Aroni Saha from Harris Academy Greenwich in London completed her paid internship at SMBC – an experience that’s inspired her to reach her full potential. Keep reading to find out more about her journey.
Aroni – having not had a corporate job before – started her journey lacking in knowledge about the professional environment. But by the end of her internship at SMBC, she was much more prepared for her future.
“I am now much better informed of the workings of a multinational company, and my communication, confidence, and organisational skills have immensely developed. I’m more analytical in my work and am able to take criticism in a positive way.”
New skills and new perspectives
Aroni had the chance to develop her skills during her time at SMBC, including her communication skills.
“I had meetings with lots of colleagues – including senior managers – who supported me with my projects. This really pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to talk to and collaborate with different people.”
For Aroni, her internship experience taught her lessons she couldn’t learn in a school environment.
“An internship is experience of the real world and the opportunity to gain knowledge you wouldn’t in school or education – during my internship I learnt something new everyday. Plus, I got to meet so many different people who have positively impacted my future.”
One of her biggest takeaways was that she needs to remain ambitious and work hard to build a successful future.
“My internship definitely gave me a bit of a reality check and taught me that if I want to do well in my career, I need to work hard. It helped me find the motivation to do everything to the best of my ability. I met people who had been in the army and now work at a prestigious Bank in London – it truly showed me the meaning of anything is possible!”
A journey of self-discovery
While Aroni developed lots of employability skills and gained vital work experience on the Career Ready programme, she also found out a lot about herself along the way.
“I’ve learnt so much about myself during the programme. I realised that I am someone who appreciates a bit of challenge – like on my internship, the tasks I was given allowed me to build on my problem solving skills, something I felt like I never really got to practice previously. My Career Ready journey has supported me in ways I don’t think other young people have access to, and taught me that it’s okay not to know everything right away.”
Looking back at her time on the programme, Aroni now feels confident about her next steps.
“This programme has given me the opportunity of valuable work experience and paired me with a mentor who’s been with me through most of my time at sixth form and hugely supported me with my university applications. This was the best experience and opportunity, and I would recommend it to anyone.”
