Are You Ready For A Software Engineering Internship?
An internship in the field of software engineering, hmmmmm? am I ready, I thought to myself. I once read somewhere that this field may be very tricky to the common man, but why not try getting an internship after my three years of learning programming and building cool stuffs( sounds great right?).
My name is Sogbey, Daniel, currently in my third year in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, having an academic background in Physics and Mathematics. Physics and Mathematics ?? Why not Computer Science or Computer Engineering?? , I don’t mean to scare and frustrate you at the same time(hahaha).
Which of these are you doing currently? (hahahahaha)
I have great passion for Electronics and thus what pulled me into Physics in the first place. Thus enough about myself. Let’s not digress!!
Are you ready for a Software Engineering Internship? is the topic at hand.
Software Engineering is simply engineering software. Hmmmmm??, Wait??, What??
Don’t leave me suddenly, let me explain what I meant by “Software engineering is simply engineering software”.
What is a software? It is simply a program used by a computer.
So the question simply is: Do you think you can design, build, and maintain a program for a computer to use? (“Can you do software engineering?”)
I presume so!!
Now what are some qualities you need to be confident enough to think you are ready for a software engineering internship.
Let’s take a look at these four(4) qualities:
- Ability to learn, adapt and grow.
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills
- Knowledge of the full stack.
Let’s take them one after the other:
1. Ability to Learn, Adapt and Grow :
As a programmer, you spend more time learning than individuals in most professions as you are expected to level up your skills when there is the upsurge of a new technology (or technologies) that can perform a task more effectively and efficiently. You must be able to adapt to the flow of your team, regardless of your background (in terms of the tools you are used to). There are tasks that you may have no knowledge about at the moment and as such requires you to take extra time to study the concept and employ the knowledge gained in your project. This process involves both adaptation and time management.
During my internship this year(5th May, 2021–18th June, 2021), I had soo many encounters where I had to go, learn a concept, and apply the knowledge gained in the project I was working on.
Platforms that I normally use to learn are :
- Stackoverflow
- Github
- Udemy
- Youtube
- Medium
and other coding blog websites.
If you think this is something you can easily do or at least can do, then you are in!! But not yet, there are other qualities…
https://media.giphy.com/media/ZoAa7lsmym6UE/source.gif
2. Time Management :
This is a quality you would need as a software engineer (as an intern or as a main career). To be able to learn(other technologies or efficient ways of performing a task other than the ones you are used to) while still working requires a significant amount of time management as an engineer or developer. During my internship this year, I was working as a fullstack web developer and at the same time I decided to continue with my android app development, but how do I do the two at the same time. I had to develop, a personal time table to help me practice both. Which is very necessary if you want to grow and stay relevant in the field of software engineering or development.
There are times I had to schedule enough time for personal studies about concepts I new nothing or little about in web development.
From this you can deduce that Time Management is key to Learning, growth and adaptation.
You think you have some good time management techniques ? Then you are in!! But still hold on there is more to software engineering than your ability to manage your time effectively…
3. Interpersonal Skills :
Interpersonal skills in itself involves a lot of other qualities which includes:
- Self-confidence
- Relationship management
- Receptiveness to feedback
- Listening ability
- Collaboration ability
- Conflict management
- Work Ethics
But simply put, interpersonal skills is how we communicate or interact with others.
This is a skill, that would become very handy as a software developer or engineer since you would mostly work in a team.
I didn’t work in a team during my internship, but along the line I had someone who was directing me as to what to do and I mostly turn to him for advice and help with new concepts I did not previously know. So from this , there is a high need of a quality as Interpersonal skills. Your ability to express yourself confidently and listen to the opinions of others is very key in collaboration. There are times you have to accept your mistakes gladly and learn from them. Those are the magical moments with which you become aware of your mistakes and learn from them. As an aspiring software engineering intern you must be open minded and open to criticism.
Do you have some time for that?? (hahahahahahahaha)
Got some interpersonal Skills ?? Then you are in!!! Wait let’s get to some technical stuffs…
4. Knowledge of the full stack :
Now, let’s get more technical,
What is full stack development? What does it mean to have knowledge about the full stack ?
According to W3Schools:
A full stack web developer is a person who can develop both client and server software.
W3Schools goes further to tell you exactly who a full stack developer is.
In addition to mastering HTML and CSS, he/she also knows how to:
Program a browser (like using JavaScript, jQuery, Angular, or Vue)
Program a server (like using PHP, ASP, Python, or Node)
Program a database (like using SQL, SQLite, or MongoDB)
Note That : You don’t have to know how to use or how all this technologies work or even if you know how to use them, you don’t have to be a pro or perfect in them.
Knowledge of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) is key since you might be building quite a number of them or using them.
During my internship as a full stack web developer, I mostly used JavaScript for both frontend and backend. Reactjs for the frontend and Nodejs for the backend ( with some few templating engines here and there ) . I AM A JAVASCRIPT GUY BRO!!
For more about full stack development and how to become a full stack developer check :
Have all these four(4) qualities?? THEN YOU ARE FINALLY IN!!!!
Hurrraaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!
TOP MOST QUALITY :
5. Someone who believes that nothing is impossible and that you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to do.
Note: Some of this qualities can be developed as you do your internship. Yes!! Thus very true. So believe in yourself and apply for that internship and learn something new so you can likewise share with the world.
Me, during my internship.
Company: Con-Imedia, Adenta, Ghana, West Africa.
Got to the office very early ( Not the first day anyway).
Why a headphone?? I usually listen to music while coding (hahahahahaha).
Checkout my projects on Github :
Contact or Follow me via social media :
https://www.instagram.com/dan_sogbey/
Contact me via my email:
mathematics06physics@gmail.com
Read and Stay Safe Fellows. console.log(“Peace!!”);
Anticipate for my next article…
Don’t forget to press the clap button on your left ( if you are viewing on a desktop sized screen) 50 times…
