Startups are a great place to gain work experience for young professionals and budding entrepreneurs. Thin Myat Noe shares her experience of working in a tech startup ahead of this weekend's Techstars Startup event being held at the University of Business School, hosted by Edinburgh Innovations.
3 postgraduate students studying with laptops at the University of Edinburgh Business School

In 2019, as an undergraduate student in Malaysia, I was searching for summer internships like many others and was fortunate to land an opportunity at a Malaysian tech startup. Their focus was a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) enabled e-commerce marketplace that facilitates bulk online buying and selling for businesses.

Although I was studying economics, I was eager to explore different career paths, so I successfully applied for a social media content intern role because I enjoyed designing and marketing. Despite having little experience in social media content creation and marketing, I was enthusiastic and excited to learn on the job. In fact, this experience helped me decide on a career path in marketing and played a role in my decision to pursue further education at the University of Edinburgh Business School.

What I enjoyed most about working at a startup was the freedom it provides to explore different aspects of working within a business and the ability to learn new things on the job. Within those three months, I saw myself taking on new responsibilities, taking the initiative to develop my skills and seeking out opportunities to enhance my professional experience. One unique thing I noticed about working in a startup is that you get to see the impact of your contributions in real-time, which makes you feel like your contributions play a valuable part in the company's growth.

For those who enjoy challenges and innovative thinking, working in a startup company offers a great opportunity for you to grow. I would highly recommend students attend the TechStar Startup Weekend happening from Friday 3 March to Sunday 5 March at the Business School if you are interested in exploring what it's like to work in a startup environment. You will meet like-minded individuals, receive advice from experienced mentors, and acquire valuable skills that can improve your future employability.

Find out more about the Techstars Startup event and Edinburgh Innovations

Thin Myat Noe is an MSc Marketing & Business Analysis student (2022-23)