In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the journey of Amruth Bhat, who is an Engineering graduate. In a candid chat, Amruth walks us through his unusual internship journey in the post-pandemic world.
Why do you think an internship is important?
I would say it depends on what an individual wants. If you want to be a researcher, doing an internship gives you a preview of what research is and what it looks like to work in a lab. It will give you clarity on if research is for you or not. If your dream is to apply abroad, doing an internship will leverage your profile.
An internship is important because it gives you exposure to the field you want to make your career in.
You are pursuing two internships – one at IIT Bombay and another at T-3 molecular genetics/ How different or similar are they? Is it an on-site or remote internship?
I initially applied for IIT Bombay. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it was set as a remote internship. I was on the lookout for a wet-lab-based experience and T-3 molecular genetics presented that opportunity. Technically they are similar as they are on the subject of proteomics. At IIT Bombay, it is more at the basic research end whereas, at T-3, I am involved in product-based (applied) research.
How did you come across these internships and how rigorous was the selection process?
I came across the IIT Bombay internship on social media. The internship was under Dr. Sanjeeva Srivastava, Proteomics Lab. There were almost 700 applicants for the internship. The screening process involved a 3-week training on basic concepts and daily quizzes. Top 100 scorers were screened for the second round. Next, we had to work on some mini data and it was followed by an interview. The selection process was extensive running up to 1.5 months but it was a great learning experience in itself. For T-3, I had sent in my resume to the Bangalore Bioinnovation Center [BBC]-a start-up incubation centre. I got an opportunity to intern at 3-4 start-ups at BBC but the work at T-3 excited me more, and thus I chose T-3 Molecular Genetics for my second internship.
What qualities do you think helped you get these internships?
I would say, the mini-project I did in college on bioinformatics was a crucial tipping point for my selection. This gave me the base knowledge and some experience in the subject area. I had been trying to get an internship for two years. Since I did not have any research experience, I couldn’t score an internship opportunity. It is a paradox in itself- one needs the experience to gain experience!
Any suggestions for fellow students, who are looking for internships?
Do not be discouraged by a lack of experience. I would suggest you to work on small hobby projects with any of your faculty if you are at your college or on your own. Try building on your technical knowledge and finessing your skills. There are lots of free resources out there. Do a little research, work on your skills, and show that you can apply those skills in the internship you want to pursue. Also, don’t hesitate to work at startups, they can offer exciting experiences!
