Interviewer: Keshikaa R (GT) - CSE -CEG

Interviewee: Priyanka V

Bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Final year, College of Engineering Guindy (CEG)

Intern: VISA

GT: Can you introduce yourself?

I'm Priyanka, a final year student in Electronics and communication engineering at Anna University and I completed my internship with VISA last month.

GT: Tell us more about the company where you interned.

VISA Inc. is a digital payment company that facilitates electronic fund transfers throughout the world.

GT: How was the selection process for VISA? Can you elaborate on the process?

The selection process consisted of two rounds: An Online Coding test and a Technical interview. The duration of the coding round was 60 min and we had two questions. I felt one of the questions to be easier than the other and the other one was from medium level as it required code optimization for some test cases. I was able to solve both the questions successfully and got selected for the interview round. In the interview, questions mainly focused on topics like Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures and Algorithms. Some online courses and personal projects helped me express my passion for this field better during the interview. Finally, I got selected for this internship.

GT: What were your ways of preparation for the coding and technical rounds?

I started my preparation at the beginning of my third year. My seniors organized various classes to train us for the coding test, which gave me a good start. And, I practiced more questions, read articles that covered important topics from platforms like GeeksforGeeks. Personally, a YouTube channel called "mycodeschool" helped me in understanding the concepts of Data Structures.

GT: Share with us your most challenging part in this whole internship process and how you overcame it.

The internship was for 12 weeks and, since it happened through virtual mode I faced challenges like setting up the system and other technical glitches. With the help of my supportive team members, I was able to resolve these issues.

GT: Can you tell us about the project you worked on during the internship?

I interned with a team that was part of a next-generation payment processing network so, my project was web development. Under the guidance of my manager and my team members, I was successful in doing it. I gained knowledge on how to achieve development, testing, and deployment at the industry level.

GT: How was it working for VISA and the nature of the internship there?

I enjoyed the work culture at VISA as it was more welcoming for newbies to the corporate world like me. The members of the team I worked with were very approachable. Regarding the nature of the internship, we had a project to work on, and in the end, we had a project presentation. The company even organized workshops to train us for this presentation and, this improved my presentation skills. Apart from the project, we had leadership programs where we got to interact with the senior leaders of the company and some fun activities which kept us motivated and more included in the company. Finally, based on my performance throughout the internship I was given a pre-placement offer.

GT: What do you think are the pros and cons of doing a virtual internship?

We had flexible work hours at VISA that allowed me to work at my convenience and take breaks whenever needed, so that was an advantage. Due to this pandemic, a virtual internship was the only way. Though we were comfortable and there were no major challenges, I felt that if it had been an offline internship, social interaction would have happened and made the internship experience much better.

GT: What was your learning process like during this internship?

We had about two weeks to understand the project and learn the requirements. I learned new technologies needed for my project through online courses and got a grasp of the business concepts through my team members.

GT: Tell us about your key takeaways from the internship.

Doing an internship in such a reputed company helped me to transform myself from college to corporate life. I also learned to manage time efficiently and systematically develop a project. Most importantly, I learned about networking because it is important to reach out to others for guidance if we are stuck.

GT: What would be your piece of advice to juniors who are doing their internship preparation now?

I would like to share a few things with my juniors. Firstly, have a clear mindset on what you are going to do after your undergraduate. The earlier you decide, the more time you will have to develop those skills. Attend all the companies that come for internships as this experience will help during placements. It is extremely important to be consistent in practicing coding because opportunities will be open only when you clear the coding round. Doing online certification courses and projects will make you a standout during the interviews. Finally, if you are unsure about anything, reach out to seniors as we can learn a lot from them.

GT: What are your views on the "Intern Diaries" series by Guindy Times?

When I was in my second year, I got to know about internships through this series and I was curious to read more about it. I am sure this series will continue to inspire and will be informative to juniors as well.

The Guindy Times thanks Priyanka for spending her valuable time and wishes her good luck in all her future endeavors.