Sakshi Education: Internship - First Step towards Career

By
Sakshi Education

Internship: A Symbiotic benefit
Internship is a process of acquiring employable strengths by a student, which is benefited symbiotically for both academia and industry. During this metamorphosis stage, student will get a chance to prove his/her talent and will be privileged to work with other professionals and stalwarts in a corporate. During this period, he/she will acquire the qualities like adopting to the new system/environment, which is not experienced at his/her academia during his/her studies.
Students also would get a chance to work in desired technologies, which will also expose them to get expertise in the field. Besides, the intern will also get a chance to work with subject experts at various verticals and understanding their hierarchy and coordination among them. This will give them an "eagle's view" about project operation.

Majority of the Global top notches like Google, Microsoft R&D, Informatica, Altair Engineering, Computer Associates, GE health Care Technology, Synopsys, Mc.Afee and Motorola are encouraging good talent pool to work with their organizations as "Interns". Normally these organizations visit during penultimate semester or even take the students after completion of the engineering course. So, students should never look into the lucrative package but concentrate on the brand of the corporate, topic, area and demand of the technology in the market and employment conversion. These are the major factors to be studied carefully before accepting the internship. Even some companies do not surely offer "Employment conversion" even in that case, a previous experience in a corporate as "intern" will be of great advantage for getting full time employment in other corporates. Some corporates are more inclined to encourage the interns for full time employment, since they are polished and refined products.

Types of Internships:
Broadly Internships can be divided into two types namely Internship without employment and Internship with Employment. Normally medium size corporates offer ’5,000 to 8,000/- , whereas Higher scale organizations offer ’10,000/- to 20,000/- as stipend for Interns, It also varies for PG and UG students. Most of the Multi National Companies are showing interest to take the students as Interns with employment conversion. Unless, there is no requirement, they will not lose the good trained hands. Some corporates are allowing final year engineering students to do short time project works for 3 to 6 weeks for which they do not pay stipend, but issue certificate for the work, he/she did in the project. This certificate will be of great value during their campus placements and other off campus drives. Some of the corporates will make it very clear that, they would not give any surety of employment after internship. But the technology, in which the students excel, will be a "golden brick for construction of their career" in some other corporate. The same technology, that he/she learnt during internship can be showcased during interviews for full time employment. Though the stipend may not be that lucrative during internship, but once he/she is absorbed as Full time employment, sky is the limit for his/her growth in various dimensions.

Branches- Internship in Corporates:
Civil and Mechanical Engineering:
In infra industry good number of corporates are showing interest to encourage the engineering folks as interns. Not only on site jobs, but also Computer Aided Design ( CAD) is the best choice to start their career as intern. Working in reputed organizations like Gamon India, Sew Infrastructure, IVRCL and JMC they will have an all round exposure in various technologies. Whereas students from Mechanical and Production Engineering will have a good scope in L&T group, Essar Steels, Mahindra and Mahindra, Jhon Deers, Infotech Enterprises,Ashok Leyland for doing internship. Particularly, Machine design, Automobile Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Simulation, CAD/CAM, Industrial Management will be the best areas for doing internship.

ECE/EEE:
Communication Engineering is an ever green field, where good number of corporates offer internship in various technologies. ECIL, NTPC,BDL,Texas Instruments, Semiconductor organizations like Vacose Chip Semiconductors, Cyprus Semiconductors,Mentor Graphics, Moschip Semiconductors etc., offer internship for students. BHEL ,BDL are good choices for EEE students to do the internship. Broadly, they will be allowed to do internship in various areas like Embedded Systems, Micro Controls, Networking, DSP Processors, Analog and Digital IC Designs, Power Electronics are the ever green fields for doing internship. In general, for EEE students Hydrolic and Thermal Electric Machine Maintanence, Power Electronics and Utilizations are the best areas for building their career.

CSE/IT:
During 2008 to 2009, the global market was drastically affected with recession, but now the market is sending good signs of bright future for IT professionals in the years to come. The global reputes viz: Google, Yahoo, DE Shaw, AMAZON, Nvidia, are encouraging talent pool for doing internship in the areas viz: Machine learning, Language Technologies, Human Computer Interaction, Artificial Intelligence etc.,

Right Approach to the Corporates:
Normally corporates show interest to conduct Internship selections either on or off campus. Otherwise, individual students also can approach the corporate through Alumni, some other referrals, Training and Placement Officer etc. Interested students approach the Human Resources/ Head of Operations/Talent Acquisition/Staffing Head to know more about the prospects for internship. Most of the times, Alumni is one of the best source to know more about the prospects for internship in their organizations. Nowadays many social networking groups like orkut, face book, are available through which you can find out reliable information.

Documents to be carried before approaching a corporate for Internship:

Latest Updated Resume
Concerned HOD's permission letter for allowing to do internship
Principal's Approval letter
Letter from Training and Placement Officer
Recommendation letter: In case you are approaching through alumni or some referral employee of the organization or Faculty or Scientists or TPO it is essential to carry a recommendation letter.
Offer letter: In case, you get selected through campus drive either on/off campus, carry the initial offer letter with you along with TOPs recommendation letter, while meeting the Head of HR/ Techincal Head.
Concerned Faculty details should be conveyed to the team.

Commandments for Intern:
When students get an opportunity to work as intern they should do the following home work:

Enquire the areas/ topic in which he/she does the internship
Duration of Internship.
Scope for R&D.
Employment conversion.
Duration, stipend during internship and after employment conversion.
Researchers/Scientists/Faculty worked on the technology, in which he/she does the internship
Approach to the corporate through campus recruitment (Placement Officer) /faculty/some other Corporate referrals.
Once selection is done he/she should contact Team lead /HR /Talent Acquisitions /Staffing Head of the corporate for getting clarity on Internship and its terms and conditions.
Once the selection is done, in case students need to get the "credits" in order to get the degree as a part of curriculum he/she should involve his/her faculty and introduce him/her to the concerned team lead.
Student should act like a (conduit)? point between faculty and team lead of corporate for clarity of his/her work.