How Internships Can Kickstart Your Career

Find out how SUTD students gain an edge in the working world by securing internships to explore and learn more about themselves.

Aaron Soares

Architecture and Sustainable Design, (Class of 2022)

Model Maker Okashimo Private Limited

Take pride in all that you do, think out of the box, and do not let dreams just be dreams – just do it.

Try to land as many internships as you can.

My role

While I focused on model-making as part of the design process and presentation, I was also assigned to many different tasks as Okashimo is a relatively small studio. This included conducting and presenting heavy preliminary research for new projects, getting involved in the design process for sculpture works, pitching ideas to my boss and more. These experiences made my journey at Okashimo a fruitful one as it was my first step into the design industry.

My challenge

Some of the challenges I faced included meeting the high expectations and fast-paced nature of the development of the floor plans and other drawings. Thankfully, I could consult my colleague and design lead, who not only taught me how to be more efficient in Rhino, but also how to use a checklist to ensure expectations were met on time.

Another challenge was that while we used 3D printers and laser-cutting machines in school, the model-making process here was manual, using cutting knives and foam boards while referring to printed floorplans. As such, we had to formulate a concise order of assembly before any construction could begin.

My biggest takeaway

In school, we sometimes close a blind eye for some projects, especially when juggling deadlines and having to prioritise. But an ‘anything goes’ attitude will not work here, and it shows in your projects. But I also loved how every aspect of the projects were well thought out, and had many opportunities to go wild and experiment, especially at the start of the design process. After all, we never know when inspiration will strike.

Advice for my juniors

Internships are the best way to learn out of the classroom as the experiences here have so much to offer to prepare you not only for your future career but your upcoming terms too. I strongly encourage you to choose one which will add value to your learning and portfolio and not do an internship for the sake of it. Take pride in all that you do, think out of the box, and do not let dreams just be dreams – just do it.

Azfar Hamidudin Bin K O Noordin

Engineering Product Development (Class of 2022)

Design Engineering Intern 3D Metal Forge My role

My role can be split into two distinct areas: design work and reverse engineering. Design work involved ideating and modelling a product in CAD software from scratch based on customer requirements, such as creating a chemical rack to hold engineering components. Reverse engineering saw me using the software to create components for customers, using either engineering drawings or a hand-held 3D scanner.

My challenge

Adhering to Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) principles was initially difficult, as I had not designed many complex parts for 3D printing before this internship. Moreover, due to the pandemic, it was also tough to physically interact with people on the design team as all communication was done digitally, which made asking questions about DfAM more difficult. Thankfully, the design team and mentors were always open to me scheduling a call with them to help me with any issues which made the learning process much faster.

My biggest takeaway

Though some projects were a little challenging, overcoming them allowed me to improve my technical skills to a much greater degree. Having exposure to the additive manufacturing industry also allowed me to broaden my skillset and has given me some valuable experience working in a rapidly growing industry.

Advice for my juniors

Try to land as many internships as you can. This will give you much clearer idea of what you are passionate about and allow you to make an informed decision when picking your career.

Charini Jinadasa

Engineering Systems and Design (Class of 2022)

Intern at Engineering and Projects Department Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts

Be enthusiastic and always try to deliver your personal best in the work you perform!

Jonathan Wiggins

, Computer Science and Design (Class of 2022)

Software Engineering Intern OnLoop (Mobile Startup)

Do not put so much pressure on yourself, though, as the type of internship you go for is not as career-defining as the lessons you will learn from it.

My role

I worked with the company to develop and establish an energy matrix for three city hotels in Colombo. This was established by analysing past data of energy usage in the respective hotels and identifying variables influencing the energy consumption using which an equation and interface was developed to help budget the costs of energy accurately for the future.

My challenge

Due to the focus of my job role, I had to be familiar with the operations of the hotels. Unfortunately, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic prevented me from visiting the hotels in-person, affecting my understanding of the hotels’ operations and energy consumption, since I could not personally speak to the management.

Instead, my supervisor was able to provide the needed information and explained to me in detail about what I needed to know. I was also able to learn more through online research as well.

From this, I realised the importance of communication, along with reaching out when you need help. I also made extra effort to understand the project’s content and deliverables and kept my supervisors updated on my progress. By doing so, I overcame the challenges I faced while having to work in a virtual arrangement.

My biggest takeaway

I had the opportunity to learn about many different topics which helped me expand my knowledge and level of expertise. I learnt more about the industry that I worked in, specifically about energy-related topics, and the importance of taking initiative. I also experienced the dynamics of a remote work environment and developed key characteristics crucial to being an efficient and reliable employee.

