I’m pretty sure that most of us are not a stranger to intern horror stories. You know, the ones about getting interns to do the dirty work; making them coffees and all that jazz. To be completely honest, I’m not sure about the extent of truth in them, but I do know that at a startup, that is definitely not the case – take it from someone who went through the experience first-hand. Curious? Read on, my friend. For some context, I was an undergrad in my freshman year with plans of getting an internship experience during my summer break. I then chanced upon an internship advertisement from Partipost Singapore. I took the chance and applied for it, despite having second thoughts about it. After all, as it is a startup, and it is a growing company, thus the workload is bound to be greater.
The first thought that popped up in my head was, “Is it really worth it?”
To me, I was simply seeking experience. Honestly, it was a #yolo moment and here I am, with a week left of my 3 months internship. To the outside world, startups may sound cool, innovative and all, while boasting a ‘young and vibrant’ culture (which is kinda true but that does not equate to 24/7 party and games). Work has to be done and it has to be done quickly – for every growing company aims to be successful as early as possible and every single person in the company has the responsibility to work towards it. This includes dealing with different types of people, meeting tight deadlines and sometimes having to work overtime to meet certain expectations and to contribute to the growth. Most of the time, you just gotta be independent, pro-active and self-motivated in order to get things done.
Okay, I know I just made it seem like it is always a dull bitter vanilla day in the office, but on the contrary, I just want to point out that,
"There is NEVER a dull day at Partipost Singapore."
Every day is new and exciting. Sometimes it is due to work-related things such as launching of different campaigns, brainstorming about unique mechanics when proposing to different clients, and other times it can be things like trying to find new places to eat, unboxing of ~~our~~ someone’s Colorpop order that is delivered to the office, ~~burning~~ ‘cooking’ adventures in the pantry and even our heart-to-heart conversations while chilling in our office’s beanbag room. Another thing that is sort of underrated about working at a startup in Singapore is just how close you get to be with your superiors (not just literally ‘cause sometimes you share table with them) but because everyone helps each other out and we all tend to have our lunch together. An occasional drinking session or barbecue parties, and that’s when you actually get to know each other better.
Staying motivated for work everyday
An important reason behind staying motivated for work and fulfilling all tasks is definitely the friendships forged between fellow interns – because ultimately we are all in this together (cue: HSM) and we know that we always have each other’s backs.
Another underrated fact about working in a startup is that the level of involvement is much greater than that of bigger firms. Personally, I was directly involved in the execution of numerous campaigns, which is something I would not have expected to have done as an intern.
The experience gained and learning process was fruitful and might I say, totally a worthy experience.
All in all, if you are looking for something lax and peaceful, don’t work at a startup. But if you are someone who is pro-active and want your input and contribution to make a difference to the company, go for it! Startups are always looking for talented and dynamic individuals, and it is definitely something I will encourage people to try out, especially they are interested in understanding how a young firm works.
Conculsion
At Partipost I’m truly lucky to have met pretty cool people, working under helpful and warm superiors-mentors-mamabears and for the friendships forged here, something I know will last.I hope that future Parti-interns will share the same experience as I did during these three months!
