I was a lucky girl indeed for having the chance to worked as an intern in Bayer Material Science Thailand. I was both excited and nervous at the same time. That was my first time to be apart for so long from my family. However, i didn’t have to live on my own because Putri, my best friend was also coming. We spent the whole 7 weeks together in Rayong, the city where my office (well, factory, to be exact) is located.
I never thought that Rayong is so far from Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, the heaven for girls because lots of cheap fashion items are sold there. I was a bit sad, at first, because i already imagined myself exploring all the shopping center in Bangkok. Definitely the trip really was meant for working, not shopping! The great thing was that my accommodation is so homey, modern, and luxurious.
My first and second working day were a bit like a lecture. I was taught about the whole activities in the factory: the product, the process, the safety, etc. I remember i was totally lost when a guy tried to explain a particular chemical process to me. But thankfully, i was put in Business Process Improvement department. So, no chemical process at all. My boss was really nice and my teammates were just awesome!
I got my own desk and my own laptop. I was totally excited about that. It seemed so professional. During my internship period, i was asked to do several projects and i also had to do a final presentation before returning home. Mainly, my project was about inventory management. I had to review and propose a solution for the problem that occurred in the factory. Turned out, not all problems can be solved according to the theory that we learned in the university. The reality is not that easy, many factors have to be taken into account and there are many limitations, too. That’s the most valuable thing that i learned from my internship that made me see things differently.
So, to all university students out there: enrich yourself with an internship experience. Only studying won’t take you anywhere, this is really the step one must take before entering a professional world (having a job). Internship is just so wonderful.
♥ Atiqah Zulfa Nadia
atiqahzulfanadia.com 