Spring into Technology Intern Review

I really enjoyed the Spring Week! I was able to gain more insight into secure coding through Secure Code Warriors in a fun way. I was also positively surprised by all the work that was put into the event to ensure that participants could enjoy it as much as they can despite the Covid-19 pandemic. I was able to learn more about J.P. Morgan, like how they were focusing on becoming 100% sustainable in 2020. I also enjoyed the InsideSherpa task we were given because they provided a scenario which could really occur in JP Morgan.

I was able to reach out to people working at J.P. Morgan. However I feel that it would have been better if participants were split into smaller groups who can then talk to designated employees who would be able to provide answers for all questions or provide help for the InsideSherpa task, in case we were struggling. We were also told that we would get stickers for participating in the Secure Code Warriors challenge but this is yet to be delivered.

I was able to receive support from InsideSherpa through a written conversation for technical problems while trying to access the task and its resources. There wasn't any support about solving the actual task, which would have been desirable. It would have been useful to be able to actually discuss with an employee or designated member if I understood the actual requirements of the task or ask them questions if I were struggling with an aspect of it.

Secure Code Warriors was really useful to learn more about secure coding in general. It increased my awareness as to how certain code implementations should be preferred over others so as to mitigate as many security risks as possible. Furthermore the concepts which I learnt from this task would be transferable to my upcoming university modules regarding web security. The InsideSherpa task also made me practice and improve my coding skills, as well as give me exposure to new technologies.

I believe that the Spring Week was well structured overall. We were told with enough notice about upcoming talks regarding the company culture and each member knew how the week would pan out. However, these talks really only occurred at the beginning at the end of the week, with the rest of the team left to the participants to decide when they wished to work in order to complete the given tasks. This could be improved by having in-person events every day of the week rather than only the beginning and end to give a better sense of connection to the company for the participants.

The Spring Week program was enjoyable and relaxing. Every participant was happy to be there. Furthermore, there was a competition aspect to the secure coding task which helped to increase the excitement and have fun amongst the participants. Although the event structure had to be transformed entirely within a very small period of time as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and its unpredictability, I found that the event was very meaningful, educational, and worthwhile!

Secure Code Warriors was really useful to learn more about secure coding in general. It increased my awareness as to how certain code implementations should be preferred over others so as to mitigate as many security risks as possible. Furthermore the concepts which I learnt from this task would be transferable to my upcoming university modules regarding web security. The InsideSherpa task also made me practice and improve my coding skills, as well as give me exposure to new technologies.

Secure Code Warriors was really useful to learn more about secure coding in general. It increased my awareness as to how certain code implementations should be preferred over others so as to mitigate as many security risks as possible, and the emphasis on the task helped to understand the importance of security in technology within a large investment bank. The InsideSherpa task was also highly useful as it placed us in a scenario which could occur during a full time role.

I was able to reach out to people working at J.P. Morgan to better understand the typical working life of an employee. In addition to this, we were given talks at the beginning and the end of the Spring Week program regarding the company culture, the types of projects which employees are working on, and the types of goals which the company is currently striving to achieve, such as the 100% sustainability by 2020 goal.

Secure Code Warriors was really useful to learn more about secure coding in general. It increased my awareness as to how certain code implementations should be preferred over others so as to mitigate as many security risks as possible, and the emphasis on the task helped to understand the importance of security in technology within large investment banks. The InsideSherpa task was also highly useful as it placed us in a scenario which could occur during a full time role. Both of these tasks highlighted the key aspects which need to be considered when working in investment banking.

Every participant was informed in advance that the event would be unpaid to begin with. Initially the company intended to provide accommodation for the duration of the Spring Week program, but due to the circumstances causing the program to become virtual, this was no longer needed, thus I also don't believe that there was a need to be paid or reimbursed. Hence the fact I was not paid or reimbursed was not a problem as the event was very fun and enjoyable.

I was able to reach out to people working at J.P. Morgan if I actively sought out people to ask and initiated a conversation with them, and we were told that any person we wanted to ask would be happy to answer. However I feel that it would have been better if participants were split into smaller groups who can then talk to designated employees who would be able to provide answers for all questions.

I was able to reach out to people working at J.P. Morgan if I actively sought out people to ask and initiated a conversation with them, and we were told that any person we wanted to ask would be happy to answer. However I feel that it would have been better if participants were split into smaller groups who can then talk to designated employees who would be able to provide answers for all questions. Furthermore, there was not a lot of opportunity for socialising as it was only one week long, but there could have been more remote activities.

During the talks we were given at the beginning and end of the Spring week program, we learned about hackathons that employees could participate in which give employees the opportunity to work together with non profit organisations to solve an issue that they are facing which could have a positive impact in the world. We were able to understand that employees did not need to feel tied down to the same project during their work but could help other people if they wish.

The Spring Week program was enjoyable and relaxing. Every participant was happy to be there. Furthermore, there was a competition aspect to the secure coding task which helped to increase the excitement and have fun amongst the participants. Although the event structure had to be transformed entirely within a very small period of time as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and its unpredictability, I found that the event was very meaningful, educational, and worthwhile! Hence I would definitely recommend the Spring Week program to a friend!