I am writing this blog to share my experience as an international student and intern at an Australian company.
My name is Neelkumar Shah and I am from India and about to graduate with a Master of Management for Engineers this year. Before enrolling in this postgraduate course, I was a civil engineer in a multinational construction company in India.
Like many students, I came to Melbourne and enrolled in CQUniversity with two aims: a better lifestyle and career advancement. After studying at CQUniversity (Melbourne campus), I feel that I have enjoyed living in Melbourne and gained the necessary knowledge and skills for further employment. I hope this brief recount of my experience will give you some insights on the significance of the internship program which is being offered by CQUniversity.
Firstly, without a doubt, Melbourne is one of the best cities in the world for international students (Kimmorley, 2018). The benefits students get from living here are innumerable including safe and varied student accommodation, comprehensive public transport, part-time employment for international students, entertainment, beautiful gardens, famous cafes, delicious inter-continental cuisine, and an incredible temperate oceanic climate.
The campus is located centrally and easily accessible for all students who are coming from different suburbs or regional areas across Victoria.
Amid my course, I moved and lived in three different suburbs, but due to such amazing location of our university, I did not face any difficulty getting to campus.
Furthermore, I met numerous international students from diverse cultural backgrounds. It was awesome to learn and gain knowledge with them. I think I have increased my cultural awareness by spending time with both local and international students, which is one of the best perks international students can get from the world’s number one livable city (Montag, 2017). Apart from studying, I spent almost all my free time with my university buddies.
Partying with friends at EI Coco bar
Internship
It was an awesome experience to do an internship at an Australian company.
Many students argue that an unpaid internship is an exploitation of students.
However, in my perspective, having developed skills before entering into the market is invaluable and enhances graduates’ both competitiveness and confidence at the workplace.
The internship program has offered me an excellent opportunity to build a network of professional contacts and I was able to discover my potential career and convert my academic knowledge into necessary industry skills.
I think the experiences that interns receive from the internship program could be a good preview of their professional career.
Next, I would say to the future potential students, do not overlook such a fantastic opportunity for the internship program just because it is unpaid. As a postgraduate student, if you do a cost-benefit analysis for the internship program versus completing the equivalent two units, I am sure you would choose the internship program instead of two units.
Undoubtedly, it is hard to manage study and a part-time job, but it is only for about ten weeks. Just calculate how much money you have invested in the entire course. By doing an internship, you are increaseing the chances of employment after graduation.
Indeed, in the last two years, numerous students have received job offers from the same company at which they worked as an intern, including myself. Above all, this is an astonishing experience that each student has to enjoy.
At last, I would like to thank all CQUniversity staff under whom I learned and gained both academic and non-academic knowledge, especially, Associate Professor Michael Segon. I wish you all the best for all final year students and congratulations to all my peers who found employment after the completion of their course.
References
Montag, A. (2017). No US cities make the world’s top 10 most livable list—but these Canadian and Australian ones did. CNBC Make it. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/17/the-worlds-top-10-most-livable-cities.html
Kimmorley, S. (2018). Melbourne is one of the best cities in the world for students. Business Insider Australia. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/melbourne-is-one-of-the-best-student-cities-in-the-world-2018-5
