I consider myself highly privileged to have had an opportunity to work as a summer intern with GKKworks, a multinational architectural firm based in Irvine, California. They have their Indian branch in Pune.
For a person like me, who had never left north India on her own, the thought of going to Pune all alone for an internship gave me goosebumps in the first place. I wasn't sure of how the nature of people in Pune was gonna be like, their culture and overall city's environment. I was nervous and scared of adjusting in a new environment.
The thought of working on U.S. projects in such a reputed firm was quite overwhelming. My first week at GKKworks was spent doing small admin jobs like stamping presentation drawings and taking print outs. But during the second week, my boss, Radhika (BIM Manager at the firm) asked me to model a project of my choice in Revit to check if I was capable of working on their on-going project. That gave me an opportunity to demonstrate my skills and I made a rendered 3D model of a clubhouse, seeing which she asked me, "Did you make that on your own?" and I said, "Yes, I made it on my own". The next moment she put me on the drawings of an on-going project - The Veteran Affairs Medical Centre, California.
Unlike my previous internships, where I worked on dummy projects to improve my software and designing skills, here, for the first time I got to work on an actual project. I put my heart and soul into it and worked hard, sometimes staying late in the office to finish off my assigned tasks. They welcomed my inputs, which was an amazing feeling.
Despite all the workload, I felt more than content and happy. I loved to spend time in the office than to go back to my apartment which I shared with three other girls and kill my time there. All my colleagues were incredible people. They freely shared their knowledge and experiences. Soft spoken and kind, they treated me like one of their own.
GKKworks is like a family to me now. They wouldn't get irritated by my frequent queries on how things work or queries related to my own college projects. It all started when Radhika came to my desk one day while I was working on the drawings and asked me if I knew the purpose of giving that particular equipment in every room, and I failed to answer. She got mad at me and told me that I should keep asking such questions and clear my doubts. She then gave me an elaborate explanation on the same.
GKKworks is one of those firms which not only gives importance to its multi million projects, but also focuses on fostering individual growth within the firm. I worked on both U.S. as well as Indian projects. It was a wonderful experience altogether. There were times when I was not able to stand upto their expectations due to lack of experience, but I can't deny the immense learning that happened through the failure.
My dream of working in a truly professional environment finally got fulfilled. At my last day at GKKworks, they threw a small farewell party for me, wishing me good luck for my future and an offer to work with them fulltime after my graduation. They say it right, "Hard work pays off".
Finally I'm extremely grateful to the Supreme force. I have absolutely no role to play in all that happened. It was truly God's grace that I was able to perform well.
