Entering the second half of my time in the program, I have found that many skills that I have learned have had positive effects both on my internship and on my experience in Seoul. Both the working and living environment have challenged me to apply what I have learned in class, while picking up new skills to work more efficiently and enjoy my daily life here.
The first skill that I learned was how to read clinical trial data. The reports published can often exceed twenty pages, and when I was expected to go over tens of papers per day, I had to learn a way to read, process, and take notes on all the information in them. I created a structured note taking method that allows me to find all the relevant information in a shorter period of time, while keeping the information organized and readable for myself and others. I plan on using this approach when I have to write research papers or policy memos for class assignments to gather more information more efficiently.
Because this is my first corporate style position, I have had to learn professional communication skills to work better with the other members of the team. For example, I had to adjust to the professional standard of communication when writing emails to others, which I found to be different than in academic contexts. Additionally, it was an adjustment to begin using Teams, I had used it regularly for clubs and other school-based activities, but using it in a professional context was a different skill I needed to learn. I found that I would have to be active and regularly reacting to my coworkers’ messages, even if it did not involve the project that I was working on. In addition to this, I found that writing out long responses was not efficient. I adapted my writing style to make more concise messages that communicate as much detail as possible in the shortest word count. Beyond formal writing, I have also learned how to talk to my co-workers both formally and informally. I found when sharing project reports or asking questions I should be as high-context as possible in order to get the most relevant information. On a personal level, as I have touched on in previous blog posts, other than my supervisors, many of the people in the office only have a basic understanding of English, allowing for small talk between us. I found that we had great conversations while watching the World Cup games during lunch and it allowed us to relate to something. These small periods of time where we are not working and can share small stories about sports and other interests has made me feel a lot more welcome in the workplace. The social skills that I have built in this office will allow me to feel welcome in almost any environment when I return home, something that will be incredibly beneficial when I am networking or meeting new people in both personal and professional contexts.
One of the most important skills that I have learned so far has been to be observant of what is going on around me. Once I began paying more attention to the subtle corrections or implied meaning of what coworkers were communicating with me, I began to understand what improvements could be made with my work or the way that I have been communicating. I found that this skill has also been helpful outside of the workplace. Looking at what others around me do has allowed me to adapt to the social norms quickly and improved my sense of belonging in the city itself. Along with this, I found that patience and being open minded has helped me fit into Korean social situations. I understand that I am a foreigner and I stick out in a very homogenous society, but during the first few weeks of the program I have been approached many times by people asking to take a picture with me, or coming up to me to ask what I am doing here. At first these interactions made me feel uncomfortable and caused anxiety, but now I have come to understand that these interactions are showing genuine curiosity about me and my culture. Being more receptive to these conversations has been a way for me to share about where I am from and what I am doing here, both things that I am proud of. Being more patient and open minded regarding these conversations has allowed me to turn something that I was at first uncomfortable with into a positive experience.