The Experience, The fun and the Coaching - Project Management Internship

I am sure I might not be the only one making noise about the fact that I was scared after I joined CIP’s program as it was my first time travelling out the States. It was easy to decide but when the reality drew nigh, I felt I had more than I could imagine. I knew I was in for something interesting and nerve wracking. My program coordinator noticed this when we were having final pre departure briefing but she was tactful to combat that and assured me of support and 24/7 contact.
As usual, I was picked up from the airport and was a cozy ride to my apartment and they helped me pack and had some launch and then went back to rest. The weekend was packed with so much activities and training as well as arrival orientations.
My placement is exactly what I wanted in the area of project Management in an auto company located in Beijing. Before my arrival in Beijing, I had 2 other internships on my CV which I am not too comfortable with because they were not veered towards my career.
I was allocated to the Project Management team with experts in engineering which was not my field but there was something I could learn which I have been craving for some time. I was allocated costing and budgeting roles which I can never discount for anything. I worked with DAS Auto and I am proud of this. We worked in team of 15 people with individually allocated task. Their budgeting systems were inbuilt with technology applied in the process. At the end of the day, I learnt about what cost centers and elements are involved in running a manufacturing plant. It is a very complex process which took me about 3 months to really wrap my mind around. So I noticed that book is just as different from reality.
I enjoyed the coaching part of the program where a senior member of the team actually took me as a son to teach me about the entire process and what goes into it. It was another set of lessons I needed to take but the advantage is that after learning, there is a straight application. Fluency came along the way. I also loved the weekly talk segments. I worked from 9am till 6 pm but I always had time for other program components.
CIP Platform is a fantastic one and I will recommend to all