A day in the life of a Product Operations Intern
We are a down-to-earth bunch of payment nerds building a platform that aims to increase the number of fintechs launched annually. Our team comprises a raft of backgrounds and talents, and our company values guide everything we do.
Sam has played a jack of all trades at Integrated Finance, filling the gaps in our growing business. Despite being far away from his Natural Sciences degree, Sam was a fast learner and has worked with most of the teams at IF to create our support manuals for employees, clients and end users alike. He initially joined in the summer of 2021 before starting his second year at Cambridge University and has returned a year on to continue his previous projects and begin some new ones.
What made you join Integrated Finance?
After my first year, it became clear to me that I would not want to pursue a profession in my chosen degree, so my most obvious career path had reached a dead end. I was excited to start exploring other avenues after my degree when I got in contact with Integrated Finance.
Initially, joining Integrated Finance was a great way to gain experience in the Fintech industry and to prevent summer boredom. However, that changed very quickly once I could see the impact of IF firsthand. The ability to enhance and support other start-up fintechs in their infancy is an important task, especially when these fintechs solve important issues in the financial world. Moreover, working with a small but rapidly growing business was really intriguing for me and I have not been disappointed.
Favourite 3 things about working at Integrated Finance
I would say working with such a varied group of people and the importance of the work make IF a great environment to start my career. In addition, the trust afforded to us allows us to experiment and explore many different possibilities to find the best result.
Working closely with the founders and many of the different groups has given me a broad view of the business and a better understanding of the industry that IF sits in. The support is fantastic and there is a strong ethos to test the limits of what we can do, which has been an incredible place to begin my career. I have also enjoyed being able to have an impact on the business rather than just another cog in a vast machine. Seeing my projects grow in between my internships was very rewarding and I look forward to seeing the same progress with my current work.
Describe a typical day at work
There is no such thing as a typical day for me. I work under many different people in IF so my tasks can vary from documentation, testing, implementation and more. My days may not be repetitive, but they are busy.
Name 3 things you can’t imagine living without
1.Good friends
2. My (relatively small) sound system
3. A projector
I guess everything you need to recreate a cinema at home
What’s your party trick or super-human power?
After doing my first year at university online, I would say I can easily handle watching videos at at least 2x speed. Though, I cannot say I would recommend doing that for the video manual I created.
What always makes you laugh without fail?
It would have to be one of my favourite shows, The IT Crowd. It’s also fitting that Richard Ayoade went to my college, although not the same degree as mine.
What’s your favourite holiday destination?
Coming from South Africa, I have a lot of extended family all around the globe. I would say any holiday to visit some of them has to be one of my favourites. Taking that into account, my favourite holiday would be to Australia where I visited some cousins I haven’t seen in many years in Adelaide.
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