Taonga Gideon Banda

At work

My experience at the Bank Julius Baer (BJB) internship has been truly transformative, leaving a lasting impression that I'll always cherish. From the moment I stepped into the office, I felt embraced by a dedicated, diverse, and supportive team who welcomed me with open arms. A thoughtful gesture awaited me at my desk—a welcome card from my mentor, accompanied by chocolates, sweets, and two laptops—one for my project development and the other for internal BJB tasks. A guided tour introduced me to the team, and a warm welcome lunch further facilitated my integration into the group. I worked in the Business Process Management Services (BPMS) department within the Division COO, Sub-Division Information Technology, Department Shared Services. As Subject Matter Experts (SME) the BPMS Team capacitates their customer and digitalization journey by building and maintaining sustainable solutions in complaint with JB guidelines. During my internship I worked on the Estimation Process which will be later part of the BPMS Team’s Demand and Delivery process.

While working in Switzerland, I've learned valuable lessons in time management, quality work, effective planning, and the importance of continuous self-development.

My swiss host family

Initially, I felt apprehensive about staying with my host family, being a stranger in their home miles away from my own. I had some concerns about meals, household chores like using the dishwasher and washing machine, as well as table etiquette weighed on my mind. However, my worries soon dissipated as I discovered how welcoming and supportive my host family, Donald and Rohan Pudney were. Their kindness extended to my personal life, my professional life and their gratitude for even the smallest things was a pleasant surprise, contrasting with my cultural norms. Donald took the time to familiarize me with the ins and outs of living, traveling, and working in Switzerland. Ensuring I had the necessary technical and professional knowledge. Rohan, I now consider a little brother to me because we spent most of our time gaming and watching animation together.

Highlights and challenges in Switzerland

My stay in Switzerland presented a few challenges, but one in particular stands out as a moment that pushed me to explore a new aspect of myself. During my time at BJB, I was given a project and had to learn about the tool the bank used which came with some difficult tasks and on top of that I had to learn some new programming language that the tool integrated well with. This transition was essential, as without the skills I honed through a few sleepless nights over the first few weeks, I wouldn't have been able to successfully complete my project for the team I was involved with at Julius Baer.
Highlights I have a few but my birthday week was special because the team made it special for me. I’ll forever cherish that moment and bonding with Donald and Rohan is at the top as well because we spent time watching movies, playing video games and went to watch live soccer and ice hockey games.

My Future plans

I aim to further my career in Information technology by pursuing my master’s degree and also branching into the finance field to understand it as compared to current. I plan to carry on with IT and finance from then on.

Personal message

As one who’s faced a few steps back I urge the person reading this to always pursue your dreams, even if there are setbacks hard work always pays off.