My Placement Journey with Mastercard
My journey with Mastercard is one that I will always remember, not just because of where it eventually led me, but because of everything I experienced along the way, the preparation, nervousness, excitement, teamwork, learning, and the people I met.
1. The Beginning : Preparation and the OA
My preparation began almost two months before the Mastercard Online Assessment (OA). During this period, I was consistently working on Data Structures and Algorithms, strengthening my problem-solving skills and preparing myself for placement opportunities.
When the Mastercard OA finally arrived, I remember being extremely nervous. In fact, nervousness and anxiety were almost constant companions after every round! I would finish a round and immediately start questioning how it had gone and whether I would make it to the next stage.
So, when I found out that I had cleared the OA and was moving forward, it genuinely came as a surprise. More than anything, it gave me confidence that the preparation I had put in over those months was actually paying off.
2. The Hackathon : 12 Hours of Mixed Emotions
The next major milestone was the Mastercard hackathon, and this was an experience in itself.
The day started at 6 AM and continued until midnight. Those hours were filled with almost every emotion possible, excitement, nervousness, pressure, confusion, teamwork and, eventually, a huge sense of accomplishment.
One of the most interesting aspects was that the teams were randomly allotted. I became part of a team of eight students, all coming from different colleges. We didn't know each other beforehand, so apart from solving the problem, we also had to quickly understand each other's strengths and figure out how to work effectively as a team.
We were also assigned a mentor who guided us throughout the process. Despite the long hours and pressure, the hackathon went smoothly, and working with completely new people taught me a lot about communication, collaboration and adapting quickly.
By the end of it, our team secured the runner-up position in the hackathon.
That moment made all the exhaustion of the day worth it. More importantly, the hackathon gave me an opportunity to experience what building something collaboratively under real time constraints actually feels like.
3. The Mastercard Internship : The Most Valuable Part of My Journey
Following the hackathon, I got the opportunity to spend two months as a summer intern at Mastercard, and this became my favourite and perhaps the most valuable part of the entire journey.
I joined as a Product Management Intern and was given the opportunity to work on two projects during my internship. This allowed me to experience how ideas and requirements move beyond discussions and eventually translate into solutions that can solve actual problems.
Working on these projects taught me much more than just the technical or product side of the job. I learned how to understand a problem before jumping to a solution, communicate with different stakeholders, take feedback, iterate on my work and think about a solution from the perspective of the people who would actually use it.
One of the biggest takeaways from my internship, however, was the people and the work culture.
Before entering a large corporate environment as a student, there is naturally some hesitation. You wonder whether your lack of experience will show, whether you will be able to communicate comfortably with senior professionals, or whether you will actually feel like a part of the team.
My experience at Mastercard was completely different from those worries.
My mentors, managers and seniors were incredibly approachable, supportive and kind. I never felt that the difference in age, designation or experience created a barrier between us. I was encouraged to ask questions, express my thoughts and participate rather than simply observe because I was an intern.
Over those two months, I also formed genuine bonds with the people around me. Conversations weren't restricted only to projects and deadlines. I could learn from their experiences, ask for advice and interact with them comfortably. That environment made it much easier for me to learn and grow.
The internship also helped me understand something important about myself: I enjoy working at the intersection of technology, product and people. While my academic background gave me the technical foundation, the internship showed me how those skills can be used to understand problems, collaborate with teams and build solutions that create real value.
By the end of those two months, I walked away with much more than two completed projects. I had become more confident in communicating my ideas, more comfortable working in a professional environment, and much clearer about how teams operate in the real world.
And Finally: The Result
After everything—from those two months of preparation, to anxiously waiting after the OA, to an intense hackathon, and finally two months of learning at Mastercard—the results arrived.
And I was ecstatic.
It was one of those moments where I could look back at the entire journey and realise that every stage had contributed something.
The OA taught me the importance of preparation.
The hackathon taught me teamwork and adaptability.
The internship taught me about ownership, people, products and professional growth.
And the final result gave me the satisfaction of knowing that the effort, nervousness, long hours and learning throughout the journey had ultimately been worth it.
What started with me sitting down and preparing DSA two months before an OA eventually became one of the most memorable experiences of my college journey.
And if there is one thing I would take away from the entire experience, it is this: you don't always have to feel confident to keep moving forward. Sometimes you can be nervous, unsure of the outcome, and still end up surprising yourself.
