Mickias Bekele, Computer Science and Business:
"I had just finished my freshman year, but I knew I wanted to do an internship over the summer. I thought getting more experience would give me an edge and help develop my skills, not just theoretically, but practically. Plus, experiencing the real world early in my college career meant I wouldn’t be surprised or shocked by it after I graduated.
I was a software development intern at Altair Integrated Services, an IT consulting firm. I helped develop android and iOS apps, design websites, and build a business statistics board using Raspberry Pi. There were a lot of tasks to do in a short period of time, and I think having such a heavy workload made me stronger and better prepared for my future career."
I learned so much about workplace culture and the business side of software development. I thought I wanted to be a programmer, but now I think I want to work as a systems architect who codes and designs the technical end-to-end infrastructure for an organization. I’m really interested in the security and networking aspect.
My plan is to use my summers for internships. They’re great opportunities to grow as an individual and as an engineer."