Disclaimer: This post is for the non-intern junta. One who has
never done any internship under a mentor. Cuz I am the mentor and I am badass!
So, I was talking to a friend. He is a 2nd year Ph.D. student. He got an intern from one of the IIT's in India. I met both of
them and we naturally bonded over coffee. I was telling them how I have
mentored four B. Tech's, 3 M. Tech's, and even two PhD's (when I was still a Ph.D. student). I shared my
experience with them. Later, when the intern left and only both of us (mentors)
were left, we talked the real shit. My friend, let's give him a name, Joey, was like, "I have asked him to write a paper
and that it would be good for both of them since he is here only for 3-4 months
and then he could write a paper and then I will, of course, guide him and we
could have a paper in 6 months’ time, blah blah blah". When I chatted with “The intern”, let's call him Chandler, he sounded so serious and told me that he will do everything
he's been asked to.
I was like, hmm, that is ambitious. I know
the tricks of the game pretty well. I told him, he would not do it. Because a) He wanted to do an MBA (lol, isn’t that enough?), and b) He is a 3rd year B. Tech. Both these reasons are enough to let me
not give further explanations. I have had so many friends all this while and I know for sure, I have not seen a serious B. Tech student in a long time. They are there
but one in say 30. So getting that one is really difficult and fortunate. In
addition, with the above two reasons, I know he is not the one. I am no way
demeaning Chandler, but you know it is that thing; you are not serious in your
bachelors. I was not even, rather I should say, forward-looking individual.
So, today when I had a chat with Joey, he told me that
Chandler is not writing the paper. And I was like, Really? (Sounding surprised
yet I was not).
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| Collecting wastewater/sludge from inside IIT Kharagpur campus with my favorite intern |
P.S: With my experience in the field, the best way to get
work done with the interns is to work with them. Show them how it is done, like
actually doing experiments and analyses. I think it would be
unfair to expect them to write a whole paper on their own, you have to do that. You should motivate them by giving some perks. I have taken them out
for treats or given them due authorship in papers. Even though they have walked
away now to do different things in their lives, we still connect through social
networking sites and laugh on all good things that happened. I really want to thank them, for if they were
not there, my 5 years of Ph.D. would not have been this much fun. Thanks, peeps
J
