Internship at IIM Bangalore – Priyanka from Miranda House
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Priyanka shares her enriching experience of internship days.
Being an author! Doesn’t it sound incredible? I am convinced it does and that’s why I am here to share my story with you. I am from Dubai by origin and am currently pursuing Economics Honours from Miranda House, Delhi University. I am an internship enthusiast and have experienced working with quite a few organizations, notably- Aditya Birla, RTI Nation, Teach for India, E-cell IIT Bombay and Bloodconnect etc. but this particular internship was very different and stands out from the rest.
Nowadays, internships have become routine to teach and instill within youngsters required technical skills along with functioning of organizations. This is a perennial story, be it summer or winter with every company and every aspirant. Today internships have become a tool to hype ones CV but what really matters is: “What new thing have you learnt during your internship and how did that have an impact on you as a person”. I’ve believed that if you are looking to make a difference, you have to learn, explore and experience.
The summer of 2015 was a great learning experience for me wherein I acquired an opportunity to get my work published in reputed university research papers like the Harvard Business School and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB).
The internship that I pursued at IIMB was indeed an erudite experience during which I wrote a book on ‘Women Entrepreneurs’ which is soon going to be published. While working for over 2 months on this book, I got the chance to interact with entrepreneurs who are ardent, indignant and self- made venture capitalists. In the due course of networking with such zealous and passionate business tycoons, I came to understand that it is cake-walk to follow the majority but arduous to embark on the path less traveled by, one which has no fixed destination, one that guarantees struggle – the path of entrepreneurship.
I’ve always been intrigued by the financial world and have cherished the idea of autonomy. This influence and ideology has played a pivotal role in nurturing my thought process to align with the quickly spreading start-up culture within India. Through this internship, I learnt that entrepreneurship is not about owning a firm or profit-making but about converting the power of an idea into reality which in turn is meant for generating wealth, for creating job opportunities, for betterment of the society and ultimately for the up-liftment of the country.
The second attribute that I found common in these entrepreneurs is that they were able to express their ideas in a concise way with simple logic which establishes the value proposition of their idea giving them a very clear understanding of why what they’re selling is better than existing products and services. Additionally they were able to validate the thought process behind their ideas through some form of test marketing to ensure their ideas have a market and are relevant.
The third element, which is of some peculiarity, is that they all bring together a team that has a complementary skill set. For instance if some people are well acquainted with technology, others are finance oriented and specialize in sales, marketing and HR.
Connecting with these business-persons influenced me with the insight of the nitty-gritty of businesses and led me to an expedition in the field of entrepreneurship. For me, it was a life changing experience to meet these wonderful ladies. I am sure once you have read the book, just like me, you will be inspired and confident enough to take your first step towards your own enterprise, should you consider owning one.
These entrepreneurs never gave the excuse of being women, rather each of them found a way to balance work and family time. They are not all high net worth individuals or famous billionaires but they have one thing in common and that is their desire, dedication and their ability to explore opportunities. They never neglected anything in life, small or big and took complete advantage of whatever came their way, learning with time. They weren’t born extraordinary but are like you and me, who made themselves by valuing every bit they had in hand.
Aspiring to be a social entrepreneur, this experience proved to be a guiding light for me in terms of the required skills and the humongous challenges needed to be confronted while drumming up my business. Often the general lot follow the mob but these entrepreneurs were at a fork in the road where two paths diverged. One, which was traveled by almost every risk-averse person and guaranteed ‘security’ and another, which was far less traveled by and looked treacherous to traverse. They thought for a while and decided to take the path that was the latter which manifests the quality of a true challenger. This has indeed been a life changing decision for each one of them and a decision which will undoubtedly inspire younger generations. This book not only focuses on their achievements but also tries to inspire and guide the youth on how to step forward and enter the world of entrepreneurship. These entrepreneurs treated the idea of being women as a boon and were their own masters.
It has not only been a training period where I contributed my services but has also been a platform where I could exchange ideas with these self-starters in matters ranging from economical to political. Most of the internships aim to train individuals for the work place but the essence that made my internship stand out of the crowd was the amalgamation of erudition and inspiration that dealt with unraveling the myth on women who are now not only Managers in the house but also Bosses at their workstations. It is not easy to believe but it is true that after I was done writing the book, the feeling of being financially independent and being my own boss inspired me to execute my business idea which was only a piece of paper, into the real world.
Although I am not done with my graduation and currently in my penultimate year, this insight and inspiration has influenced me to face real world business challenges. I did not just take away the experience of writing this book but also acquired the will to give back to the society through my service – the execution of my business plan. This will hopefully lead to employment, better lifestyle for the unprivileged and the up-liftment of the nation. Being an author at such a young age brings me a feeling of immense happiness and has strengthened my will to become a social entrepreneur. This internship experience will undoubtedly be treasured and was an eye-opening journey for me.
If Priyanka’s experience motivates you, you can check the latest internships in Bangalore.
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