Software Academy Intern Review

I work as a software developer inside a mobile team. My job consists of daily stand-ups, where we plan the work that we will be completing for the rest of the day. The majority of my day is then spent either writing code for the mobile app, developing tests or planning tasks for future development. I also get the chance to work on a separate project where I am developing and testing features for a website. We also have several meetings with people from different teams where we get the opportunity to discuss the work we have been doing.

I have learnt a lot about mobile development. I got the chance to work in Swift when adding features to the mobile app, and this gave me exposure to working in a new programming language. I also gained some experience in web development, using technologies such as React and JavaScript. I also developed lots of soft skills. I got the chance to improve my communication through participating in team meetings and presenting my work in front of an audience. I also improved my problem solving skills through the variety of different tasks that I had to overcome during my time here.

I was given the opportunity to work on the iOS mobile application that is used by Capital One customers. I had an outline of the task that I had to complete, but I had control over how I planned my development, and was given freedom as to how to implement my solution. I was also free to suggest new features if they were appropriate, as well as improve existing features if I found a better way of carrying out a certain task.

I felt that support and guidance were readily available throughout my entire internship. I had meetings at least once a week with my manager where I was able to discuss what I had been working on, and bring up any concerns I had. I was also assigned a mentor, who was always on-hand to assist me with my project, and any difficulties that I had during development. Finally, I also had a buddy, who I could reach out to for any other support not covered anywhere else.

It was a very enjoyable experience working in the company. Everybody is very friendly, and always willing to help with any issues that arise. It is very easy to reach out to anyone in the company, and you will always get a very prompt response. The atmosphere is quite relaxed - you are free to structure your day in a way that works best for you, and you are free to move around the office and change your working location whenever you feel it is appropriate.

I really enjoyed my time here. I got the chance to make a significant contribution to projects that will have an impact on customers, which was very rewarding. I also got the opportunity to work with very experienced developers within the company, and seeing how they work was very helpful for my development. The social activities arranged by the company were also a highlight as they gave me an opportunity to meet new people that I otherwise would not have had the chance to engage with.

Yes

My main piece of advice would be to not worry about having lots of previous coding or technical experience because you will learn it very quickly once you start working here. Being able to talk through your thoughts and your approaches to a problem is much more important than having a fully working solution. My other advice is to focus on the things that you are good at, and be prepared to showcase them in an interview.