The finale

12 weeks….it is indeed amazing how time flies.  In 12 weeks the sun has risen and set 84 times, new friends have been made and colleagues have left the company.

My final presentation  to the team is on Tuesday. Here I will brief my team on the three projects I completed, giving a synopsis and producing a transition document.  My presentation will also include a list of thank yous to various individuals without whom  I would not have  been able to get up to speed.

As I reflect on my internship, I feel this has been a very eventful journey – working in the tech industry has made me appreciate the culture, the work –life balance and also the kinds of work available if you are not a hardware/software engineer.  Exposure to the job fluidity within the industry is also a nice experience……a lot of Creative Destruction taking place in the valley – exit opportunities and entry opportunities are many. I have improved several skillsets – presentation and analytical among them.

Having more fun while it lasts….is what I would encourage everyone to do so.  You will not realize how time flies. I started attending the bay area Ross Intern meet ups held every weekend and it was fabulous.  We all had similar experiences across firms/companies.  We are all also hoping that we get offers for full time positions but getting full time offers depends on several things at once – head count projections, internship performance, reviews etc.  I also recommend building your network within the company and with fellow interns in other companies as it will help improve your general knowledge about the tech industry.    Also it is important to participate in intra company events, so that you are able to greater appreciate the culture of the company.

My final notes: Work diligently, Network Broadly and Appreciate fully!

Expecting the Unexpected!!

The Valley is reputed to be one of those places where “creative destruction” takes place @ a faster rate than anywhere else on earth. Words that come to your mind are:

Innovation

Disruption

Computers

Ideas

Progress

New

The tech industry based in Silicon Valley employs some of the smartest people I’ve met.  My internship experience leads me to believe that most engineers and managers in the Valley in general come from top schools world-wide. They represent over 100 different nationalities from across the globe. This reminds me of the ancient Indian (Sanskrit) saying:   

वसुधैव कुटुम्बक  - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The whole world is one family!

There are however no pre-set qualifications, smart people from across the globe with no formal qualifications other than an undergrad are successful here . The incredible magnet that Silicon Valley is you would think that it’s “an all work, no play lifestyle”. Right? Wrong!!!!!

Here’s what you probably never expected: most companies in the Tech industry offer great life styles -  plenty of freebies (perks) such as free meals, free snacks etc, half day work on Fridays  and  a work –life balance that is un-paralleled in most professions world-wide.

So how does my internship experience compare (from someone with first-hand experience)?

No standard work hours – just get your work done, show initiative, drive performance and results!

Thank God it’s Friday – carnivals, shows, concerts, bands etc

Cafes – plenty to choose from and an array of choices! 

Snack Bars!

WFH -Work from Home is not frowned upong (as long as you get the work done, attend meetings!)

A few notes below that will give prospective international students a greater feel for the tech industry:

Job Hopping:

A key driver for rapid innovation in the Silicon Valley as AnnaLee Saxenian, author of Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128, puts it is

"Job-hopping, rather than climbing the career ladder within a corporation, facilitates flows of information and know-how between individuals, firms, and industries. When combined with venture capital, it supports unanticipated recombinations of technologies and skill.

Old vs New , Consulting vs Tech:

While consulting firms and consultants focuses on old age economies and traditional business models and processes, the valley focuses on start-ups, developing new processes and innovative business models.

Many Careers:

You don’t program all your life, neither are you into sales all your life in the Tech Industry.

In this video (click here), Tim Draper, managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, talks about the California's Silicon Valleyand about many careers in the tech industry! 

In my next post, I shall talk about enjoying the internship experience - it is such a fleeting moment!

Social is the way to go!

Being social is the way to go…..interns at my sponsor company network regularly not just with each other but with Senior Leaders from within the company. This helps with building networks across the length and breadth of the company.

However, most individuals work in cross functional roles, requiring one to connect with different teams to get work done. This “cross functional” aspect of every job role helps one develop the network one needs to explore other opportunities further down into their career.

Interns from different schools also come together at carnivals and various MBA oriented networking meeting s specifically organized for MBAs to get to know each other. Besides this, the interns have formed special networking groups on Linked in, Facebook and other social networking sites. This encourages interaction long after one has moved on to other opportunities.

