Sara Saleh in conversation with four students from Dubai Knowledge Village institutes, who dish up the truth about work experience.
How did the internships help?
Deepthi: "In an internship you get to apply things. You find out that performing a job isn't always what you learn in books. Real life experience is totally different."
Qamar: "Internships are helpful because a lot goes into them, you're more clued in and you're part of a sound working environment. You have lots of responsibility. You have to deal with it."
Matt: "Internships are important because it's hard to transfer from university to the real world without any prior experience and knowledge. As an intern, you gain an interesting perspective.
Gunjan: "I gained work, that's the main thing. I did a lot of different things at the workplace which all adds to my experience. As my internship was in Sweden, living alone was an experience in itself."
Did you achieve the goals you sought out to achieve?
Deepthi: "I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity - it made me see myself five to ten years from now."
Qamar: "Before, I hadn't seen the point in working, but I finally realised that I need an internship if I want to go somewhere.
Matt: "I wanted to work outside the US and benefit from a more enjoyable,
well-rounded experience and this has given me the chance. I am very satisfied."
Gunjan: "This enhanced my career prospects and gave me the chance to go to a beautiful Scandinavian country, as I am very fond of travelling."
What was the best part of the whole experience?
Deepthi: "The internship is a step towards the career path that I want, that's what I love."
Qamar: "So far, I'm enjoying my internship so much that I haven't even taken a day off."
Matt: "My favourite part was the friendships I made. I enjoyed my past experiences abroad and I wanted to get more, so that's why I came to do my internship in Dubai, as part of a programme to expand the cultural bridge between the US and the Arab world."
Gunjan: "In Sweden, I made so many friends … that was great."
- The writer is studying International Relations and English at the University of Sydney, Australia
WHAT IS THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME?
Wessem Rawazik, manager of the Student Services Department, DKV
- The internship section of SSC began last January, and it is in conjunction with Aiesec, the world's largest student organisation.
- Aiesec is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society.
- The DKV internship programme was started to focus on student services.
- It provides students with a supplement to the academic.
- Internships give students exposure and prepare them for the real world.
What internships did the students take on?
Deepthi Nair did her internship as an administrator at Grafton, an international recruitment firm.
Qamar Khaled had his internship at Dubai Knowledge Village carrying out administration work.
Matt Beckner assumed a whole lot of responsibility as he set up work networks across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for Motorola, a global communications company.
Gunjan Badi's internship consisted of working in IT and programming in one of Sweden's leading companies - Digital Diary.
