Company: Adobe
Intern: Product Development Intern, Adobe SheCodes Initiative
Interviewer: Subhiksha S (GT)
Interviewee: Lekha Shanthini (Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering, Fourth Year, College of Engineering Guindy)
GT: How did you get to know about this internship?
Lekha: This internship opportunity was on-campus. I got to know about it through CUIC (Centre for University-Industry Collaboration).
GT: How did you prepare yourself for this internship?
Lekha: My preparation mainly involved learning Data Structures and Algorithms. Apart from that, I enrolled in some courses and did a few projects on Web Development during the lockdown last year. Although this topic wasn’t directly relevant to the internship, it helped improve my resume and was an integral part of my preparation. I also participated in the CODE initiative by ACM CEG, which prepares students for internships and placements, and brushed up on some Operating Systems and Computer Networks concepts from my college notes. So I think the consistent practice was the most crucial part of my preparation.
GT: How was the selection process for this internship?
Lekha: The first step involved them shortlisting candidates based on our resumes. The second round was a regular online assessment round which went on for around 3 hours. After that, around 8 people were finally shortlisted. We then had our interviews, after which I got the results in a week. After the selection process, there was a 3-4 month gap before the internship commenced. My favourite part of the selection process was a part of the online test. We had a special section called a Gamified Assessment, which was quite different from what you expect from the usual assessments; It was the first time I’d experienced something like it. It was a series of games that tests your creativity and reasoning skills. It was very engaging, and that section of the assessment made the whole process very fun.
GT: How was the onboarding process?
Lekha: After I got the selection email and accepted the offer, there were a few formalities to be taken care of. We used to get emails and newsletters that kept us engaged until the internship, which started on May 31st. On the day I joined, we had different sessions explaining how everything works at Adobe. Overall, it was a very smooth process.
GT: Do you feel you’ve developed the skills relevant to today’s job market in the course of this internship?
Lekha: Yes, definitely. I have learned a lot throughout the entire journey. The first day was all about the onboarding process. It was only on the second day that I met my managers, mentors, and teammates; it was very exciting. I worked under the cloud technologies business unit. They explained what the team does and the role each person plays. At first, I was very overwhelmed since it was all very new to me. I had never done something like this before so I was nervous. I spent the first 7-10 days getting used to the new concepts and technologies. After I became familiar with them, things started to become a bit better. Every day there was something new to learn. Being computer science students, we’ve all worked with databases before, but during my internship, I learnt about the ways to handle them with some important dos and don’ts. I also learned how to systematically approach problems.
GT: How was the company culture? And how were your interactions with your superiors?
Lekha: Adobe was a workplace that was both inclusive and fun at the same time. All my mentors and managers were very friendly, and I could approach them at any time with doubts. They were very patient with me and would explain things to me in a way I could understand, and were all very helpful. Apart from that, the work culture was something that I loved about Adobe. We had weekly entertainment sessions for the interns called Intertainment where we played games and had fun. We also had escape fairs, where we played games like escape rooms and had the chance to win goodies. An important experience I would like to highlight is the intern summit, called Adobe Alchemy, which was conducted for interns throughout India. It was a one-day event where many influential people, from CEOs to Vice Presidents, interacted with us. Sonam Wangchuk (an educational reformist) was one of them, and his stories were very inspiring. We also had some informative sessions and workshops and it was a very interesting summit. Overall, it was a very fun place to work at. You get to learn a lot, not only from a technical perspective but also as a person. I feel like I developed a lot of soft skills during this journey.
GT: What are your thoughts on the Intern Diaries?
Lekha: I have been following this series since my second year of college. For the past two years, I have been watching all of your Intern Diaries videos. I must say, this is an amazing initiative by The Guindy Times. From the Intern Diaries, we get to learn about the experiences of our seniors interning at different companies. I saw an episode from the previous year, where a senior interned at Google, and it was awesome. So, keep doing a great job and thank you for allowing me to be a part of this. I’m very humbled.
The Guindy Times thanks Lekha for spending her valuable time with us and wishes her all the best for her future endeavours.
