So Yau Ting Justin, HKU Business School

Programme: 2024 Internship Programme in Shenzhen

Partner Organisation: Dynamic Youth of Greater Bay Area

Period: May 18 - June 14, 2024

The Greater Bay Area is a place full of opportunities. It was my honor to participate in the internship that was held in Shenzhen by the Greater Bay Area New Power. During this challenging month, I worked for the Bank of China, which is the 4th largest Bank in the world and China, as a finance intern. This internship experience enabled me to properly utilize my summer holiday to consistently improve my abilities and better prepare for my future career. I deem this precious opportunity as one of the milestones in my life.

To start with, the assistance and advice that were provided by predecessors from the corporate banking industry have greatly benefited me. For instance, they taught me how to work smart instead of working hard. My mentors were managers from different disciplines, including personal loans, business loans, and wealth management, etc. They were dealing with a multitude of applications simultaneously while each of them had undergone a bureaucratic procedure with countless documents. They showed me the importance of being capable of multitasking by establishing the essential habit of being well-organized and disciplined. More importantly, constant study after work is vital as it is the only way we can keep improving our capability and move to a higher position.

Furthermore, I have constructed basic knowledge regarding the corporate banking industry. During the internship period, I was mainly assigned to collect and sort the documents related to wealth management, personal and business loans. It incorporated proving the authenticity of the properties of applicants and examining the credit rating. Besides, my communication skills have improved when I was working as an assistant customer manager. It was my responsibility to provide proper instructions to customers and show how professional the employees were in the Bank of China so as to maintain the image of our company. This was a process of self-enhancement.

Last but not least, this was a wonderful chance to network with peers who had similar career plans or goals to mine. The networking sessions offered us a precious opportunity to broaden our social circle and meet various peers from different universities and faculties. We supported each other by sharing our ideas, burdens, and experiences. Meanwhile, the cultural tours allowed us to explore the beauty and advancement of Shenzhen. For example, we visited Da-jiang Drone Company, where they produced and invented their products. We observed the rapid development of technology and the future market trend.

In a nutshell, I really appreciate this internship opportunity that was offered by the Greater Bay Area New Power. It enables me to equip myself with the abilities that are essential in the workplace in my first year of university, which is uncommon. The contributions of the staff in Bank of China and the government were reasons for the success of this program. I will rejoin the program if there are similar opportunities offered in the future.