SEO Experience
作者：王宇航
Vivian Wang
Princeton University
日期：2007.10
I was thrilled to be selected as one of the first US college undergraduate students participating in SEO’s China program. Although Mr. Tom Tsao (we all called him Tom) occasionally complained about how difficult it was starting the China branch of this internationally renowned internship program, all the interns and mentors believed that the experience was rewarding and fulfilling, which made all our efforts worthwhile. There were so many unforgettable moments we had together, working as a team and learning from each other. While I am reflecting on my experience with Gobi, I feel very lucky being a member of this big SEO family.
Almost everyone believed that the all-nighters we pulled during the training week were one of the most challenging but best times we had together. During daytime, investment professionals spared precious time from their work to teach us various aspects related to venture capital and business in China. When it came to nighttime, all interns got back to the hostel, and each team had discussion for the next day’s presentation all the way until early next morning. Jeff and Kodak even offered to not sleep, typing up everyone’s thoughts input into a formal report. We only realized how impressive the work we had done after our presentation. All of this could not be achieved without great teamwork.
Charity program is an important aspect that makes an SEO internship special. During the program, I stayed in touch with my group and tried my best to contribute what I could from a long distance away. I took the responsibility compiling the whole intern class’ weekly reports. I learnt from everyone’s writing how much people had appreciated the experience and how helping others had been such a fulfilling experience. I felt being part of the bigger family through frequent communication with my internship classmates even after the conclusion of the internship. I also felt the personal growth I had together with this group of close friends.
For the majority of this internship period, I worked at Gobi’s Beijing office participating in meetings and helping out day to day operations. My learning experience was not only from concrete training, but also came in the form daily interaction with coworkers in the office. There was always an upbeat and energetic atmosphere in Gobi. Everyone was diligent and professional, treating his or her duty very seriously. Meanwhile, they never forgot to teach me, as I was the intern learning everything from ground up. Winnie and Jane assigned me assistance work on due diligence and taught me how to be detail-oriented. Wai Kit and Ken had discussions with me and took me to meetings; I learnt how to think about the big picture as an investor from them. Adam spent much casual time with me and shared with me his experience of starting a career. Due to everyone’s kind help, I made smooth transition from a college student to a first time employee. I was surprised how everyone from Gobi w as extremely helpful despite their achievement and great responsibility. This is the business attitude that I find precious and want to have for myself.
My experience with Gobi and SEO can be best captured in one word: growth, both in technical knowledge and personal skills. I feel deeply thankful to the mentors form Gobi and all my fellow interns. I simply want to express my wishes of the best future for Gobi and SEO in China.