Insight
Tell us about yourself and your studies prior to your internship at Optimat?
I studied for a master’s degree at the University of Strathclyde and have an engineering background. My specialist study area is business/data analytics, and my dissertation was on aviation decarbonisation. One of my other areas of interest is statistics. So business, decarbonisation, statistics, and analytics are my main areas of interest.
How did the opportunity to join Optimat on an internship arise?
I applied via Bright Green and spotted the opportunity advertised on LinkedIn – I jumped at the chance when I saw the areas of work!
What was most appealing about the opportunity?
As I say, the areas of work that you cover at Optimat really aligned with my areas of interest, e.g., decarbonisation, business support, etc – the decarbonisation aspect was a big pull for me. But also of course the research/consultancy aspect was really important as it aligns with my goal to become a consultant. So, the areas of work were a good fit with my degree and the other key function, like the research/strategy aspect, fit with my career aspirations to work as a consultant.
How did you find the internship at the beginning?
The first week was busy with a lot of information to take in – I was given three projects straight away, which was great, but meant I had to really think about how I,d spread my time! Fortunately, the project managers were really flexible and so I didn,t stress too much and that really allowed me to focus on one thing at a time.
What work did you undertake?
The first project was to support the continued development of a carbon reduction plan for the business; the second project was around geospatial data, and the third project was to do with supply chains in construction.
Were there any particular areas of work you found especially interesting?
I,m a technical guy, so the carbon reduction strategy work was really great to work on! It involved utilising my excel and coding skills, mapping emissions across various transport modes, and creating tools which are another area of interest for me (website and digital tools development).
Did you develop any new skills as a result of the internship?
I developed new skills and enhanced existing ones. The carbon reduction work involved a lot of excel work and analysis, which is an existing skill. But probably the most valuable things I learned were the less technical but equally important skills around producing research, writing proposals, and so on. Essential skills for a consultant!
Would you recommend an internship at a company like Optimat to a friend?
I would most definitely recommend Optimat to a friend! The people were so friendly and helpful. You get exposure to lots of different things, whether working on stuff for the business (e.g., the carbon reduction plan) or actual project work or writing proposals to win work. It’s really hands-on, which was great because I really didn,t think an intern would get to be involved in the important and detailed parts of projects.
What is the plan moving forwards with your career?
I was recently offered a role as Technology Consultant at Ernst & Young which I,m really looking forward to! I don,t start that until March 2023 so I plan to go back home to New Delhi over the summer and try and travel as much as I can before starting the new job.