[Interview with a student intern!] Reflecting on a 3-month internship

Ayano Mita

Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Economics, 3rd year student / From Shiga Prefecture

Yuma Ueda

Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Economics, 3rd year student / From Nara Prefecture

Why did you decide to participate in AIP (Domestic Long-Term Internship)?

Mita

I didn't have a specific career vision of what kind of job I wanted to do, so I decided to participate in a long-term internship hoping to discover the kind of person I wanted to be and what I wanted to do.

Ueda

I've been interested in AIP since I first enrolled in university. I attended the results presentations by seniors who participated in AIP last year and the year before, and I was so impressed by how confidently they presented their findings that I thought, "I want to be like that," and decided to participate. Another reason was that I thought three months would allow me to learn more about companies and narrow down the type of job and industry I wanted to work in.

Please tell me your impressions of Pantech.

Mita

I was impressed by how well the employees communicated with each other. At Pantech , everyone spoke frankly with each other regardless of department, length of service, or position, creating a very open atmosphere. It was completely different from the atmosphere at the company where I worked part-time, and I was surprised at how much the corporate culture can vary from company to company.

Ueda

I was also surprised to see the president and managing director in the same space as everyone else, communicating closely with them. I had the impression that management was distant from employees, but at Pantech , even those in high positions felt approachable. Even as an intern, I found it easy to talk to them, which I appreciated. Also, despite how busy everyone must have been, they always looked out for us, and there were so many kind people.

What kind of tasks did you work on during your internship? Also, which tasks did you find particularly interesting?

Mita

Initially, I received training in various departments, including general affairs and accompanying sales representatives. Later, I was given the opportunity to work on tasks such as measuring the physical properties of recycled plastic raw materials.

Ueda

Regarding the physical property measurement, I had the opportunity to experience the entire process, from creating test pieces using an injection molding machine to measuring their properties. I found it interesting that the measurement results varied greatly depending on the type of plastic. It may seem obvious, but it was good to experience firsthand that different types of plastic have different properties and are suited to different applications. Plastic products are everywhere, but I had never really thought about the properties of plastic before, so this internship changed my perspective.

Mita

I enjoyed the material property measurements, but what left the biggest impression on me was accompanying sales representatives. The employees carefully lectured me on how to conduct business negotiations and interact with customers based on proposals and quotations, and I was also able to participate in actual business negotiations, which was a valuable experience. I was very nervous at first, but I feel that I learned things I couldn't have learned at university by observing sales activities up close. It was also good that I was able to visit recycling plants, which allowed me to understand the flow of plastic recycling. Before the visit, I couldn't really imagine the recycling process, but I was able to understand it, and my understanding of the business model also deepened.

As part of your internship duties, you conducted an outreach lesson on the theme of "plastic recycling" at Seta Technical High School in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Could you tell us about the enjoyable and challenging aspects of this lesson, including the preparation period?

Ueda

I made coasters using recycled plastic as a gift for the students who participated in the class, and that was really fun. The patterns on the coasters varied depending on the colors and proportions of the materials used, so I found it interesting to experiment with different combinations. The hardest part was planning the class. I've taken many classes before, but this was my first time standing at the front of the classroom teaching, so I didn't know where to start and struggled. The content and way of explaining things changed depending on the students' level of knowledge, and structuring it all was challenging.

Mita

I also enjoyed making coasters. Depending on the composition of the raw materials used, air bubbles would form, or they would burn even when processed at the same temperature, so there were many times when things didn't go well. However, I was able to experience the differences in composition and learn about the difficulties of manufacturing with recycled materials. Like Ueda-san, the most difficult thing was planning the lesson. We were both exploring and thinking about what the right answer was, and it was challenging because we hadn't had much experience creating something from scratch ourselves before.

Ueda

At the end of the outreach lesson, we asked the students to fill out a questionnaire, and I was happy to see so many positive comments such as "It was easy to understand," "It was fun," and "It was great to be able to touch the pellets."

Mita

Being able to convey what I wanted to say gave me confidence, and it made all the effort worthwhile.

Please tell us about the aspects of your personal growth that you feel you achieved through participating in the internship.

Mita

I've become better at expressing my opinions. Before, I struggled to put my thoughts into words, often missing my opportunity to speak because I was too busy thinking about what to say. Now, I can express my opinions clearly and promptly. Also, I'm not as nervous speaking in front of people anymore. I think this improvement is due to communicating with employees through the internship and participating in outreach lectures.

Ueda

I used to be terrible at explaining things in a logical and structured way, but during my internship, I was often required to organize things logically and proceed with tasks in a sequential manner. Through that experience, I think I've grown compared to before I participated in the internship. Also, I had to communicate with people from various departments, so I think my communication skills have improved.

What kind of professional do you want to become?

Mita

I want to become someone who can adapt to changing circumstances. Even if unexpected things happen, I want to be able to respond calmly without panicking. I also want to be someone who can observe their surroundings carefully before acting. Through my internship, I realized that work has a strong team element, and I think it becomes difficult to coordinate with the team if one's perspective becomes narrow. Therefore, in order to do good work, I want to be able to understand what is happening around me and take the actions that are required of me. I also want to be someone who can show small acts of consideration, such as offering help if someone is in trouble. That's the "spirit of altruism" that I learned at Pantech .

Ueda

I want to work in a field related to the environment. In particular, I want to work for a company that holds an important position in the industry, like Pantech . Through my internship, I realized that if a company can act as a nexus in the industry, it can not only contribute to the company's development but also have an impact on the industry and society as a whole. Moreover, it would allow me to contribute to the environment and grow personally, so I think it's a win-win situation. Also, through this internship, I learned that collaboration with various departments is necessary to get work done, so I want to become a professional who can act as a nexus within the company, promoting internal collaboration.