The Internship
During my time in college, I had this co-op with a big company within the refrigeration industry. Although it was a great learning experience, it was not as hands on as I expected it to be. I wanted to use hardware but my team and I were left using an HVAC design software. It was great but I felt like I missed out on something valuable.
I’m currently interning at a small collective where I work as a Research Associate and Software Engineer. Unlike the co-op, this is a very hands on environment and I love it. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
You’ll understand more about yourself
As I started this position, I was very set on pursuing a career as a backend engineer or a cloud engineer. As I started working with AWS, I found that it wasn’t actually something I enjoyed, and that’s fine. These opportunities will filter out the positions that you won’t like but it will also be a huge learning experience. I may not like AWS as much as I thought but the experience is invaluable because I may need it later on in my career.
Communication
I like to think that I’ve never struggled with communication. I may trip up on some words as I talk but the act of communicating or seeking help has never been something that has hindered me. I found myself asking many questions, whether it’s about my responsibilities or even the position itself. Never be afraid to ask questions or for clarification! If you’re as forgetful as I am, take notes. I mention plenty of times in meetings, that I’ll be taking notes on the conversation and they’re very understanding. Most times they encourage it. After all, it’s a team effort and everyone works differently. I’m very methodical, therefore, I like to write my tasks in bullet points and check them off as I finish them. Some people can just hear their tasks once and get to it right away; find what works for you!
Do your research
Before asking any questions, google it. You’d be surprised that googling in itself is a skill because most people don’t know how to ask questions. In this field, it’s a lot of googling your errors and reading documentations for new technologies.
Understand that an internship is not meant for someone to hold your hand through out the process. It’s more about learning how to learn and introducing you to a real world environment. I don’t expect to ask my hire ups every single question that I have about programming. I think it’s a mutual understanding that I’m here to learn and practice my problem solving skills.
My rule of thumb is that if I can’t come to a solution to my problem in 20 minutes, it’s probably best to ask someone for help. Anything after that, in my opinion, is just wasting time! Most times, they won’t even give you an answer but instead set you off on the right path. I like that approach even better. You’ll get over the hiccup without missing out on learning from the rest of the experience.
Time Management
I have some requirement that I need to fulfill for my coding bootcamp on a weekly basis so this takes up most of my day. From sending out a certain amount of applications, reaching out to people, customizing cover letters, and working on my own projects, it makes me feel like 24 hours in a day just isn’t enough.
Time management comes in different forms but for me it’s google calendar. Everyday, I have allotted time slots for all my bootcamp responsibilities and my internship responsibilities. I change them according to meetings and interviews that I may have. Sometimes my interviews hinder me from finishing up a task and that’s where communication is key.
Connections and Resources
One of the co-founders to the company introduced me to an Electrical Engineer that works for NYPA. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about public and private sectors, the route that he’s taken in his career, and potential opportunities for me at his company. To my surprise, I was also met with advice as an early career software engineer. I was told that I have so many goals and I’m doing what I need to do to achieve them but to remember that the only gap between where I want to be and where I am is just time. Words that I needed to hear from a senior engineer. Thank you.
You’ll meet so many wonderful people with different backgrounds and you’ll find ways to interact with people that are in completely different fields. Learn from them. All the experiences and stories that they are willing to share can be applied to your own life.
I hope you enjoyed this weeks blog! I know it wasn’t very programming heavy but I figured this could help someone make the best out of their internship opportunities. As always, happy coding!
