Summer Trainee and the livin ain't easy

(I never thought, I'd twist a Billie Holiday song like that but what do you know...)

Come summer and apart from blistering high temperatures here in Pune, we also get a swarm load of MBA summer trainees or interns. I have 2 this summer interns this year and its the 2nd time that I'm leading interns, but I'm still befuddled by what exactly the purpose is of these internships.

a) is it to learn & imbibe
b) Is it just so that one can submit a document to the college, get marks and be done with it?

It should be the first but as the internship proceeds, generally it becomes about the latter. I think its because of the Indian MBA system. What can one expect out of freshers who are admitted in to MBA courses? They have never worked until then, they don't know how professional organizations function and here they are, thrown in to the middle of what seems like a huge conundrum and no wonder most of them just want to get done.

I really do feel sorry for them. It is alien and sometimes inhospitable and I would sympathize but what does make me angry is that sometimes they don't really care about the internship at all. Because it's all internally evaluated, the outcome is a formality so why bother about this sham at all? I strongly feel colleges should orient freshers about working in organizations and why internships are important.

The most important reason as to why an internship is crucial, is because, it gives you a chance to apply one's business education in the real world and sort of tune in both. Reading about a concept is completely different from implementing it. There are a no of variables that need to be factored in during implementation.

The attitude towards internships is different in people who have worked before because obviously, they've been there etc. But these people view the internship more as an actual simulation of what they certainly hope to do after passing out. The difference, these guys know what they want, the freshers - have no clue and its all one big large experiment.

Another important aspect that is not stressed enough to interns is the reason why the industry is hiring them in the first place. Yes, we get cheap labour for 2 months but one is also spending a considerable time monitoring and guiding them. We take them in, hoping they have fresh perspectives and new ideas on tackling some standard industry issues. We want them to bring in their MBA education and implement best practises or latest trends in their projects.

This dialogue is not happening unfortunately. In India, its still a one way process and I hope the Indian MBA system changes and starts admitting more experienced folks.