Advice for my juniors

By taking on internships, you will have the opportunity to gain experience on working in different fields and industries. In return, it helps you to identify what you are passionate about and enjoy working with. They also let you meet lots of people from different academic and professional backgrounds. The experience and expertise we gain through internships are quite different to what we learnt at university. So always try and grasp the different opportunities that come your way. Be enthusiastic and always try to deliver your personal best in the work you perform!

My role

I was part of the Singapore-based Engineering team at OnLoop, a mobile application start-up. With the product being launched at the end of the internship period, I was a crucial part in driving the mobile application forward by implementing major product features on the front-end. I worked closely with the design team to understand both the user flow and screen design before implementing it with my fellow engineers.

My challenge

Despite having never worked with their front-end mobile applications before, I was able to overcome that hurdle rather easily. Rather, my greatest challenge was integrating with the team and staying motivated. As lockdown measures increased at the start of the internship and remote working became normal, I found the lack of social interactions to be incredibly demoralising. Even as an introvert, I found that working as part of a larger team by being in the same space to be more motivating.

My biggest takeaway

One of the most important lessons I learnt is to constantly push yourself to learn, grow, and apply yourself. As a young student, there is so much more to learn and there is no substitute for hard work in order to reach success.

Advice for my juniors

Find an internship that you think you will enjoy and go for it. Use these opportunities to explore the various fields you are interested in. Do not put so much pressure on yourself, though, as the type of internship you go for is not as career-defining as the lessons you will learn from it.

Ong Li Wen

Computer Science and Design (Class of 2022)

Cybersecurity Intern, Emerging Technologies Team Trustwave

Ask for help whenever you have doubts, and treat your internship as a place for you to learn.

The problem-solving and designthinking skills taught in school really came in handy, especially when approaching difficult problems.

Sun Neng

Computer Science and Design (Class of 2023)

Data Science Intern Amaris AI My role

At Trustwave, I was in the security research department that researches security vulnerabilities in automotive vehicles, and my job involved implementing different automotive communication protocols in various types of microcontrollers.

My challenge

One of the biggest challenges I faced was the lack of technical knowledge I had in microcontrollers and system design, as I had very little experience on the subject. In the beginning, I struggled to meet the technical demands of my tasks. It was a lot to take in as I had to both learn and implement what I was taught about programming microcontrollers and how the protocol worked at the same time.

To overcome this, I spent extra time watching online videos and reading up on the topic to develop my understanding. I also sought out the guidance of my supervisor, who was very understanding, whenever I had any doubts. By the end of my internship, I was able to program different kinds of microcontrollers using the C programming language, as well as implement different protocols for them. I even ended up becoming interested in system design in the cybersecurity field!

My biggest takeaway

Do not be afraid to try new things, have an open mind and have a thirst to learn new things. I was honoured to be surrounded by highly knowledgeable professionals who were always actively learning new things, even at their level. It was a very insightful experience as I realised that to continue to excel in what you do, learning never stops.

Advice for my juniors

Ask for help whenever you have doubts, and treat your internship as a place for you to learn. This is a good opportunity to meet and learn from highly skilled and like-minded professionals. Also, take this opportunity to explore your interests and consider them as potential career options.

To secure your desired internship, apply early. Even if you do not meet all the technical requirements, go for it anyway. You can show your passion for the role, company or industry in your application. Alternatively, if you choose not to apply for one, make good use of your summer break to upskill or learn something new that interests you. Lastly, remember to allocate some time to reward yourself for all your effort and hard work!

My role

My job revolved around developing demos for potential clients. I focused on timeseries price prediction and AIenabled trading of commodities.

My challenge

There were many challenges during the internship. For one, I lacked any background in data science when I first joined. In the initial weeks, I studied into the nights just so I can quickly take on useful work. I was also very fortunate to receive guidance from my supervisors which helped me get up to speed.

Another challenge I faced was the constant need to adapt to the fastpaced environment of the industry. Due to the rapid progression of AI, even coding tutorials can be ruled as incompatible a year after they are written.

The AI space is evolving incredibly fast — code tutorials written a year ago might be ruled incompatible the next year. My work needed me to use state-of-the-art algorithms in my solutions, which also meant that I had to constantly research and resolve compatibility issues in code. As I read more academic papers and got comfortable with technical documentations, this challenge became less of a pain.

My biggest takeaway

Unlike in school, there may not always be clear answers to questions in the workplace. Rather, you often have to create your own for the company and the clients. The problem-solving and design-thinking skills taught in school really came in handy, especially when approaching difficult problems.

Advice for my juniors

Sometimes, you might not have all the technical skills needed for a job. However, your ability to learn independently and pick up new skills fast is the key to success. Always stay curious and do not be deterred by difficulty.

