Experience
Positive Aspects
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Work Environment
I greatly enjoyed the work environment, which was far more positive and collaborative than I had anticipated. The absence of a strict hierarchical structure within the team made it feel inclusive and less pressured. Team members received requirements and directives from other teams without a direct manager imposing additional tasks, which fostered a sense of autonomy and mutual respect. -
Technical Skills Acquired
I developed a broad range of technical skills during the internship, expanding my Python expertise significantly. I learned to create graphical applications, write reusable code, and handle the entire automation pipeline on GitLab, a skill transferrable to similar platforms. Additionally, I gained experience in using InnoSetup to create installers and tackled various tasks that I hadn’t previously been comfortable with. I feel much more capable in these areas now. -
Company Mission
I appreciated the company’s mission and values, especially IBA’s focus on meaningful work. Being part of a company with a clear, impactful purpose was motivating and fostered a sense of dedication. I found this to be an important factor in maintaining motivation and commitment.
Negative Aspects
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Developer Role Limitations
I realized that a purely developer-focused role may not be the best fit for me. While I didn’t mind working daily on my tasks, I found the subject matter less engaging and somewhat routine. Unlike previous engineering projects, which offered diverse challenges and problem-solving opportunities, this role felt more focused on straightforward implementation. The challenges I encountered were primarily technical or related to implementation, rather than complex problem-solving or innovation, which left me less fulfilled. -
Limited Exposure to Full Development Workflow
Since I worked on a non-product software project independently, I wasn’t fully integrated into the company’s broader development processes. While I worked alongside team members, I wasn’t involved in product development responsibilities, including essential workflows like GitFlow (for safe, structured code development) and the merge request process (merging features into the main codebase). Being part of the full development workflow and having responsibilities tied to product output would have been invaluable for me to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the company’s approach to software development. -
Minimal Peer Review Experience
While my programming skills improved, I didn’t receive much feedback through peer review, which happened only about three times over the course of the internship. Each review session was highly instructive, so I would have appreciated more frequent feedback on my code, though I understand it wasn’t always a priority for the team given their primary focus on product development.
People involved
Adrien
Adrien was my supervisor throughout the internship. He really took me under his wing and provided constant support with each task I needed to complete, making sure I was never stuck or lacking any resources. We had many discussions, and he was fully invested in my project, which was incredibly generous considering the time he dedicated to it.
We often had lunch together, and he never once overlooked or neglected me.
Adrien also frequently provided technical support on my project, offering potential solutions to obstacles I encountered. His experience in software and expertise in Python were immensely helpful.
The only feedback I have is that Adrien and I are quite similar in our approach. Personally, I tend to focus heavily on the technical aspects of a project without stepping back to consider what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and in what direction the project should go.
As a result, I sometimes spent time working on tasks that weren’t necessarily valuable for the project or useful for end users.
I feel I would benefit from having someone who occasionally pushes me to take a step back and assess the purpose of the task I’m working on. It would also be helpful to be encouraged to explain what I’m working on and share my challenges, as this would likely help me solve issues more quickly and improve my productivity.