Exchange Diaries
Soumya Yadav | Civil Engineering
Roboken Co. Ltd., Japan
Research Area: Machine Learning
What was your project?
My project was to build a recommendation system using Machine Learning for an E-commerce website which is a new venture by the company.
How did you apply for FT?
Most of the companies end their intern recruitment by September, so I applied for this internship by personal mailing at the same stage along with the application for my winter internship. I searched for opportunities through LinkedIn wherein both my interests and the company's interests were aligned. This particular job was listed on a Japanese job-listing website.
What was the mode of communication?
The meetings were held through Skype. Other than that there was a semi-formal chat group for the AI/Development team where we could discuss the framework of the product’s design and the customer needs. Emails were a more formal way of communication.
What were the difficulties you faced during the internship?
Japan was hit hard due to COVID-19. My internship almost got cancelled due to this. I had to resort to rigorous mailing to ask when I could join. I needed to explain why I would be a potentially good intern. Once I joined, I got to face another issue that was the time difference of 3:30 hours. I had to join as early as 6:00 IST and work till 3 pm. During the later part of my internship, our classes at college resumed and unfortunately, the time hours clashed.
How would you describe your overall experience?
The overall experience was amazing, however, it could have been better if it was an offline internship. I got to learn a few bits about time management, owing to the time zone clash and ongoing classes. The best part was, I got to learn the Japanese language and their work ethics.
What advice would you like to give to our fellow KGPians who aspire for FT?
Corporate FT definitely adds a lot more weightage to your CV. I would strongly suggest applying for the same. However, the final decision should align with your long term goal, whether you are sitting for your placements or interested in further research.