Ok. At least my second academic year is coming.
I can't believe how time flies when life gets amazingly busy - I don't even have time to stop and reflect about what life has granted me. I guess I was quite lucky, and I'll tell you why.
It all started when I realised most Malaysians in UK had either looked for or secured summer internships for themselves despite being first year. These internships are voluntary - unlike many of the local universities that impose mandatory internship into their curriculum. You can tell how these overseas students tend to or want be more competitive, or you can call it kiasu if you would. Honestly if I were a local student, I wouldn't even think THAT much, nor would I explore the industry willingly. Why? Just like I wouldn't cook in Malaysia - I will never feel sufficiently prepared for the next steps. Or maybe I don't need to. (or I'll have to do it at some point of my education anyway, so why NOW?)
That was in March, when everyone was busy preparing for the finals in the third term. I looked at all the internships I can apply. I applied to Penguin UK for both internships and work experience, and got rejected. I applied to a few Malaysian laboratories - either I receive nothing at all or they don't take in overseas students - now that it all sounded so ironic to me, at the very time when everyone recognised the sheer quality of overseas STEM education over the local ones.
FUCK them. I decided to look for biotechnology companies, and I decided to write this company a cover letter, attaching my CV on it. The company didn't normally take in interns as they do not have an official internship program. The CEO (?) then notices my cover letter - it went pretty well. Just as we were trying to schedule the interview, I requested for more information about the interview as I wanted to know what the meeting is about. Funny thing then happened. I was reprimanded for not knowing what is going on, and what the company is doing blah blah blah. I swear that is still the most ridiculous thing I have ever encountered in my life other than Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He clearly misunderstood what I was trying to say even after my explanation, insisting that I had an 'incorrect perception about what the company is doing.'
WOW, now it all seemed like a secondary-primary-school-again hierarchy where the age defines your omnipotency to sentence people to death. I know how they like to shape this 'old is wisdom is good' kinda spirit so we always respect old people BUT does reality work like that? It's like telling people that the youth cannot be more successful than the elderly. IDK why I'm so triggered but that's fine - he still offered an interview, and I declined it after days of considering the cultural fit issues. Nahh... not about that life. I held on to the dignity I have, and continued look for my summer placement.
Eventually I landed on an internship in Grab. I was super lucky to have my friend who informed me about this opportunity from his manager, who happened to be a good friend of my boss. And even this internship requires a phone interview, something I was quite afraid of, and a case study over the phone. And surprisingly I secured the opportunity right after the phone interview - can't believe it! Hence it took up two months of my life here.
Well actually I was reluctant to join. My dad wasn't supportive of this decision as well since it's neither research related nor in any way related to my academics. Maybe he thought that I might as well work in his company. But I didn't want to waste my summer doing nothing - you can say I became ambitious after a year in London. And a bit courageous while facing local companies.
Grab is a really good eye-opening platform, and my department is especially good for people who want to take a look at the corporate side of the company. And I guess it gives you the perks of being in a fast-paced but relaxed atmosphere while giving you a glimpse how corporate works, and how you should approach them.
Throughout the internships, I felt like I was a permanent employee, shielded by a status called intern. And it's by that status, I was brought to a higher level than I would have been if it was a permanent job. I learnt some data analysis skills using Excel that everyone claims to be they are good at when they're actually not, and some email marketing skills. It was amazing - I even get to create my own campaign and actually yielded a relatively successful and sustainable results. I guess that's the luckiest thing that happened over the summer.
See? It all seems to me that if I'm willing to take a step forward, everything turns out fine or even better than I thought. Maybe I was just scaring myself with my throughts... so many demons to fight. Oh yeah and I got a first class in my first year, though didn't get into the Dean's list. sad. but it's ok. Two more years also mean two more opportunities to fight!
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