Typical days  start with most employees taking  a ride on the company’s shuttle to the office.  These busses are green and help lower environmental costs down.  I  found an interesting article in the NY times on the shuttle service. You can read it here.

Typical days are divided into working on business as usual work and ad hoc projects.

Business as usual work involves meeting  and interacting with ones manager and other team members on your routine work: this could be  developing analyses, research output, coding or developing reports for business.

Ad Hoc projects are more strategic,  short term in nature and more cross functional in orientation.  Meetings are regularly conducted via Google Hangouts or working lunches. This avoids the travel but saves time and allows the team to focus on critical tasks.

The days also include dining at one of the several cafes on campus, biking to a meeting at another business location and jogging on campus. Google’s work culture is legendary. I found an interesting article on the culture in the Time of India. You can read it here.

Alumni of several international and national schools work at Google and the cafes are also a nice place to interact with them and build your global network.

Time to go for now but be tuned for my next post on my observations on the tech industry as  a whole.

Getting started with work....

As I reflect on my internship job seeking experience, I would like to stress again and again to prospective international students about coming to campus in fighting form in terms of learning how to network and developing a killer resume. 

Easy things first......if you got into business school, you already have what it takes to be a leader, you now need to develop a concise one page resume of your career, extracurricular achievements and leadership roles.....easier said than done....ONE PAGE!!....For most international applicants, a one page resume is not the norm.  Having lived in Australia, India and Nigeria, where you drive on the other side of the road, I know how difficult it is to create an effective one page resume. At my summer internship company, interns are expected to have up-to-date resumes on day one.

It is important to network during the internship as well....not only with prospective companies but also within prospective business lines at your current internship company. 

Networking within my internship company or your (going to be) company starts with defining your summer project in a manner that gives you maximum outreach possibilities. Summer projects are not very structured, most are fairly ambiguous and they involve working with cross-functional teams. It is important to set expectations with your supervisor, setting and planning regular meetings and getting contacts with the relevant teams upfront. Most companies will also ask you to get a few referrals at the end of your project and hence you need to continue networking within the organization.  Needless to say maintaining cordial relationships with one’s supervisor is critical to getting a job offer. Towards this, learn your bosses’ management style and adapt so that you seem amicable, approachable and friendly. Also, your work will most likely involve a presentation to management about your project’s achievements and so it would be a good start to brush up presentation skills upfront.

To conclude: networking, defining your summer project and maintaining an amicable and good relationship with your supervisor is critical to converting your internship into a full time job offer.

The first couple of weeks!


After two weeks of my internship and getting my hands sort of dirty what would my next advice be for international students.

Follow you heart, your passion when applying for internships and not the herd mentality. Business school students are notorious for focusing their efforts where the "crowds" go. Many come with dreams of doing something different perhaps entrepreneurial but they get sucked into the vortex of recruiting  for Consulting or Investment banking firms. The truth be told, many miss the boat....landing nowhere...in a  tough economy where beggars cannot be choosers, one needs to network like a rockstar for most positions  - international students do not understand the importance of networking and hence need to develop a special appreciation for what they are getting into. Of course, some might genuinely want to get into consulting - my advice is to pull up your bootstraps and focus on developing a networking rulebook - early bird gets worm.

More about that in my next post.

For now more about my internship location – CA

The weather in San Francisco is absolutely great. Mild between 15 C and 25 C – Cloudless skies and some great tourist sites near by. I just returned from a visit to Monterrey Bay, Carmel Valley and the world famous Pebbles Beach Golf Course on the 17 mile drive.  Planned next week are trips to Sonoma Valley, Nappa Valley for wine and olive tasting tours.  The week after, I will be travelling to Mt Sahasta. Also in the pipe lines are trips to Las Vegas. So during the week I will working but in the weekend I will be visiting a new tourist attraction.

I advise all prospective interns to explore their new territories and have fun. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dumb boy.

As mentioned earlier, my next Blog will talk about managing the networking process effectively during the internship.