I’m occasionally annoying, but let’s face it, who isn’t?
I am the marketing intern.
Rather. I was.
My journey at Skcript began early December. Unlike most interns that I’d applied for in the past, I hadn’t planned this one. It was pure luck that I’d stumbled upon this intern and needless to say, it wasn’t a walk in the park either, after all, I was given 15 minutes to impress the CEO, and in exactly 15 minutes the call ended.
One over-the-phone interview and a month later, I stood in front of a rather simple looking building in the bustling streets of Anna Nagar. Quite clueless and expecting to see another apartment cum office sort of a setup, I stepped through the big brown door with a simple white sign board on it. Who’d have guessed that I was in for a pleasant surprise?
I was greeted by a small yet sufficient office, consisting of white tables, an assortment of bean bags, large monitors and a ton of markers. With the addition of a pantry, it had everything a guy like me could ask for, tech, food and air conditioning.
Now. The team. There is no hierarchy per se in this team, so let’s go with order of seniority. Not age, rather experience (Karthik would NOT like the first kind)
First up,
Karthik Kamalakannan.
CEO. Tech Enthusiast. Visionary.
During the course of my intern I worked directly under him. Honestly, I entered the company with barely any knowledge at my disposal, with the simple promise from him that I would have a ton to learn from the experience. He was right. I spent each day researching new ways to frame emails and learnt about the way the company functions, and he was present to answer each and every question that I had to share. A modern day visionary, it would be an understatement to say that the world of tech looks to have a bright future with him and his team at the helm.
Swaathi Kakarla.
CTO. Potato Chip addict. Self proclaimed healthy person.
Her love for code, in my opinion, is quite worrisome, matched only by her love for potato chips. Leave her be and she may just code till the end of time. If you talk tech, she’ll like you. I guarantee that. She’s proud of her Github profile, and if you have a Reddit account, you’ve just earned brownie points. Keep your workspace and code equally clean if you want to be on her good books,
Although I didn’t work with her directly, I’d managed to annoy her every other hour of the day. Not that it was intentional, she’s just used to being the most talkative person in the room. I simply beat her.
That being said, she’s one of the few women coders that I know. For now.
Varun Raj.
The Senior Architect. Omnipresent. Perennially hungry.
I hardly worked with Varun, but being a one room office, you always end up with a conversation with him. Enthusiastic at all times, he hardly has the patience to pull up a chair to do his work. Do note. If your code is buggy. There’s Varun. And if there’s food. Once again. There’s Varun.
The rest of the team was relatively new, just like the interns, but the bond we had after a month was amazing. Be it the Wifi woes we faced after Vardah, the group lunch sessions in front of the TV or even the sudden urge to make a mountain of sandwiches, we loved every moment over the glorious winter of 2016.
Now. The work.
My average work day began at 10 and went on till 5 in the evening. However, given that the office functioned from 9-7, I more often than not walked in early, and left quite late. I must admit, I loved my work. The work assigned to me involved creating an email marketing strategy for the newest product, UnderstandBetter, the world’s first AI for HR. Starting with market research, to a competitor analysis, I managed to create a pitch for the product as well as helped extensively to revamp the side. Being the sole marketing intern, freedom to experiment was in abundance, and hence I tried my hand in a variety of techniques and strategies. Working closely with the designer and the CEO, I helped create a mascot and regularly paced the office thinking of new ideas to implement with respect to the product or site. It was a creative mind’s paradise.
The company as such has an air of professionalism that one seldom expects from a startup. We had regular meetings, with the sole purpose of keeping the team driven towards the company wide goal, a lot like one of the world’s best tech companies. Above all, a person’s time was highly respected, no one wasted another’s time.
I loved the work so much, that within a week I felt like a full time employee, with a fondness for the company. I was even given the responsibility of interviewing two prospective interns, a level of trust you seldom expect from any company to be given to an intern. I felt honored.
Now. You’ve gotten this far. Hopefully this helps you make your decision.
To the prospective intern: This is what a startup feels like. A place for innovation and inspiration. All the things you want to learn is available at your disposal, and all of it being shared with a team you fall in love with.
This is Skcript.
2017 is the year to watch out for. We’ve got big things planned.
Join us.
Signing off.
Suriya Arumugavelan
Skcript HQ
P.S. Do check it out if your last intern made you feel like Bob. (The third cat from the left).
