Ok so I don't usually post stuff like this but it's been on my mind for a while and I just want to get it out.
I was interning at a tech company. Was giving it my everything honestly. Not just saying that.
3 months in, a new intern joined. Seemed cool, friendly and all. But one thing I noticed was he got unusually close to HR really fast. Like way too fast for someone who just joined. I didn't think much of it then.
Made the mistake of venting to him one day. Told him how my team lead had taken credit for work that was mine. Thought he was a friend. Trusted him.
After that, my team lead's entire behavior changed towards me. The friendliness, the warmth just gone. Like a switch flipped.
Then came my conversion time. The thing I had been working towards for months. HR and my team lead sat me down and said
"You need a 3 month extension. You can't work independently. Your DSA is too good, your analytical thinking is too good, your recent review was better than your first month ,but still you need an extension."
I mean what even is that logic.
My colleague, a full time engineer who worked with me everyday and knew exactly what I was capable of, had told me I had a 90% chance of getting converted. I believed him. Nothing in my work suggested otherwise.
But the decision was already made I think.
Looking back there was one sign I completely ignored. That same intern had once casually told me how in school he had thrown away a topper's revision notebook before exams. Just like that. No guilt, nothing.
He told me that story like it was a funny memory.
People tell you exactly who they are. We just don't pay attention.
I left without the conversion. And the thing that hurts the most ,my mother has migraines and BP issues. I had planned that the moment I get converted, first thing I do is get her a proper checkup. That was my goal. The actual reason I was pushing so hard.
That got delayed because of someone else's insecurity.
Anyway. Just needed to say this somewhere.
TL;DR — Trusted a new intern with sensitive info, he was close to HR, team lead's behavior changed right after, got denied conversion at the last minute with vague reasons despite strong performance. Realized too late that people show you who they are early on , just pay attention.