Almost two week have passed since I finished my internship at National Semiconductor and it still feels so surreal that I spent 8 weeks working in Santa Clara, California. The Saltire Foundation Internship is without any doubt one of the most life changing experiences that any student could hope for.  After my 8 weeks at NSC I was lucky enough to have time and money (not a lot) to do some travelling around California. I was also lucky enough to be joined by 6 close friends from Aberdeen Uni.

By the time I joined them they were already in San Diego having landed in San Francisco 2 weeks earlier. I had 4/5 days in and around San Deigo before we headed off to ‘Sin City’, Las Vegas which was an eye opener to say the least. It is everything you expect it to be plus so much more. Before heading to Scotland I flew back to San Francisco to do some last minute sight seeing and also had the chance to catch up with some friends from work who I had already started to miss.

The flight home was very sad and although I had a great time travelling with friends and it was the perfect way to finish my most memorable summer, it had merely put off the feeling that my time in America was over.

My last week at NSC was quarter end so the work load was a lot greater and more intense as deadlines had to be met. Having already worked through two period closes I felt I was adequately prepared to cope with whatever was thrown my way.

All deadlines were met and by mid week the quarter close was almost concluded. The rest of the week was filled by wrapping up any work or reports I had been given in addition to my normal duties. However despite a competitive analysis, on one of the company’s biggest competitors, I had no other special presentations that I had been working on throughout my internship to finish. I know that a lot of internships are spent with the intern given a special one off project to work on and present it at the end of the internship. However as beneficial as these projects are, I felt doing day to day jobs and reports helped to give me a more realistic experience of working in a corporation such as NSC. While tying up any loose ends the rest of my time was spent saying my goodbyes. Obviously never nice to say goodbye but I’m confident it was just goodbye for now and I’ll be seeing them all soon.

Instead of writing the endless list of things that I have learned and how the experience has improved me as person and a potential employee, I just want to note one big ‘thing’  I learned and it is to say YES! Sounds simple but just by saying yes opens so many doors. I had read the book the ‘Yes Man’ in the past and not really thought to much about it until now.  However  following  my time meeting with other employees at National it was the best piece of advice I was repeatedly given : To take any opportunity given to me,  and it’s something I hope I follow through with.

Although this is technically the end of my internship as I start back at University next week it feels like just the beginning of something. It is also now my chance to spread the good word of the Saltire Foundation to any hopeful students who are wondering how on earth they would get themselves an appropriate internship in America or elsewhere in the world. 

All that is left to say it thank you to everyone involved in the Saltire Foundation. I cannot begin to understand how much effort it takes to send 66 students across the world to all sorts of different cultures and businesses. I know that the without the Foundation I would never have gained an opportunity anywhere close to what I have experienced. This is also my chance to say thanks to my fellow intern Adina who will no doubt join me in ‘bigging up’ National Semiconductor as a company to choose to those hoping to do an internship with the Foundation next summer.

Hopefully I’ll see Adina and the other interns soon and get the opportunity swap stories of our fantastic experiences of summer 2010

Good luck to everyone in their 4^th year of University.

Murray.