All living creatures have so similar course of life.
Like , when a baby bird breaks through the egg shell , it sits in the nest until its ready to learn to fly. Then, it slowly but steadily learns the art , but is made to fly under the wings of the mother bird; protected and shielded.
Eventually, the baby bird grows up ; isn’t a baby anymore. And a time comes when it ventures out into the big bad world: unprotected, vulnerable.
An internship of 4 months where you’re as accountable as a regular employee , is for me , the human counterpart of the phenomenon of not being under the wings of your elders anymore , venturing out into the big bad world -unprotected and vulnerable.
The experience is prized , important and indescribable in terms of good or bad.
You have independence , you have money, like never before but also you have responsibility , accountability, difficult decisions to make ,like never before.
An internship may not be a big thing, it surely isn’t a big thing. Everyone does it . Indeed , thousands like me would be doing exactly the same thing , feeling exactly the same way .
But , for each one of us it is THE BIG THING. The change is gigantic , the transition is steep.
THE CHANGE..
# Your Niche
Well , there is no ‘your niche ‘. You belong to the organization but the organization doesn’t belong to you. You exist and you don’t , at the same time.
Perhaps , this is the biggest difference between an employee and an intern . It is a two way process in case of employees , in case of interns it becomes a one way road with a badly jammed traffic.
#Office Politics
You realize almost everybody’s sweet to you, when you get in.
If you’re smart enough , you get to know that almost everybody’s indeed sweet – only on your face.
If you’re smarter , you eventually realize that everybody’s sweet to everybody on their face (only).
Finally , if you’re the smartest , you learn to mind your own business and not give a damn.
# Work
What did the organization hire you for ?
Remember ? I bet you do.
But sadly, no-one in your organization does. The entire organization seems to be a progeny of ghajini .
Result: You do anything and everything. In the end , if there’s nothing on the god’s green earth that you haven’t done , congratulations you’ve successfully completed your internship 😉
#Stay and Travel
If your place of internship is very near to your residence. You’re a extraordinarily lucky brat .
If you travel long distances , there are chances that mutations may occur and you may eventually become a monkey. The monkey that is often spotted hanging on the handrails of trains and buses.
Tell me that you prefer to take a cab , and I’ll say – Shame on you , you overspending piece of cake!
If you’re staying in an alien city , all alone, there’s some good news- your mom can kick out the whining and nakhre vali bai. By the time you go back home , you’ll be overqualified for the job.
# Learning
Immense ! Truly worth every bit of the pain.
You learn not just the industry regime and practical aspects of your subject but also survival skills , time management , getting work done by hook or crook , thinking un-emotionally (i know that isn’t a word , but i couldn’t find a more suitable word :P), dressing up formally, speaking up and keeping quiet at the right time etc. etc.
And thus..
My internship would be a memorable part of my life. All these moments would be weaved into a poignant tale and hopefully in the end the protagonist will live happily ever after 😀
As I write this using my work desktop with google opened in another tab so that I can switch if someone comes… I can hear my subconscious mind say something.
“Darling , Welcome to LIFE !”
Nidaa
(The water route has always been Nidaa’s
favorite mode of travel. This time too she’s on a ship , the
ship that neither sails nor sinks- The ‘Intern’ ship)
Nidaa 