This is part of Das Tor’s ongoing Internship Insights series, in which second-year students write about their summer internship experiences.
I believe I am the luckiest T-bird of them all. This summer, I was able to go to Bangkok, Thailand, to intern for a business modeling software company called Decision Critical.
Going to Thailand was not my absolute goal. I had already been to Thailand once, and I LOVED it, but that did not mean I wanted to go back for an extended period. However, I am attending the best global management school in the country; I want to see the world. My one requirement for an internship was that I would be able to leave Arizona. I did not expect it to be the best opportunity of my life.
I arrived in Thailand in early May. Because of Covid-19, I had to quarantine for two weeks in an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) approved by the country. In my case, thankfully, it was a nice hotel. While under quarantine for two weeks, I was not allowed to leave my room unless it was to get one of my three Covid tests over the two weeks. Isolation led to a lot of sleeping, which, in turn, gave me the worst jet lag. However, it wasn’t all bad. We were given three meals a day, which, for the most part, were delicious. The hotel staff was terrific and started sending me daily cappuccinos for free because they realized I liked them.
During this time, I tried to get as much work done as possible for my internship (which was hard because I was always tired). I was able to teach myself the software I needed for my job and write a product tour for the software based on what I wanted to know as an incoming user.
After getting out of quarantine, the pandemic lockdown was not that bad in Bangkok. I was able to dine in at restaurants and do touristy things like go to temples and night markets. I worked full time during the week but was able to do what I wanted on the weekends.
Unfortunately, this only lasted about three weeks before more pandemic restrictions were imposed, and things closed back down. After that, I only could go to work and back. At least I was sitting in an apartment in Thailand, though. My internship also was really enriching.
At my internship, I was the brand strategy and RevOps intern. I focused most of my efforts on reviving the company’s social media. I helped create the ideas for a HERO video for the company, wrote articles, worked on creating industry-specific landing pages, and was able to lead as the project manager to implement the product tour I started during quarantine.
Matt, my boss, was the best boss I could imagine. He was so kind, gracious, and willing to help me achieve my own goals. I have been an intern before, and I have always felt like I benefited whatever company I worked for and not the other way around. Working for Decision Critical made me feel like this was mutually beneficial, and my opinion mattered.
This internship taught me a lot about the marketing field and myself. It was my first time making a solo trip, let alone to another country across the world. The time alone in quarantine and lockdown helped me strengthen who I am as an individual. Finally, I learned a lot about what exactly I would like to do with my career once I graduate.
I am so grateful for the opportunity granted to me by Matt and the Decision Critical team, and the CMC at Thunderbird for working with Matt to find an intern and helping me with the application process. As I start my last year at Thunderbird, I’m looking forward to continuing on working part time as Decision Critical’s Inbound Marketing Specialist and finding my path forward as I prepare for graduation.
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