Chen Pengdan

Engineering Systems and Design (Class of 2022)

Quality Assurance Intern Cummins Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

Never hesitate to ask questions – this not only help you improve but also show people that you are actively learning.

Your career path need not be defined by your course of study, and you can venture anywhere depending on the steps you take.

Sharmayne Lim Zhiyu

Architecture and Sustainable Design (Class of 2022)

Product Design Intern (Consumer Experience) Grab My role

As an intern in the Quality Assurance department, I completed two projects with the support of my manager and colleagues. The first was to create a framework to map out a roadmap of projects for data/process automation in order to reduce manual work and real-time analytics. The second project sought to reduce picking errors in the company’s warehouse via technology, as workers initially had to count out the number of parts manually, which can lead to counting errors, which in turn can lead to issues in the number of products received by customers.

My challenge

During this internship, I had to teach myself how to use Power Automate, as I had not used it before. As a result, I turned to watching tutorial videos, and approached it in two ways – by attempting to build the flow myself without referring to the videos, while looking up how to solve any errors I encountered online. Although I did not always find the answers I needed, the suggested solutions were still enlightening nonetheless.

My biggest takeaway

During the internship, I learnt to appreciate the value of openness in a company, thanks to my supervisor Yong and school Career Coach, Desmond. I had initially had doubts expressing my thoughts due my perceived naivety, but Yong often encouraged me to speak my mind during meetings.

Advice for my juniors

Be brave enough to speak out your thoughts, even though you might feel like it might be immature to do so. Your fresh ideas and mind are exactly what the company wants from you. Never hesitate to ask questions – this not only help you improve but also show people that you are actively learning. After all, you will never know the value of your words until you say it.

My role

As the only product design intern in the Consumer Experience team, I had the opportunity to helm a project on my own – I was creating a framework for problems that new users face in their first 30 days and possible solutions to mitigate them, while also increasing the percentage conversion of new users’ sign-ups and first transactions by kickstarting a series of experiments.

My challenge

As an architecturally-trained student with little experience in UI/UX, almost every task was a hurdle, from perusing extensive data to being pixel perfect with designs. A big part of how I was able to overcome these was with the immense help and support given by my mentor at Grab, who encouraged me to ask questions, clarify my doubts and checked in on me frequently. I also had the willingness to put in extra effort and hours beyond what was expected to research, iterate, and practise. In a nutshell, I think two of the most imperative skills are to be resourceful and persistent!

My biggest takeaway

I was fortunate enough to be involved in nearly all stages of the design process, from combing through user interviews and user data to find what problems they were facing; to researching and analysing what competitors have done to solve specific issues. I also had to brainstorm, identify, and develop on a few solutions from low to high-fidelity prototypes, and then presenting them to various stakeholders to obtain feedback for improvement. The experience itself and the people I have met and learnt from during the internship were the greatest takeaways!

Advice for my juniors

Internships are really valuable – what better way to validate your interests than to try them out? Take any opportunity to take on internships in places you are interested in, though of course, be sure you can manage school first! Also, do not hesitate to reach out to seniors or professionals in the industry to learn more, or even look through their portfolios or websites.

Your career path need not be defined by your course of study, and you can venture anywhere depending on the steps you take. Stay curious, openminded, and do not be afraid to take detours!

Tan Shin Yee

Engineering Product Development (Class of 2022)

Mechanical Engineer Whyre

If you have the right attitude, you definitely will learn and grow during your internship.

Approach your internship with a heart to learn and take the initiative to facilitate your own learning — from hard skills to soft skills, there is a lot to gain even if you find that the field is not for you.

Suzanne-Kae Rocknathan

Engineering Systems and Design (Class of 2022)

Research Intern BluGraph Technologies My role

My job during this internship period was to test and implement sensors that would be hooked up onto our system, as well as design a robust housing for these sensors.

My challenge

Trying to understand what my other intern mates were doing and working with them to integrate them into our overall system. It was tough learning how to work with new equipment and the iteration process was definitely more intensive than it was in school, so I really learnt a lot from this internship.

My biggest takeaway

My biggest takeaway is learning how to put what I learnt in school into the industrial setting, specifically on Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA). I got the opportunity to interact with the company supplier and discuss with him how I want my designs to be manufactured for testing and go through all the considerations required for manufacturing.

Advice for my juniors

My advice for juniors looking to take an internship would be to just go for it. Apply for as many companies as you can and go into it with an open and inquisitive mind. Do not be afraid that your skills might be lacking. If you have the right attitude, you definitely will learn and grow during your internship.

