You Won’t Believe What It’s Like To Work in Japan…

While it seems some of my fellow Mistletoe Summer Program interns have received during their time in Japan nothing short of a philosophical revelation in human interconnectedness, my main takeaway was only that the internship was an outstanding learning experience and that I would highly recommend it to future candidates.

I already had misgivings about my internship — as an Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis Intern — even before I accepted it. I had begin to code only a few months before then, and that was mainly a few basic scripts in Python and R. I had no experience with JavaScript, Ruby, or SQL, (all of which were essential to the job). I didn’t know what “Version Control” or an API was. I didn’t even know HTML. And yet I was supposed to develop a chatbot, create an API for Slack + Ruby on Rails integration, and mine data using the company’s database.

But it went — and is still going — surprisingly well. Unlike some others I had heard about, I had no language barriers with my team. My supervisors included an Australian, a Filipina, a Canadian, and a Frenchman, and I worked with other interns from Stanford and MIT. All were graciously patient with my progress as I struggled through what, in retrospect, were aggravatingly simple tasks. They even threw a little party on my birthday, and took me and the other interns on field trips during Tanabata.

In turn, I gave the company my best effort. After a month, I had familiarized myself with Front-end development tools, data mining, and web application frameworks with Ruby on Rails. I shot and edited two videos for a corporate event, and helped with social media and SEO campaigns. I developed a Slack-integrated chatbot.

Of course, there were challenges, many beyond my control. The workflow was sometimes inefficient, and I could never be sure that my comments on the business model would be taken well or taken seriously, while the Product Team was overworked and understaffed. There is only so much I can do that overlaps with what I was meant to do.

I’m grateful for the opportunities Mistletoe and Venture Republic has given me. I’ve learned a lot not only in technical skills, but also personal skills far beyond what I had expected, and I only hope that I’ve provided just as much value in return.