How I am making a career in design as an engineering student
About the author: Atharva Keshattiwar is a third-year engineering student at Vidyalankar Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He shares how he uncovered and pursued his interest in design through internships.
When the lockdown was announced and everything was closed, I used my spare time to watch TV series just like most students, but soon I realised that it wasn’t the best use of my time. So I talked to my professors, and they suggested that I go for some internships. Since I was not good at technical skills, I started looking for internships in non-technical fields that I found interesting, and video editing was one of them. I loved creating videos in high school and took up this hobby again during the pandemic. I had also made a short documentary-like video about Covid and posted it on YouTube. I used this video as my work sample while applying for internships.
My first internship was at a start-up called NXT Gen Vidya. During the selection process, I worked on an assignment wherein I had to create a video with tips about securing admission at a university. I made a minimalistic video that they liked, following which they hired me as an intern. I worked on similar projects during my internship. I worked on a green screen video and edited the background, text, and voiceover. I enjoyed this experience because I improved my skills and learned new ones while doing something I loved. During this internship, my manager told me that I am creative with visuals, so I should try designing. That’s when I started learning graphic design and absolutely loved it! I learned it through YouTube by following a simple exercise. First, I imitated the visuals I saw, and afterward I recreated them. This exercise helped me uncover my creativity and create a portfolio, which I used when I started applying for graphic design roles.
I landed my first graphic design internship at Abuzz Company after being evaluated based on my portfolio. Once the internship started, I worked on social media posts, carousels, and banners. After completing this stint, I did two other graphic design internships before taking a break for upskilling. During this period, I learned about UI/UX design, which I found interesting. I also realised that there are many job opportunities in this field and decided to explore it further. After learning the basics of UI/UX and creating a portfolio, I applied to many internships and got one at ML Brains. This internship required me to work on graphic design and UI/UX design. The selection procedure consisted of an assignment and portfolio screening. They had shared a link to their app, and I was supposed to share ideas to make it more user-friendly. They liked my suggestions and extended an offer letter to me.
In this internship, I am working on an app for farmers called DrPashu. When I started, I faced some challenges. For example, I knew how to work on Adobe XD but the app development intern knew Figma. To deal with this hiccup, my manager gave me some time off to learn Figma. I was also nervous about working on my first UI/UX project, but the team has been supportive, and I have been learning a lot.
Over the past one and a half years, I have done 6-7 internships which have helped me gain immense experience. Earlier, I believed internships aren’t necessary to get a job if you have the right skills. This opinion has changed as internships have helped me learn the functioning of a business and get familiar with the work culture. I have also learned how to manage time and stressful situations. All of these experiences have given me clarity about which career I want to pursue, something that I used to struggle with like other college students.
Do you want to tap into your creative side, too? Then, check out these internships in video editing, graphic design, and UI/UX design. If you are still learning the ropes of design, then you can do Internshala’s Graphic Design training, UI UX Design online training, or Video Editing course. Use BLOG10 to get a discount of 10%.
