It has been 2 and a half months since I joined The Techy Hub for the internship and today will be the final day of my internship. After completing my SPM at SMK Taman Connaught, I decided after all the late night study sessions and stressful examinations that I needed a break. So, I chose to opt for the July intake for A-levels.
The months leading up to the internship were mostly unproductive. From working in retail to binge watching Netflix at home. The first 2 months were great, the feeling of doing absolutely nothing was satisfying. But the break I thought I deserved became dull really fast. I knew how important planning for the future was, so I made it my goal to get an internship before I start college.
My sister told me about The Techy Hub, saying that they offer a really good internship program. After exchanging a few e-mails with Soon Seng, we scheduled an interview. A week after that, my internship began.
Why I chose to do my internship
Coming out of government school, I did not really get the exposure I needed to face the adult world. We lack communication skills as there’s an explicit hierarchy in schools where the governing bodies are dominant, this shuts down communication skills, opinions and creativity. The Techy Hub gave me the opportunity to grow and get real world experience.
With a large majority of my friends already started college and another portion enrolling just as I started my internship, there was a small form of doubt. I would be half a year behind my friends. Here are some of the reasons why I did things differently and chose to do an internship.
Real world experience
An internship gives the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in a professional environment. Often people have the misconception whereby an intern merely does photocopying or getting coffee. At The Techy Hub, interns were here to learn and explore new career paths.
Learn new skills
One of the reasons I applied for the internship at the The Techy Hub was because I knew nothing about programming. I know it sounds rather counter intuitive. Why venture into uncharted territory? Well let’s face it, programming is the future. The internship gave me the opportunity to learn basic coding. It also gave me some insights on how a web development company functions.
Building my resume
Before I came in, my resume consists mainly of retail jobs that don’t bring much value. The internship served both as a great learning experience as well as a new addition to my resume. The addition of an internship in my resume carries more weight in a sense that it shows you’re motivated to be involved in the working industry.
The experience
The first week of my internship was mostly learning the basics. I was appointed to be under the Digital Marketing team. Again, I was going into this blind, knowing nothing about the different aspects of digital marketing. I started off watching introduction videos regarding digital marketing from SEO to SEM. Trying to absorb as much as I could. My supervisor Kur Win taught me everything I needed to know about Digital marketing. I slowly began to understand why certain websites succeeded while others got lost in cyberspace.
After the first week, I was given a few tasks that included managing the Facebook pages of our company as well as other partner companies. Even though I was an intern, it felt like I was treated as a real employee. We were given responsibilities. During meetings, our input and opinions were valued where they take our inputs into consideration regardless of whether you were a full time staff or an intern.
It really is. source.
I was often given the task of writing content for client websites, blogposts and product descriptions. I really enjoyed the creative freedom given to me, where I could express my ideas and thoughts. However at times, the need for constant original content can be mentally straining. The working environment and help from my colleagues definitely helped me in overcoming the challenges faced. The working environment instills creativity. With a large couch, colourful bean bags and an Xbox, the workplace encourages the balance between work and play.
Since The Techy Hub is a Web Development company, it was only fair that I learn how to code. I learned basic Front-End Development which comprises of HTML and CSS coding. I was fascinated by how even a simple website required lines and lines of code. Challenging at time, programming is one of the key skills to have for the future regardless of what career direction you opt to choose.
How it felt to code for the first time. source.
That’s all Folks!
It was wonderful to walk into the office each day knowing that every day is a new day where you have the opportunity to learn, to build connections and to grow. The time has come for us to go our own ways. In a month, I’ll be back in school but with a different outlook. I’ll be forever grateful for giving me the opportunity of knowledge interning under The Techy Hub. Thanks guys!
Want to experience the internship program for yourself? Find out more about the internship program here: thetechyhub.com/the-internship/
Farewell lunch for the interns.