As I lay dreaming at Internshala
Hi, I’m Unnatti Gupta (on the left), and I joined Internshala as a writer.
Can I just say that I got fat at Internshala? :P
Amid the exhausting hours at a stagnant job and vestiges of desperation, your mind wanders into empty spaces, waiting to explore that one thing that brings you contentment. Being stuck in a job where I had no idea what I was doing, dissatisfaction came naturally.
Quitting two well-paying jobs for an internship – I must be an idiot! Well, now that I have spent 8 months here, I don’t think so! I was skeptical, my friends were apprehensive, and my parents were angry about this adventurous stint of mine. When I applied for an internship at Internshala, all I knew was that I wanted a change from the monotony of working just for the sake of it. And what kept me going was this famous quote by a not so famous person – ‘An internship can change your life’. Zillions of writing assignments and gazillions* of emails to Shobha later, I was called in for an interview, and who would think that I’d screw it up so badly. Imagine a person interviewing for the post of a writer talking in phrases instead of sentences because she was so nervous! Turns out Rachel wasn’t the only one who got offered a job even after screwing up in the interview. Thankfully, I only have to make coffee for myself here.
I joined during Your Internship Story contest (YIS) – the literary fest of Internshala – in which thousands of students share their internship stories, and I was given the responsibility of shortlisting the best stories, editing them, and publishing them on the blog. After two months of frenzy, YIS ended and my term of joy began! Since then, I have been ‘entrusted’** with writing articles for the Internshala blog. However, I’m still waiting to be given the chance to re-write the ‘About Us’ section. Shortly after I settled in and befriended humans (yes, it was a novelty for me), the celebratory season started. Team lunches, festival celebrations, and birthday parties are way too common here to be talked about. What’s uncommon is how an internship led me to the path I was chasing – to become a ‘good’ writer. Whether I have become one or not is a different question altogether!
It has been 8 months, and as I sit back (actually lie on this bean bag) looking outside the window and sipping on my coffee, pretending to be coming up with the most creative and innovative ideas ever for my articles whilst actually just thinking what I should eat for dinner, I rejoice! I rejoice at my decision of joining the place that continuously pushes me to do better and constantly renews its faith in me. Since I joined, there hasn’t been a single Monday when I didn’t want to get ready for office. Every day, as I enter this place and look at the blue wall boldly expressing what we do at Internshala, it feels as if I’m back at college. And what can I say, I am a happy kid again!
All in all, it has been a bumpy ride mostly, sometimes for me and other times for my manager. I look around at this bunch of unique people, clearly engrossed in their jobs (laughing and eating!) and I pat myself virtually for being one of them. And as I write the concluding line, I shift my sight to Manas, my ‘good’** mentor, and wonder how many corrections would there be in this team diary entry!
* The number is accurate to the best of my knowledge. If you don’t believe me, please ask Shobha!
** air quotes, guys!
Editor’s Note: If Unnatti’s experience motivates you to relive that same excitement of college life while at work, you can be a part of our content team too. Please visit here to apply.
