Virtual Internships, Tangible Learnings

Even in this unprecedented pandemic situation, there are lessons aplenty. Austin Louise Chai (BS Management Engineering 2022) shares how his virtual internship in a telehealth company helped build his knowledge, skills, and experience outside the classroom. 

As someone new to the whole internship scene, I was more than a little apprehensive about my first internship, mainly because it would be virtual. I knew that I’d be exploring somewhat uncharted territory because virtual internships were never the norm pre-pandemic.  In retrospect, though, I’m glad that I pushed through with it despite the uncertainties and challenges because the lessons and learnings that I gained were undoubtedly all worth it.

In terms of challenges, it can only be expected that communicating was a  little bit more complicated with everything being held virtually.  Whereas in the past, it was more straightforward with people you need to talk to being readily available in person, it is more challenging to communicate in the pandemic because there are different platforms and time constraints that need to be taken into account. First, it was vital to familiarize myself with sharing using various platforms such as email, Viber, and Zoom, as communication in the workplace differed based on what medium was used. Secondly, time management became a key component of communication.  Because everyone is constantly being barraged by noise in the online workspace,  people often respond much later than they would in person. So allocating enough time to account for this delay was essential to successfully stay on top of things and finish deliverables on time.

Another challenge that comes with a virtual internship is the need to be flexible and adaptable. In my experience, it was essential to be flexible with my schedule because some meetings would occur at unpredictable times. On the flip side, having a virtual internship offered more freedom than an in-person one because I didn’t have to clock into the office. Because my training was output-based, meaning success was measured by work done, it was mostly up to me on how I wanted to manage my time. Another reason virtual internships can be challenging is because it’s more difficult to be formally trained in the online setting.  This meant that adapting to challenges in work and taking measures to learn and equip myself with necessary skills proactively were constant tasks throughout the internship.

Lastly, it was challenging but essential to set clear boundaries between work and leisure.  With everything being done from home, it was challenging to stop working even after work hours officially ended. However, I eventually learned to curb this habit because it would consequently take a toll on my productivity instead of boosting it. Learning how to set this boundary through my internship is an important takeaway that will enable me to maintain a healthy work-life balance as a future young professional.

Overall, I’m grateful to Ateneo and my company for the opportunity to experience my virtual internship. It’s certainly a different experience from what we’re used to, but I believe the things I’ve been able to learn from it are just as valuable as if I had been on site. This experience has also been integral in helping me clarify what I want to pursue in my future career through experience in the workplace. If I had to choose only one benefit to keep from the internship, it would be that!