Night outs, Cricket, and some Coding – Life at Internshala
About the Author: Amar Kumar Prasad joined Internshala as a Web Developer. He recently completed one and a half years with the company and reminisces about his journey so far.
I’ll always remember my first day at Internshala. I stood at the door for quite some time, tensed and nervous. When I finally opened the door, I thought I had entered the wrong office. I was confused and then someone asked if I was Amar and then sent me to Vikram, my mentor. I had an interesting ice-breaking session and thus started my journey at Internshala. That day left an unforgettable mark on me as, on that same day, a series of earthquakes were felt all across India.
I got the first module within few days of joining. Although now I feel it wasn’t a complex one, but at that time I was sweating profusely. As they say, “Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and it was important, for me, to make my first step count. And I did make it count with the successful completion of that module!
As time progressed, I worked on different modules and every module taught me something new. I learned about APIs, languages etc. but my favourite learning has been, undoubtedly, the habit of thinking constantly about how the product can be improved. I’ve also learned that dreaming big in itself is of no real value until you actually make it happen. And there can’t be any excuses when you’ve to make it happen. Thus, during this one year, we had a lot of night outs for different projects. Yes, you heard that right. However, we made sure that these night outs were fun and full of celebrations too. ;)
The good thing about Internshala is its cool and soothing work culture. I can go in casual clothes. If there isn’t at least one really good joke in an hour, it’s probably a slow day. Everyone who works here has that same drive and excitement for creating something special. And the best part – you are a think tank here, irrespective of your work profile. You voice your opinions, brainstorm new ideas, and then get them implemented. Every one is equal and there’s no hierarchy system to slow down the work. Thus, I’ve had as much fun while working as I had when playing Cricket or Football in the evenings, if not more.
It has been more than a year. Many new faces have joined and the team is almost double now. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the work culture and the zeal to provide meaningful internships to students. And I’ve grown along with the company. Now, I actually understand the value of hard work, ownership, and self-sustainability and the role they can play in one’s development. I look forward to many more night outs, cricket matches, jokes, and learning opportunities!
P.S. One thing that I can say for sure to every person joining our team – “You will learn to be frugal.” :)
