What was the impact of your project?
What did you learn or improve on from this internship or from your teammates?
Entering this internship, I was not entirely proficient in PHP. However, by dedicating time to reading about PHP and applying it to my work has helped me develop this skill. My teammates were an invaluable source of education as they clarified any questions or roadblocks I would encounter. Furthermore, when it came to pushing/pulling our code, my team was very helpful in navigating which branches to work from, further pursue, or resolve.
What skills have you gained?
While working on creating a logging pop-up for the user`s credit score, I started working on the backend operations and accessing databases on MySQL. This was fairly new to me; however, it was an opportunity for me to explore how MySQL works and what main functions it serves to a developer. During this time, I also familiarized myself with AJAX calls to send and receive data from the client side and the server side. Lastly, I did a lot of new debugging work with the console, which helped in polishing the design and aesthetic of the website.
What was the biggest roadblock you've overcome?
The largest roadblock actually pertained to communication, such as appropriately delegating work, setting up frequent meetings to share new updates, and focusing in on goals for the following week. I believe this issue was mostly resolved after the conclusion of the second full week as the team was more comfortable with each other and created a schedule that effectively showcased everyone`s efforts for that day or week.
How has company culture guided your work?
The company culture has emphasized and fostered the idea of teamwork, collaboration, and open communication. In this way, teams could appropriately delegate tasks, share ideas, and include their creative touch in each task we started on. By engaging in huddles, having group demo meetings, or through peer programming, our progress and expression of enthusiasm for the website`s development has multiplied through the course of this internship.
What advice would you give to future interns?
My advice is to get to know your team from the beginning as these are the people you will be working with for the duration of the internship. Not only should you have a good relationship with these people, but also network with the people outside of your team as you never know how their ideas, skills, and values could match/amplify yours. Most importantly, make sure you enjoy your time for Unadat, don`t view this internship as just another "job", try to approach it in a caring and thoughtful way.