Meet Allen «We must all proactively and bravely seek out what we want.»

Allen’s Internship Experience

Hello, I’m Allen. On January 5, 2016, I joined Pioneer Machinery’s International Internship Program while still studying in the Department of Industrial Management at NTUST. Although I had taken on several internships and part-time jobs during my college years, this was initially the most daunting one. I have always been someone who follows the rules and likes to plan everything out beforehand. Even if I couldn’t formulate a perfect plan, I would desperately try to grasp the context just to feel secure.

However, when I came to Pioneer, our General Manager gave the interns complete freedom and boundless room for development without setting any specific direction. For a newcomer like me, this open-ended approach initially left me feeling quite nervous. It wasn’t until a few weeks into the internship that I gradually realized how dreamy and rare this opportunity truly was. It empowers you to unleash your creativity, do fascinating things, and generate positive changes for the company.

I absolutely love immersing myself in Pioneer’s work environment, both in terms of the physical workspace and the multicultural interactions. When it comes to hardware, almost everyone has a large desk and a big computer monitor—and interns are no exception. Pioneer’s attentiveness to its employees’ workspace needs is another major draw. For instance, my seat was originally located in a dimly lit corner. After I mentioned that the desk lamp was causing screen glare and dizziness, the company immediately installed a new fluorescent overhead light, significantly improving the situation. Furthermore, I sat right next to my Spanish supervisor, Andrea. We would often pull our chairs together to collaborate over one of our screens. These discussions were not only highly efficient but also constantly sparked an abundance of new ideas.

About Allen

Position: Social Media and Marketing Intern

Education: Department of Industrial Management, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST)

Location: Pioneer Headquarters, Taipei, Taiwan

I have been interning at Pioneer for over five months now and have accumulated a variety of concrete results, including Facebook community management, poster design for the 2016 wire/Tube Düsseldorf exhibition, email signature design, and website content updates. Each task operates like an independent project with its own small team. Through continuous discussions with colleagues, we shape the final outcome into exactly what everyone envisions. I really enjoy this collaborative approach; it feels quite familiar to me. For a college student, it’s just like working on a group presentation, organizing a student event, or hitting the books hard. You work with different people on different things, and by managing each project well, you create a vibrant and fulfilling college life. The same philosophy applies here at Pioneer.

«Every output from an intern is a bonus for the company.» Our General Manager, Jerry, shared this thought with me during one of our conversations. At Pioneer, interns are rarely assigned tedious, routine tasks. Instead, when I receive a new project, Jerry always encourages me to start from my own unique perspective and use a fresh mindset to brainstorm solutions. We then converge those ideas through discussion. Without a doubt, this approach is designed to let interns unleash their professionalism and creativity to produce unexpected, extraordinary results.

I sincerely recommend Pioneer’s International Internship Program. Here, you can develop according to your own aptitudes, explore yourself and the professional workplace, and enjoy a comfortable, multicultural environment with zero-distance communication with your supervisors. Ultimately, your own personal growth will be your greatest takeaway from Pioneer.

Why I Stepped into the Workplace Early

I still remember back in my sophomore year, a senior student returned from an internship in mainland China and shared his fruitful experiences. As a sophomore feeling lost yet eager to prove myself, I was absolutely mesmerized by his stories.

In my major—the Department of Industrial Management—professors often describe us as being trained as generalists. We have core requirements in industrial management, but we also have the freedom to take electives across business administration, information management, or finance. While this means we have a relatively broad range of career choices, it also means most students are quite unfamiliar with specific job profiles, making this abundance of choice a source of anxiety.

After entering my junior year, I began actively exploring different career paths. I worked as an HR intern, an Industrial Management intern, an alumni association assistant, and a retail sales associate. Up until now, participating in Pioneer Machinery’s internship program as a Multimedia Design Intern, it has been nearly two years. During this time, I have profoundly felt my own growth.

For example, during university lectures, I can gradually bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application, allowing me to grasp the core of what I am learning. With the context of real-world application in mind, my approach to learning has become far more proactive. During the internship, the «protective bubble» of being a student faded away. My perspective shifted from «myself» and «student» to «the company» and «intern.» When executing tasks, I gradually learned to consider a wider array of factors, execute plans with a macro perspective, and understand how to proactively seek out teamwork and support. These invaluable accumulated experiences have helped me sketch out a clear picture of the professional world.

Before you can write a resume, you need experiences to put on it. In Taiwan’s highly competitive job market, differentiation is the key to standing out. Whether through part-time jobs or internships, maintaining an attitude of doing more, learning more, and observing more allows you to synthesize these experiences into your own unique stories. To me, this is the ultimate opportunity to enrich oneself.

«Because back then, we only knew how to study, but didn’t know how to apply it.»

How Pioneer Will Continue to Spark Innovation

I sincerely recommend Pioneer’s International Internship Program—a free and unrestricted platform. As shared in my experiences above, Pioneer successfully ensures that interns achieve tangible learning outcomes. Not only did I gain a preliminary understanding of the wire and cable machinery industry, but the practical applications of my own major also became much clearer here.

Pioneer Machinery is currently experiencing continuous growth and will establish even more overseas branches and client bases in the future. Therefore, Pioneer is dedicated to collaborating with universities worldwide for its internship program. Beyond Asia, Pioneer hopes to partner with schools in Europe, Russia, and Latin America. The International Internship Program is open to university students and above. Master’s students can even align their internship with their thesis requirements, allowing Pioneer and the students to grow together.

Pioneer launched its International Internship Program in 2013. Moving forward, Pioneer will continue to uphold its philosophy of not restricting the academic majors or the scope of work for its interns. I firmly believe this will bring even more surprises and creativity to the program.