Dhia Salsabila Azhar, an Electronics and Instrumentation alumnus from FMIPA UGM, class of 2018, gained valuable experience by participating in the first batch of the Certified Independent Study and Internship Program (MISB) during her studies.
At that time, she undertook a four-month remote internship with Microsoft Indonesia. Dhia, as she is commonly called, has worked in roles related to data and artificial intelligence (AI).
Dhia has long been interested in AI and machine learning development. During her studies, she was exposed to Azure Machine Learning, a collection of servers and network hardware.
However, to explore this platform more deeply, she felt she needed tutors and peers with similar interests to enhance her knowledge further.
“That’s why I decided to enroll in the MISB program, which was just starting its first batch at that time,” she said during an online interview on Friday (Sep. 20).
Although the internship was conducted remotely, Dhia admitted that the learning process she received was comprehensive. In the first month of the internship, Dhia was introduced to the Azure environment, which operates a series of complex distributed applications.
This introduction aimed to determine whether the tools could be used as a cloud computing platform, which would later be used to create, develop, and manage AI applications or projects.
“It was quite challenging in the first month, so even though it was remote, I had to complete global modules and certifications every month, in addition to online lectures directly from the mentor,” she explained.
Dhia said she was also involved in both group and individual projects (capstone project). Through the capstone project, she was able to hone her technical and presentation skills.
“What’s special about the internship at Microsoft Indonesia is that after graduating from the global certification, I became more confident in my abilities in data and AI, especially in using Microsoft Environment tools, which companies in Indonesia widely use,” Dhia explained.
In the second month, Dhia’s work focused on AI fundamentals to understand machine learning and AI concepts using Azure. The third month focused on using Microsoft Power Platform to build applications using low-code/no-code solutions.
In the final month, her work focused on building data visualizations using Power BI to build a portfolio. She created dashboard analysis and data storytelling and then presented her findings.
“I often got insights from friends from other universities and was able to collaborate on projects together, which expanded my network,” Dhia shared.
Despite the remote nature of the internship, Dhia also encountered challenges. She recounted that during lab exercises, certain parts or steps were skipped, and collaboration with other interns was sometimes difficult. This made it hard to maintain teamwork, which sometimes resulted in unequal workloads.
However, according to Dhia, because Microsoft’s modules were comprehensive and the Microsoft tools were widely available externally, any missed material could be covered through self-learning, including trying modules outside the curriculum.
Dhia acknowledged that her internship experience contributed to securing a job after graduation. According to her, the most influential MISB course materials for a career in data analysis were data fundamentals and data visualization.
As a data analyst who has to submit daily reports, understanding data concepts and storytelling is highly beneficial in completing those reports.
“I have graduated now, and this internship has been beneficial in my current job as a data analyst,” she concluded.
Reporter: B. Diah Listianingsih
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Afif