What it’s like to work as a software engineer intern at viesure

When I first started the search for an internship, my focus was to find a place where I could learn as much as possible within the short period of time that I had. I am very passionate about gaining new knowledge. At viesure, I found an amazing environment, brilliant individuals and numerous opportunities to explore, study, make mistakes, be curious, and also learn from them. This post is about some of the main highlights which have made my software engineer internship experience unique.

Overview

When studying at Talent Garden Innovation School CodeMaster Bootcamp, I was trained as a Frontend Developer. During that time, I started thinking about my future and which way I would love to go. Before I started the Bootcamp, I worked as a Sales and Promotions leader at a night club, where 70% of my job I was working through the night. During this time I realized that I did not like my life routine and so I started looking for a new way and a fresh start. 

When I started searching for a software engineering internship, I focused on learning as much as I could in this short period of time. I am passionate about learning new things, and at the viesure Innovation Center, I found a great environment to grow.

As I stated earlier, I’ve been training for becoming a Frontend Developer, but at viesure, I was working as a Backend Developer for which I did not have a lot of experience. At first I had this presumption that I wouldn’t fit into the culture of viesure, and the change from one programming language to another wouldn’t be a good choice for me. However, when I started working with viesure, it totally was the opposite. viesure felt like a great place for me to grow as a whole person (not only as an engineer) and so I dedicated my energy towards a positive and ambitious mission.

Unfortunately, after two weeks, all great plans were drawn into disarray with the rise of the coronavirus epidemic and all employees had to work from home. But my learning process still continued – online, and my teammates checked on my work daily. I could also talk to them at anytime in case of any issue.

Knowledge beyond university

When studying at the Talent Garden Innovation School CodeMaster Bootcamp, I gained a lot of knowledge about software development and computer science in theory.

Nonetheless, as soon as I started putting the knowledge into practice, I came to realize that there was still a lot that I had to learn. Here are just a few things which I have learned as a viesure intern: 

• It was cool to study java while working as a Backend Developer. Earlier on, I had worked as a Frontend Developer, and thus, I had little knowledge with regards to backend java development.
• Software testing is something that I had done before, however, at viesure, I learned how important it is and how it is done properly.

Strict code review

During the internship, the code review phase was one of the toughest parts. Coming up with good code takes lesser time as compared to addressing the comments made by a senior developer on the code. Even if just a single line of code is altered, it must be reviewed by one of the team members before it can go into development.

Every single line of code that I wrote was reviewed by my mentor. He has a knack for detail, and he used to easily point out errors that were too small to notice for an average developer. For software that is going to be used by probably millions of users, the code that we were writing had to be as optimized as possible.

Flat hierarchy

As an intern, you could also speak your mind, and go up to any engineer’s desk. No one and nothing would stop you. I worked with Bernhard Bonigl – a senior engineer at viesure, who was also my mentor. He is a down-to-earth person, generous and very helpful. I have never felt that he was too senior for me. I have learned a lot about modesty from him. He taught me from the beginning how to think like an engineer, how to code, and he answered all my technical questions. I would also like to mention Rene Schakmann, the Head of Technology at viesure, who gave me this opportunity to work with professional engineers so I could upgrade my skills. 

Being creative 

At viesure, people frequently deal with the unknown. They are working on a revolutionary product, and thustheye have to get creative at each stage of development. 

Great power comes with great responsibility 

At viesure, they believe in hands-on learning. If you are looking for an internship that will just add the extra hours that you need to graduate, viesure is not the place for you. Here, everybody’s views are valued, and their contribution is expected. In companies and businesses that I have previously worked at, you are usually not expected to make any decisions; instead, you are merely assigned tasks that have less visibility and lower impact on the organization.

As an intern at viesure, I was responsible for product development and had the autonomy to make my own decisions and also take part in discussions, just like my colleagues. At times you will make mistakes, and that is okay; we all do! It is not in the company’s culture to seek out for scapegoats or culprits but it is expected that all employees will act with responsibility and ownership. Being part of an organization where people actually believe and trust in you and also help you to become a better engineer was amazing.

As I look back on the past few weeks, I cannot believe how much I have personally grown professionally and personally. My internship at viesure was an enriching experience. I feel blessed and lucky to have worked with some of the brightest software engineers in the country and that I could learn from them.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I am happy to share my incredible journey as a software engineer with you! If you are an aspiring software engineer, never waste a chance when an opportunity arises.