My summer internship at Propel Tech

How did you go about securing an internship at Propel Tech?

I was introduced to Propel Tech at my university’s careers fair. After speaking to one of the company’s software developers, Charlie, I got to know more about the business and felt it would be a good fit for me. 

The initial allure was the job description and the company's prime location. Propel Tech’s commitment to continuous learning further piqued my interest. Following an interview and a technical test, I was delighted to be offered the position.  

Why did you decide to carry out an internship this summer?

I wanted to gain practical experience in the industry and expand my understanding of day-to-day life as a software engineer. 

During a typical week, I would dedicate significant time to enhancing the filesystem UI component within the Fast Start framework. My focus was also on mastering React and TypeScript, with my mentors, Jiahao and Shoaib, offering invaluable advice on refining my UI design and styling. 

I also engaged in constructive discussions with developers about industry standards and had one-on-one interactions with various Propel Tech departments to gain insights into the company's operations. Each day, I logged my hours on Jira, which underscored the significance of time tracking and the art of estimating project timelines.

What were your internship highlights? 

I enjoyed researching how to take my filesystem further by connecting it to different cloud service providers like Google Drive and Amazon S3. It was also extremely satisfying to improve my design skills as I was lacking in this area before joining. 

The summer social was also a highlight, where I had a chance to meet more people and connect with them outside of the work environment.

Was the experience what you expected it to be? 

It was exactly what I needed to understand how a software engineer works on projects and the thought process they go through to implement any feature. I also learned more about how the consultancy model works in general.

I also discovered that it takes more than just coding knowledge to develop software, and all the planning and thought that goes on into ensuring that the experience is smooth for users. I also now understand the importance of proper communication and connecting with colleagues to expand your personal network. Never be afraid to ask for help and always ask for feedback as a different perspective can help improve any feature you implement.

What are your future goals?

I’d like to achieve the AWS Cloud Practitioner certificate as well as improve on React and TypeScript. I am also planning to build a mobile app as a passion project as I thoroughly enjoyed working with the frameworks I learned during my internship.

What advice would you give anyone considering a career in IT? 

Be eager to learn and ready to adapt to any environment. I would also recommend reading up on the latest technologies and being thorough with algorithms and data structures. Always think of how you can improve on any feature you try to implement and make sure you can write understandable and maintainable code.

Arjun’s mentor, Shoaib Rafiq, Software Developer, says:

“Arjun had a great attitude to learning; he was enthusiastic and was always asking questions and his technical knowledge was more than I expected for someone at his level. He’s a motivated individual and has a passion for software development. I think he will go far in his career.” 

Co-mentor, Jiahao Wu, Graduate Developer, adds:

“As a graduate myself, I think Internships and work experiences provide the best of development of skills and problem solving where it cannot be gained through academic studies, especially when it comes to understanding current technologies in this ever-changing industry.”

Find out more about working at Propel Tech and register your interest in current and future roles here: https://careers.propeltech.co.uk/