The Core Memory
A page from the journal of an Intern turned Full-timer
I love animated movies. Absolutely adore them. One of my favorite animated movies of all time is Inside Out. And honestly, I’m yet to meet a person who hasn’t been mesmerized by this movie. To have all our complex emotions and memories laid out in front of us and helping them put in words by introducing us to extensive vocabulary like “core memory” “intrapersonal/ interpersonal communication” is a depth that very few movies manage to bring forward.
Now, this may sound very cheesy but hang in there while I explain myself- the past few months of my professional as well as personal life have transformed into a “core memory”.
As the pandemic had made itself cozy and comfortable for over a year in around January 2021, I, like many other final year students; was struggling with the uncertainty of graduating and securing a job. This part of our college lives that was supposed to be a pleasantly memorable experience was turning into one nightmarish episode of Black Mirror!
But soon enough I managed to get into f1studioz as a Graduating Intern(UX Design) for the Jan-June Semester. As someone who had just stepped into the world of User Experience Design, I was as clueless as they come about the real-life workings and implications of it.
However looking back on these past few months, I have come to witness my own journey as a mere intern to a full-timer in a shy 4.5 months, backed by tons of learning, guidance, and support. The fact that I can manage to handle complete project work by myself and that I was trusted to do so at around the 3rd month of interning, is something that I’ll always be grateful for!
But let’s rewind a bit and I’ll try to pen this journey through some easily consumable pointers for better readability. (yes, this is the part where I will be spewing my UX vocabulary left and right)
- The first month of interning with f1studioz taught me something very important about myself as well as the profession I had chosen as my career- While User Experience is a vast field with various laws and extensive theories and terms, getting the very basics right of it is the first step towards becoming a UX Designer.
- Practicality and usability above everything else. Now this is something that I knew of, or rather I thought myself to be following well; soon enough I realized how real-life client projects vastly differ from portfolio projects. Terms like deadlines and sprints, coding limitations, interaction flow, and accessibility were newly defined for me during this month.
- While creativity is extremely valued and cherished, the industry has agreeable standardization that one’s creativity needs to follow and adhere to. I knew of this as information, however, implementing it through my work as a practice is something that I am learning over time.
It’s kind of like playing chess, over time you learn to quickly eliminate moves that won’t work and after a time your mind stops coming up with them at all.
- In the second and third months of interning with f1studioz, I was familiarized with some soft skills that one needs to have as a UX designer. The tactic to efficiently and effectively present and propose ideas to the client, and to have everyone on the same page is one of them. My team at f1studioz Hyderabad has had a huge role to play with this by imparting me some tips and tricks here and there though out the tenure of my internship and continuing to do so.
- I was given vital exposure when it comes to taking up client meetings, setting my own work timelines among other things, but I always had the guidance and kind of a safety-net to fall back upon from my team. This gave me the chance to explore freely.
Think of it as training wheels, I was given the freedom to really do things my way and as I wanted, however, it was channelized through my seniors to make sure I stay on the track without tipping over!
- As someone who has an acute anxiety disorder, it makes me very happy to think of all the times that my team continues to consider it and helps me pace myself with encouraging words and guidance. The personal touch that my team has had on my professional and personal development is really commendable. From forcing me to take leaves when I tested COVID positive, to covering up for me during my final examinations at college, my team has really done it all. The monthly 1-on-1s with my project manager help me evaluate myself and set goals for the upcoming month.
Lastly, the FUN.
- The Monday Monda sessions, the Wednesday Wind-downs, and the Friday Fresh-ups. The holy trinity of knowledge, de-stressing, and fun. I have the privilege of organizing Monda sessions that help rid of the Monday Blues by engaging in a one-hour session presented by our colleagues.
- The Wednesday Wind-downs are perfectly timed with fun games and activities during the middle of the week when sometimes the work wears you down. And the Friday Fundas help us comprehend the world beyond our chosen career field by introducing us to passionate individuals from various fields. The Fundas are open for everyone to be a part of, so you should definitely visit us sometime!
To conclude, my transition at f1studioz from an Intern to a Full-Timer has been so smooth that it’s really hard to find pit-stops in the journey. (except the pay of course :P)
The internship experience was personalized, and I set stages according to my own skill-set and learning speed. I think this is really important because as interns coming from different disciplines, most of us have had varying skill sets, and thus bringing everyone to the same level by the end of internship tenure is something that takes a lot of time and patience!
As a full-timer, I was already routined with everything I was supposed to do, as the last few months of my internship, I was regarded as a full-timer and given the responsibilities of one.
On a personal front, the amount of confidence that has been instilled in me over these past few months makes me feel accomplished in many ways. I have been able to soothe my social anxiety and communicate confidently with everyone and have made friends with my fellow interns-turned-full-timers, most of who I can count on for anything :)
I hope I have been able to reason and justify this “core memory” of these past few months. I wish to be able to continue adding to it and expand my horizons.
Kudos on making it till the end of my blog, adios until next time!
Pps: We are fully remote :)
