Intern Software Engineer Review

As an intern software engineer I worked independently with another intern to complete a project we had been given to complete during our rotation in our team. Our role involved solving the same problems as everyone else on the team, mainly comprehending, fixing and writing new code to match the requests by managers and product owners. As an intern I was not expected to be able to solve everything straight away and learning through other members of the team by asking for help and guidance was heavily encouraged.

The first two weeks of the internship was a crash course in C++, which taught me everything from the fundamentals of object oriented programming to writing working code. I very quickly learnt the ins and outs of software development and how to work among my team to develop together on the same code base. Throughout the internship there was always encouragement to speak to others and to get help whenever needed, along with many opportunities to present any work done. This helped massively with my communication skills, and really gave me confidence within a working environment.

Interns were always treated as a full employee throughout, every meeting that happened I was always included and could contribute the same amount as everyone else on the team. The intern project I was given was to implement a new feature that will be eventually be released in the future, so the work was expected to be high quality, and it had to be presented at the end of the internship to managers and product owners. I think this is key to seeing the level of respect had for the interns and the responsibility we held.

The interns were always supported at all times. On the rotation we started with a meeting with our manager every day to make sure we were on track and to check our work. This was very helpful to get started. As the internship went on there was a transition to the expectation that we would contact others for help on our own accord, which was always met with acceptance and understanding. This helped me eventually become independent with my tasks and let me work as a software engineer properly by the end.

The Autodesk work culture is incredible, and there was always consideration to make sure everyone was accommodating and accommodated. There were always events that let people network and talk, such as the two takeaway nights where you could order a takeaway and take parts in online events over zoom. There are countless in house communities for all sorts of hobbies and sports that you can join at any time. Due to this internship being completely online, I never got to properly experience any of these. While working, there were never any strict deadlines or working times which meant it was easy to not stress about anything and to be able to wind down at the end of the day. I never felt overworked or uneasy about anything I was doing while at Autodesk.

The internship was incredibly enjoyable for what it was. Being online it is hard to make it enjoyable and to gain a true sense of community with co-workers, but surprisingly I had a blast. The work was challenging but rewarding, and with the help provided I was always at ease. The intern project operated under a pairing system where you worked with one other intern, which meant I always had someone in the same position as me who I could talk to and tell any worries I had.

Yes

When you work at Autodesk there is an expectation to take responsibility and to both work independently and with your team. This means that when you work on your own that you can have the ability to judge when you are stuck and be able to ask for help. It is easy to get lost with a task by wanting to complete it by yourself, then dwell and eventually get it. In the end this only stops you from learning and progressing for longer, plus will only slow the whole team down.