Internship 101

In a blink of an eye, I have spent two weeks in Singapore. I am quite familiar with the subway lines, the words Singaporeans use to order their coffee (kopi-o or kopi-c), and the best authentic foods to order at hawker centers. In fact, I feel the most ‘local’ when I go to work in the mornings, mostly because I know exactly what my route is and feel comfortable enough to look at my phone while I’m on the subway like every other person.

A little bit of background of my professional interest: I am a rising sophomore at UC Berkeley intending to pursue a degree in Business Administration and Economics. I am interested in the field of consulting because I admire the versatility and diversity of this industry and enjoy working with others to tackle problems. In the long term, I hope to transition into non-profits because I aspire to make a positive impact in my community. For my internship in Singapore, I am fortunate enough to receive an internship in my area of interest - consulting and market research.

To be frank, I had no idea what to expect on the first day of internship. I arrived at the office in business professional clothes, waiting nervously for my supervisor. But as she walked in and welcomed me with a big smile on her face, all my nerves vanished instantly. I was introduced to the rest of the company and everyone seemed so friendly and welcoming. Within 10 minutes, one of the colleagues who sits behind me chatted with me for almost half an hour solely on the NBA finals and salsa dancing! I was surely impressed by the work culture of this company. I learned a lot about the company, especially its structure and way of operations, after my initial meeting with my supervisor. The company, DuckerFrontier, is a global market research and consulting firm. In this Singapore office, with around 15 employees, there are two teams, the research team and the commercial team. My role lies within the commercial team, where I work with two other business development analysts to scout for new businesses to partner with. Some of my work so far includes utilizing a cloud based platform known as Sales Navigator for prospecting and generating leads, inputting data into Salesforce, having one on one individual meetings with colleagues, and participating in all team meetings and some client meetings. Everyone in the company is extremely happy to make time to help me or teach me anything that I want to learn despite their busy schedules. Each day felt very long, but very fulfilling and rewarding at the same time. I am really looking forward to gaining a valuable internship experience in the heart of Singapore!