It was during my 8th semester of engineering at NIT Jaipur, that I joined AlgoUniversity as an intern, and today it has been more than 10 months since I’ve become a part of this amazing team. Looking back at this journey, it was flooded with unforgettable moments, which when I think of today, brings a wide smile on my face.
It was new year’s eve, when I first arrived here. My parents accompanied me, a typical move since I’m a single child. For food lovers like me, Hyderabad-the city of Biryani, is paradise. My parents & I went out to see all the famous tourist attractions and naturally, we gave a visit to all the famous eateries as well.
It was the second day of the year and the first of my internship. My mom and dad came to drop me off at the IIIT Hyderabad campus, where the AlgoUniversity office was located. Post which, they went on to see the remaining travel destinations on their list.
Coming back to my first day here, we received a warm welcome from the whole team with some super exciting gifts including the delicious biscuits by Karachi Bakery. Then, we went out for a campus tour cum lunch outing and got to interact with everyone.
One of the most memorable part of this day was our interaction with the founder, Manas Sir. We had a little conversation about AlgoUniversity, and then we engaged in some fun guesstimates! I distinctly remember him mentioning that we won’t be treated as mere interns here, the bar here will always be higher. Our growth here will depend solely on us, and being an intern would in no way hinder it.
Later that day, we were given our first mini-project. The deadline for which was a couple of days, and we had our presentations on Wednesday. The presentations went well, and after it we were finally allotted our teams, which led to the ending of our warm-up period here, and the beginning of our serious and critical tasks.
Unlike my previous internships, the work that I did here directly impacted and truly made a difference for the company. This responsibility made me learn so much more than what I would have learnt in a big MNC. Building things from scratch and engaging in brainstorming sessions with my manager contributed significantly to my rapid growth and learning.
I also remember my first sales conversion, it was 6th of February, a day before my birthday. And frankly it was the best present one could ask for. This present which seemed almost unbelievable for me at first but then marked a beginning for a series of sales conversions.
Now coming to birthday presents and celebrations, how could I miss talking about my birthday? Thanks to the birthday bot at Slack, which had been successfully notifying the whole team about my birthday for about a month, sparing me from having to notify anyone myself.As I walked into the office, warm birthday wishes greeted me from all corners. The birthday celebration and the cake cutting happened in the evening, after which we went out for a team dinner.
With each new campaign, I got to work on new things and this made me accomplish things I never imagined. From marketing, sales, SEO, content writing, generating ideas, devising plans and strategies to acting, setting up booths, talking to big tech influencers and at the same time, talking to random people I’ve never met before, the journey here has been truly fulfilling, both personally and professionally.
As my time in the company progressed, so did my learnings and growth. And then finally came the day, in which I received the PPO. A bittersweet day, as happy as I was about getting the full time offer, a part of me was scared to face this new phase of life, and leave behind the days of my studenthood.
But thanks to the team here, never once I felt alone during this transition. Be it my co-interns or my manager, they were all ready to help me throughout the other challenges of this transition: like shifting to a flat, or adjusting to the responsibilities of adulthood. But the adult life here had its fair share of work, we frequently went out for our sports outings, where we all played football or cricket. And also, the amazing food which we have after it.
The bond that we have here in a startup is irreplaceable, from celebrating our birthdays to celebrating the big wins, we all get a little closer as each of these moments pass by.