From Singapore to Silicon Valley: A Dream Internship That Led to a Full-Time Job
Gregory Png’s internship at Workato through SMU’s Global Innovation Immersion (GII) programme in Silicon Valley was a career-defining experience. From managing early morning calls to launching new features, Gregory’s journey from student to full-time employee highlights the impact of global internships on career growth.
“Techies start their day early”, says Gregory Png, recalling a typical day during his internship at Workato in the San Francisco Bay Area, United States, under the SMU Global Innovation Immersion (GII) programme. The programme offers SMU students three- to six-month overseas internships at high-growth companies in regions including Southeast Asia, China, and the US.
As an intern at the enterprise automation company, Gregory’s typical workday entailed waking up early to hop on 7am calls at home, before heading to the office. Some of the tasks he worked on included debugging customer issues and conducting user interviews. The day would end with a gym session and dinner with friends.
Gregory’s excellent internship performance eventually landed him a full-time role at Workato. Since graduating from SMU with a Bachelor in Business Management in May 2023, he has been working at the company’s Singapore office.
The SMU GII internship, which took place from May to August 2022, was a highlight of Gregory’s university experience.
A three-year journey to the internship of a lifetime
Although Gregory had learnt about GII and the opportunity for overseas internships at the annual CCA fair during his freshman year, he felt he lacked the experience to pursue it at that time.
“While working in the Silicon Valley was one of the biggest draws for me, I did not apply then as I felt the need to accumulate more professional experiences. Nevertheless, I kept the opportunity in mind.”
During this time, Gregory actively pursued internship roles locally – first in digital marketing at a local SME, and later at a start-up in the pre-seed fundraising stage.
“It was my first exposure to tech start-ups, fundraising and understanding the critical need to acquire users on the platform to demonstrate value to venture capitalists,” shares Gregory, who worked at the start-up for about a year, working alongside two co-founders and a full-timer.
“I wore multiple hats in that role. In addition to product management, I handled sales, customer onboarding, trouble shooting, and delved into identifying product-market fit, acquiring users, and driving scaling and growth.”
While working at the start-up, he came across an opening offered by GII. This time, Gregory was well-prepared to submit his application, and was thrilled to be matched with Workato.
A transformative experience in the Bay Area
Apart from enjoying Red Rock coffee and fully immersing in the work culture, Gregory’s greatest takeaway was experiencing the contrast between working for a start-up in the pre-seed to seed funding stage, and at Workato – which had achieved Series E funding, with close to 800 employees.
“It was a steep learning curve as it was a totally new field for me. While I had a lot of help from the Workato team, I had to engage in a lot of self-directed learning on the job,” says Gregory. This entailed consulting with engineers, experimenting with open-source projects, and doing extensive reading.
“I also learnt that at a company like Workato, where the product is more complex, the role of a product manager becomes much more focused and niche,” he reveals.
“Working in the Bay Area was definitely an eye-opener and expanded my world view. I gained not only new knowledge but also insights into areas I hadn’t even known existed before.”
During his internship, Gregory launched two well-received features, which led to an offer for a full-time position in Workato’s Singapore office.
As a full-time employee at Workato, Gregory utilises tools like Eisenhower Matrix and Timeboxing to boost his daily productivity. He is particularly excited about Semantic Kernels, a cutting-edge technology in AI, and is eager to explore the potential of managing brain-computer interfaces in the future.
For those considering an overseas internship like GII, Gregory offers some advice: “Don’t limit yourself to your major. Find a mentor, read widely, and most importantly, have fun!”
The Global Innovation Immersion (GII) Programme will open for applications on 17 September 2024. Stay updated by following the SMU IIE website and socials. In the meantime, you can register your interest here.
