Be open, ask questions and do not hesitate … five interns in the newspaper's IT department share what they feel is the best way to make use of an internship
College walls protect you … cocoon you. Life beyond those walls is tricky business. A bit of touch and go. The stars may appear or disappear, but hope is always crystal at the beginning.
Educational institutes in the UAE realise this and to help students ease into a working environment they urge them to take up internships or work experience.
It helps achieve that reality check, so when the time comes the sound of shattering crystal does not resonate through their lives.
Internships are requisite for graduation in the government higher education sector. The duration is from six to eight weeks.
Notes decided to get a perspective on it from five young interns, from Zayed University and Dubai Men's College, spending their summer in the IT department of Gulf News.
Maitha Mohammad, a 22-year-old student of the Computer Information Systems at Zayed University, Dubai campus, said: "Internships are good, they help you understand what a real job environment is like."
As a student who has majored in computer programming she finds that doing website design in the initial part of her internship is not very beneficial.
"Students and universities need to communicate more with the company, find out their exact requirements before sending interns. Perhaps a site visit is a good idea," she said.
Importance of communication
Twenty two-year-old Huda Saeed agreed with Maitha. Huda is a student of Computer Information Systems at Zayed University, Dubai campus.
She said, "Communication is necessary. It will also help the universities to better understand industry requirements."
Both agreed that one of the key issues that have come to the fore with the internship is the need to have better skills in conversational English.
Maitha said, "The government spends a lot of money in teaching us to read and write good English, but more attention has to be paid to the spoken language."
Huda added that this would enable them to better understand the different accents in a workplace.
The three UAE national male students were in consensus with this suggestion.
Hesham Al Zarouni, a 22-year-old student of Computer Information Processing (CIP) from Dubai Men's College, said, "National graduates in a work environment may appear to be shy and hesitant because they find it difficult to communicate.
"You know it within you but cannot convey, which then leads to a lot of frustration."
He is happy with his internship and says it has helped him to better prepare for the job market on graduation.
He hopes to secure a good job, save and later start his own business.
Hesham feels the universities or the government should follow up with their students even after graduation.
"They should help bridge the gap between industry and graduates … care about them."
Twenty one-year-old Rashid Al Marzouqi disagreed. He said: "The young people have to help themselves, not the government."
He too is a CIP student on an internship and feels the eight-week work experience is invaluable for him because he intends to go into the private sector after completing his higher education.
Rashid said, "I want to do a masters followed by a doctoral programme. It is my father's dream that I become a top IT engineer.
"In the private sector if you work you will make money."
Quite different from what you hear from the average national student … they prefer the government sector as it offers "better perks, pay and work timings".
He said: "Not true, in any company you have to work hard. And discipline is something that you are taught at university."
Women preferred
Twenty year-old Majid Ali, also an IT department intern from Dubai Men's College, nodded his head in agreement.
But the private sector prefers to hire young national women rather than men because they are said to be more enthusiastic and productive in the workplace.
Ali said, "It is true, the boys in this country are brought up to be more relaxed in their attitude. But that is at a younger age, as responsibilities start increasing, we have to change our attitude."
He is a student of CIP and took it up because he was "keen on computers".
There are a lot of nationals following a career in the IT sector which means saturation and fierce competition.
Ali said, "As a student you just have to work harder and ensure that you get good grades. The skills you offer are better. As an intern to better prepare for later in life, be open, ask questions about your work and do not hesitate."
What does the employer say?
Edward Capaldi
The Gulf News head of IT, and the interns' host supervisor, said, "All educational institutions should have an evaluation and discussion system in place so students get the best possible internships. There should be communication between them and the industry.
"This will allow the students to plan for their internships and the company can better utilise them as a resource.
"The interns themselves should have an interest in what they are studying. They have to evaluate what they would like to do in the future and what career path they would like to pursue.
"There should be a willingness to learn … a ‘can do' attitude. Look at achieving tangible results with their internships.They should have clear goals."
