Feeling the Heat in this Summer Internship!

As an alumnus of a sought after B-School, like many others my message box is being bombarded with the requests from students from various institutions who are interning with different organisations.

Though I am impressed by the deep work they have conducted even by working from home, I can't help but notice a sense of stress and urgency. I find them anxious.

I don't intend to preach a bunch of MBA "gyaan"; you may consider it as a set of unpopular opinions to help you keep a wholesome approach towards the MBA journey. 

• PPOs/PPIs are not that a big deal

Like many have mentioned already, a PPO/PPI is a result of multiple factors that have led to this strategic call.

So no point in beating yourself up if things don't really fall into place.

• Just don't focus on the deliverable

Understand business implications. If your final product is feasible, practical and can ease the pain point(s) of the organization, you have won!

• Be flexible with the research process.

For any project to be considered substantial, it would need putting in work; both primary and secondary. So keeping a balance between the two is suggested. 

No point in making countless phone calls if you don't have the right questions to ask, which will come from the primary research. Similarly, no point in quoting famous frameworks if those are not feasible to your company and the way to figure that out is secondary research.

• PPO/PPI should be a by-product, not the end goal.

Sounds too Utopian, right? But it is true. There are so many of us, who didn't manage to bag a PPO but are still going strong. 

The internship should teach you to put your learning to practice and understand the corporate better. If you are fundamentally strong, you will make it anyway!

Lastly, work and work well. Don't be a victim to burnouts. Do something you love, exercise, stay mindful and keep it in perspective.

The good news is if you miss out on this internship or job prospect, the world will keep on spinning. Panicking gets you nowhere except to a more negative state of mind and will just end up taking time away from more productive tasks like continuing to go for the deliverable. So breath, relax and keep on trying.

The sun always comes out!