Cartwheels and pirouettes – my MOHT internship journey

My internship stint at the Corporate IT department at MOHT began in February this year. Since then, it isn’t an exaggeration to say I have gained industry-grade experience. I was empowered with learning opportunities and not only possess a richer vocabulary now, but also can demonstrate an open mindset towards challenges.

I have been assisting the team in planning and implementing e-services for MOHT. Such projects included interpreting policies and guidelines, implementing digital forms (using FormSG), crafting data designs, testing and executing software solutions, constructing fit-for-purpose evaluations for e-service products, and streamlining and reorganising the IT room.

This word-cloud is a canvas of my MOHT internship journey: Through the projects I was involved in, I learned planning and problem solving skills. More importantly, I learned to approach projects with systems thinking, account for future changes and balance decisions and evaluation through data-driven and cost-benefit analyses.

Initially I thought my supervisor, Jayan from the Corporate team, would only instruct me to observe the happenings around the workplace or attend to menial tasks. To my pleasant surprise, he emphasised that my internship should be about learning and discovery. He designed my projects according to my personal interests and tailored them to my future area of study. This flexible learning journey, along with active coaching, allowed me to take ownership in how I structured my work while learning from experts in the field.

From the onset, I felt it was important to help Alistair find alignment between seemingly random tasks with his interests, to give him experience for his future pursuits. Alistair did both graceful cartwheels and stumbling pirouettes, but what I loved most about that journey was his willing embrace of both.

– Jayan Arunasalam (Alistair’s supervisor)

My Struggles

I faced many challenges along the way, like creating plans and designs I was unsure of from scratch, and getting used to the corporate environment, e.g. documenting every procedure with justification, or applying simple functions in spreadsheets and databases.

I learned there would always be new problems that we cannot prepare for entirely. I appreciated the opportunity to face obstacles and overcome them through reasoning instead of being given the answers. I found great value in the daily post hoc conversations with my supervisor on activity diagnosis and advisory, much like a doctor engaging a patient. I’m happy to have had this safe playground to explore, fail, grow and learn.

My MOHT journey opened my eyes to the modern workplace, especially during the uncertain times of this pandemic. This coming August, I will begin my studies in Business Analytics at the National University of Singapore, and I look forward to applying the experiences and skills obtained from my internship. If you are looking for a personalised learning experience, then interning at MOHT should be one of your ideal choices!

Find out more about MOHT’s Internship Programme.