Internship Insights: Reflections on an Internship at Roche Diagnostics

The following interview features Najmeh Karimian-Marnani, an STP student with a minor in Life Science & Health, as she shares her experiences and insights gained during her internship.

Where did you do your internship, and why did you choose to do it there?

I did my internship at Roche Diagnostics. What motivated me to apply for the position, was that I was looking for a role in business within the pharma industry, to apply the skillset I had, and to most importantly prepare myself for my future career. I saw it also as a great opportunity to experience working in a Swiss company, with a Swiss ‘family’ culture, yet one with a global reach.

What do you consider to be the biggest benefit of completing an internship during your master's studies?

I would say that I have gained a lot of confidence. I am now doing another internship, and I feel already as a full-time employee here due to my previous experience within industry and ability to present myself better. It taught me how to confidently deal with my manager, how to present myself, how to network, and other skills related to my personal development which one would only get in a full-time position. Yet, as an intern, I was able to do all of this without large responsibilities. My internship at Roche was good practice for me.

Another important aspect for me, is that I learnt to present myself as someone with an interdisciplinary background and show my science (communication) skills as well as the understanding of business and policy. For a long time, I didn't know quite where I fit; I didn't know where my skills were applicable or how to combine everything I learned (because my studies were so interdisciplinary). Previously, I had always worked from an academic coursework perspective. Now I know how to apply that within industry, and I know what I am good at doing and what I am bad at doing. I really got to know myself.

What is one skill you developed by completing an internship?

Communication. During an internship, you're working with a lot of different people: people who have different working styles and different backgrounds. Some people process and learn differently because they come from different backgrounds, or perhaps they are really stressed about something. Then you can either be an empath and absorb that stress and let it impacts your own work, or you choose not to by dealing with it appropriately. This is what I had to learn to do, which I am very grateful for. Another example of how I grew my communication skills was when I had to work on a project with someone who was hesitant to share information. It was challenging, but I learned the importance of patience and active listening. It taught me the importance of adapting how I communicate to different individuals, which is a valuable skill to learn.

What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?

It was completely out of my comfort zone. I'd never like done an internship before and I didn't know what to expect. I knew I had a skill set, but I was learning how to apply that. But by the end of the six months, I really felt like I could understand the company, what it does, and how I fit in.

What advice would you give to other students considering internships during their studies?

I would definitely say to apply and take an internship position if you can. It's your chance to test what you want to do without having too much responsibility. You learn what you're good at, what you like, what you don't like, what you're not good at. Doing an internship allows you still to have a bit of that safety net of being a student: you can fail and try new things because you're just there to observe and take everything in and to learn. I think it's a fantastic opportunity that everyone should experience for themselves!