication contributes to one’s understanding of the company.
Unlike many people who viewed the company as a workplace that shapes and controls their behaviors, l, thoughts, and ideologies, I viewed it as the exact opposite. Fortunately, most of us viewed it as an opportunity to broaden our skills. I understood that work is unavoidable unless one is extremely wealthy, which is not always the case. In order to achieve my goals, I figured I had to align them to them with the company for the time I will be there. In this case, my success meant the success of the company. This was my driving force throughout the internship period. My intention was to leave a legacy behind, which I eventually achieved by taking the title of the most hard-working intern.
In conclusion, a Google company gave me the opportunity to be productive and creative within the working hours. It also gave me an opportunity to learn and develop new skills that I never dreamed of. After my four months internship, I was able to market any type of product. Most importantly, I was able to interact with strangers. I joined the internship with little knowledge and left with expertise on how to apply the theoretical knowledge to solve real life problems. Furthermore, both employees and the interns at Google are all intellectuals people. They are also eager and ready the new interns or workers. Whenever I encountered a problem, there is always someone around who is willing and patient to help.