Musings of An Intern

For an IBA student in the 6^th semester of BBA, the prospect of the looming compulsory internship is nothing short of a harrowing experience.

From countless aptitude tests answered by shading circles of MCQs to innumerable nerve-wrecking interviews in formal attire, the process stretches for months. Students usually approach it in either of two ways: the first way is chosen by the lackadaisical, where the internship is viewed as a cumbersome duty that has to be performed while the second way is chosen by the rather ambitious, where the internship is deemed the ideal platform for networking. Sadly, few people approach it with enthusiasm and the desire to learn.

In truth, the students can hardly be blamed for this attitude because at several internships, interns are treated as disposable beings. Expected to merge quietly into the background, they are presumed to be satisfied with sharpening pencils and achieving the exhausting task of “looking busy while doing nothing”. Thankfully, companies are trying to reverse this ideology by utilizing interns productively.

Sameer was lucky enough to obtain internship at one such place: PricewaterhouseCoopers Pakistan. Why he seems so content with his internship might not be apparent to a random observer but the random observer would probably be unaware of the minute details that make a job interesting. Allow me to elucidate.

When asked about their dream job, most people respond with clichéd fantasies involving a stimulating work environment, freedom to make one’s own decisions, flexible work hours and finally, the inevitable, a substantial paycheck. Few are fortunate enough to realize that it is really the small things that count and make any job truly worthwhile. Sameer is pointing to the praise given by the supervisor, be it simply a thumbs up. He is talking about the conversations with colleagues over tea, discussing the best restaurants for iftar or that terrible traffic jam on Shahra-e-Faisal in the morning. He is referring to the helping hand of the employees in the cubicles next door when they help figure out why MS Excel is being infuriating.

For Sameer, this internship was beautiful in its simplicity. The office is furnished unpretentiously with identical cubicles and rotating chairs. The people are friendly, helpful and not associated with formal titles. The environment is not bureaucratic and the work? The work is fascinating.

Looking back, Sameer has several memories to take forward with him such as the lunch trips to Boat Basin and The Elbow Room with some of the crew at work, enjoying moments of laughter and seeing the fun side of the people at PwC or that odd, daily ritual of having Omore at 4 p.m. at the khokha in the building.