Like all students attempting to study abroad, one of my major concerns was how to make it affordable. So when I received an email about the Freeman Scholarship, offering up to $3000, it immediately caught my interest. There were several excellent internships to choose from, and they all sounded like they offered an educating and fun experience. However, the one that stood out the most to me was the internship at Delta Air Lines. The position was described as “data analytic” under the Finance department in Delta’s Japan branch. As a student pursuing a dual major in International Business and Management Information Systems, it sounded like a perfect match for me. Although finance isn’t my major, I’m not the type of guy who likes to live my life asking “what if.” I’d rather just take the chance. And I’m certainly glad I did!
The interview process was certainly nerve-racking. As expected, Delta Air Lines was definitely a popular choice as an internship. Upon arriving in Japan, I figured there would be some paperwork to complete for my internship, but I seriously underestimated the amount of work it took to complete the process. Fortunately, I had a lot of help along the way. If it wasn’t for the support of faculty members at TUJ and my host family, I probably wouldn’t have survived the process without at least one mental breakdown.
Anyways, after weeks of running around Japan fulfilling errands to do my internship (residence card, health insurance, worker’s permit, getting a cell phone, buying a suit with my okaa-san, opening a bank account, getting internship approval signatures from Temple, etc), it finally was show time.
When I applied for an internship at Delta Air Lines, I was kind of expecting a small office, with interns simply doing a lot of busy work like sorting documents, since that was the kind of task I was given during my time at Cooper Hospital. Upon arriving on my first day, I was in for a big surprise! Delta’s office is located in the beautiful Shiroyama Trust Tower.
This massive building has 27 floors, with various companies on each level. I was given my own spacious cubicle with my own computer to work on. And the best part, I’m not doing busy work! My boss is a really great and funny guy. And all my co-workers are extremely friendly. Not to mention, I’ve been treated out to lunch every day I have worked here so far!
Last Monday was actually my first day of purchasing lunch. Choosing curry was a big amateur mistake. It didn’t occur to me that getting something saucy was a terrible mistake, since I was wearing formal clothes. Fortunately I avoided making a mess, but it took a lot longer for me to finish my meal.
I love everything about my internship so far, and I am really excited to be part of their team. It is clear that Delta has placed a lot of trust in my abilities, and I am definitely determined to surpass them.
Before my internship, I had always thought of work as something that people did in order to survive. But recently, as the line between fun and responsibility has become blurred (especially with my job as a blogger!), I’m beginning to think that there is no “work-life balance.” Life is simply what you make it out to be. If you are just trying to survive, then you never really get the chance to live!