Why I Work With Interns


This is part of a series of articles on internships. A previous post talked about the motivations of doing and offering internships (Why Intern?). In this article, I discuss my motivations for taking on interns.

This is very much about my perspectives. If you are interested in interning with me, my hope is that this helps you understand my motivations, which will lead to better outcomes for everyone. If you are not interning with me, these points will help you think about what you could look for from an internship.

  1. When I was in my last year of engineering, I realized I did not have a clue what a job would entail. My father was at that time retired from the Indian Navy and was working in the Merchant Navy, so his experience wasn’t applicable (or so I thought!). I spent quite a bit of time speaking with students who had graduated a year or two before me, going over what their day was like, and while I got some insights, my experience turned out to be completely different. Fast forward to my next few jobs after my M.S. and PhD, and I realize now that my mindset was very restricted. I was heavily focused on ‘what’s in it for me,’ rather than ‘how can I grow the best’ and ‘how can I contribute the most’. The most effective people I have met create their own opportunities, and this comes about by thinking very differently.So: one motivation for taking on interns is the conceit that I can help students be better prepared for their careers by inculcating better work habits and disciplines that I had when I started out.
  2. One reason I quit my job was the desire to change the world. I see an opportunity to do so by coaching students to be more effective. The good students will anyway figure things out by themselves, but if I can hasten the process for a few and create awareness in the rest, mission accomplished!

The next few motivations are more selfish in nature:

  1. There are many, many areas to explore, and I can only do so much by myself. Plus, my biggest contribution now is at the larger idea-framing (or definition) stage, rather than in the nuts and bolts implementation. With students, I can do much more than what I would be able to do on my own.
  2. Brainstorming different areas with students creates more opportunities. Explaining and understanding ideas lead to new insights that I otherwise would not have.
  3. I get to learn new technologies and perspectives.

And finally, the biggest reason why I take on interns is it’s a lot of fun!

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One response to “Why I Work With Interns”

  1. Hi there,
    I was surprised to learn that you quit your job but I suppose this is your calling. I would like to learn about your insights on working with students, especially as you describe in #4 and 5.

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