My role

I was assigned to work on a comparative analysis and review of the prospects of deep-learning methods in decoding EEGbased brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), with the goal of publishing a review paper. My tasks involved studying the topics (BCIs, EEG, machine learning and deep learning), reading and managing existing literature reviews, data collation, data analysis, infographic design, as well as review paper writing.

My challenge

An initial challenge was jumping right into a new, unfamiliar topic, especially since my foundational understanding of the area of research needed to be sound. My mentor provided resources for me to build up knowledge, as well as doing my own self-research. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I broke down larger goals into small tasks. I did things step-by-step, taking notes on what I have learned and covered.

Charting my progress helped me to plan and stay focused, as well as helped me to cope with having to work remotely. Keeping my notes organised also helped me easily revisit and revise any material as I progressed.

My biggest takeaway

I had the opportunity to learn about an interesting area of research and innovation that was new to me — BCIs — and the application of machine-learning and deep-learning in this area. I would be learning more about machine-learning in future, so seeing how it is applied in realworld innovation was enlightening.

The experience also let me further develop practical soft skills — time management, organisation, and communication — that helped me work more efficiently.

Advice for my juniors

The best way to find out what you want to do is to experience it for yourself, and internships let you do just that. So do not be afraid to ask questions and clarify things. Approach your internship with a heart to learn and take the initiative to facilitate your own learning — from hard skills to soft skills, there is a lot to gain even if you find that the field is not for you. Lastly, seek to understand the relevance of what you are doing and look at the big picture. When you do, you will find more meaning and motivation in your work.

Remote Overseas Internships

Muhammad Maaz

Engineering Systems and Design (Class of 2022)

Data Analytics Intern with Order Obtainment Group TVS Motor Company Ltd

I also want to advise that because clear communication is critical in the workplace, practise that skill in group projects by bringing up and vocalising your ideas.

My role

I was assigned to a project that was novel to the team — conversational, contextual chatbots. I was tasked to author a white paper that presented the types of tools available on the market as well as their offerings for bot-building. I also had to draft a proof-of-concept chatbot to show how TVS’s customers can book appointments with dealers to service their bikes via a conversational interface.

My challenge

The main challenge that I faced at the start of my internship was my lack of relevant knowledge to actualise some segments of the chatbot. I realised that I could not rely on what I had learnt from watching beginner-level videos on YouTube but had to canvass through documentations of the Azure Bot Services. Through this, I was finally able to generate feasible solutions to bring the entire conversation flow to fruition.

My biggest takeaway

My biggest takeaway would be that realising that no matter how insurmountable a problem may initially appear to be, it will become easier to overcome if you adopt an open and growth mindset, as well as break it down into manageable components for yourself.

Advice for my juniors

You may not always have the experience needed for any project assigned to you during your internship, but do not be discouraged. With time and effort, you can overcome it and find yourself be better equipped and more confident. I also want to advise that because clear communication is critical in the workplace, practise that skill in group projects by bringing up and vocalising your ideas.

Tan Li Yuan

Computer Science and Design (Class of 2022)

Mobile Application Intern (React Native) Tagteam Technologies Pte Ltd

At a start-up, having to juggle these various challenges daily is a challenge, and you come to appreciate that software engineering is not about just programming, but also about effective communication and good work management.

My role

I served as a UI designer as well as a software engineer in a multinational team. My job scope included designing and implementing React Native components using Figma, JavaScript (JS). I also worked on multiple Mobile App screens, JWT tokens refresh, and researched in new user task interactions for the company.

My challenge

One of my biggest challenges was communicating with overseas team members. Not only did I have to be mindful of culture and language barriers, but I also had to ensure that our schedules did not clash with public holidays from their countries to reduce backlogs. Moreover, I also faced technical challenges, such as quality assurance in UI and code designs, as well as app feature pitches during weekly reviews. At a start-up, having to juggle these various challenges daily is a challenge, and you come to appreciate that software engineering is not about just programming, but also about effective communication and good work management.

My biggest takeaway

The internship was definitely challenging and drove me to go beyond my comfort zones. By working with developers in foreign communities, I learned to adapt to their working styles. For example, while working with foreign colleagues from the Operations team, I realised the importance of clarifying any ambiguities in app features beforehand to reduce possible conflicts when showcasing the application feature later. This is especially important as English may not be their first language. This garnered me huge respect for my Singaporean senior software engineers who constantly worked with overseas teams. And yes, being able to speak multiple languages is an asset.

Advice for my juniors

When picking your next internship, be precise on what you want to learn and do your own research. Overseas internships have their advantages, and if given the choice, I suggest that you go for it, as I think it is a good way to see if you are cut out for working abroad. Although it was unfortunate that my own internship was remote, the experience of working from home experience was refreshing and challenging too.