Starting a new chapter always comes with a mix of excitement, curiosity, and a little bit of nervousness. For the 2026 Technical Graduate Batch 2, onboarding week gave us the perfect opportunity to get to know each other, learn more about Phitopolis, and experience a few challenges along the way. What started as a week of introductions quickly turned into four days filled with teamwork, creativity, friendly competition, and plenty of memories.

Day 1: Getting to Know the Batch

Day 1 was all about getting to know the people we would be spending the next chapter with. We started with introductions and got to meet our batchmates, future mentors, and the people who would be guiding us throughout our journey. Of course, no onboarding would be complete without getting everyone hyped up, so we also had our group cheers. It was a fun way to break the ice and get everyone out of their shells.

Then came the LEGO challenge.

We were divided into teams, with each person given a specific role. One group was responsible for sorting the LEGO pieces, another had the manual and handled the assembly, and one person acted as the link between the two by delivering the pieces.

It sounded simple enough at first, but once we started, it quickly became clear that communication was everything. The people sorting had to know what the builders needed, the builders had to communicate what pieces they were looking for, and the person delivering the pieces had to keep everything moving. A small misunderstanding could easily slow the entire team down.

It was chaotic, competitive, and definitely a lot more difficult than it looked, but it was also a great first lesson in teamwork. Everyone had a role to play, and getting the job done depended on how well those roles worked together.

We were also introduced to the investment game, which would run alongside our onboarding activities. We would be simulating stock-market trades and trying to achieve the highest return. It was an interesting way to add another layer of friendly competition to the week, and suddenly, we had another challenge to think about beyond the office.

By the end of Day 1, we were already starting to feel less like a group of new hires and more like a batch.

Day 2: Exploring and Getting Creative

Day 2 gave us the chance to become more familiar with the place we would be spending a lot of time on. We went on an office tour and explored the different spaces and facilities around the office. Along the way, we also got to meet other employees, making the workplace feel a little more familiar with every introduction.

After the tour, things took a more creative turn with our bead bracelet-making activity. We were given the materials and had the chance to create our own bracelets. It was a simple activity, but it gave everyone an opportunity to relax, talk, and enjoy each other’s company.

After the teamwork and competition of Day 1, it was a nice change of pace. There was no leaderboard to worry about and no model to optimize, just a room full of people trying to make something that looked good.

Meanwhile, the investment game continued to give us another reason to keep an eye on our decisions and see how our strategies were playing out.

Day 3: Data, Models, and the Datathon

Day 3 brought us to one of the most technical parts of the onboarding week: the Datathon.

We were divided into groups, with each group assigned a mentor from the QR team. We were given financial datasets and tasked with creating a machine learning model that would be evaluated using test data.

Our job was to explore the datasets, configure the variables and parameters for training, experiment with different approaches, and ultimately submit a model that we hoped would perform well on the test data.

There were definitely moments when it felt like we were groping in the dark. We had to figure out which approaches were working, which weren’t, and what we could change to improve our metrics. Every adjustment came with the possibility of making the model better or worse.

Thankfully, our mentors were there to guide us whenever we got stuck. Their advice helped us navigate the unfamiliar parts of the challenge while still giving us the freedom to experiment and figure things out ourselves.

The competitive aspect made the Datathon even more exciting. Everyone wanted to see how their model would perform, but the experience was also a great opportunity to learn from our teammates, mentors, and even from the approaches that didn’t work.

By the end of the day, we had submitted our models, and despite the challenges, it felt rewarding to see everything come together.

Day 4: Creativity, Games, and a Great Finish

After three busy days of activities, Day 4 gave us a chance to slow down and get creative.

We started with canvas painting, giving everyone the chance to work on their own piece. Not everyone considered themselves a painter, but that was part of the fun. We grabbed our materials, started mixing colors, and did our best to turn our ideas into something we could be proud of.

It was a much more relaxed activity compared to the Datathon, and it was nice to see everyone’s different approaches and personalities come through their paintings.

To cap off the week, we headed to Skinny Mike’s for games and a get-together with the batch. After spending the previous days working together, competing, and getting to know one another through different activities, it was great to simply relax and have fun.

We played games, laughed a lot, and got to spend time together without worrying about LEGO pieces, investment returns, or model metrics. It was the perfect way to end four eventful days.

Onboarding week may have only lasted four days, but it gave us much more than introductions and activities. We learned how to communicate, collaborate, adapt, make decisions, solve problems, and most importantly, how to do all of those things together.

More than anything, it gave us the opportunity to start building relationships with the people who will be part of our journey at Phitopolis. We started the week as a group of new faces, but ended it with shared experiences, inside jokes, friendly competitions, and plenty of memories.

From LEGO challenges to investment games, from machine learning models to canvas painting, and finally a night of games and laughter at Skinny Mike’s, our onboarding week was a great way to begin our journey.

Four days down, and many more to go. Here’s to everything that comes next for the 2026 Technical Graduate Batch 2!