Life as a BTI360 Software Engineering Intern
So what can you expect as a BTI360 software engineering intern? Exciting new technologies, an interesting project, tons of brilliant mentors, actually becoming a better software engineer, loads of free food, oh, and did I mention…fun team activities and all the ping pong you could ever want? This is just a glimpse into the experience you can expect as a BTI360 software engineering intern.
Curious to know more about how BTI360 sets its software engineering internship apart from the rest?
Good! Because that’s exactly what we, my fellow interns and I, want to share with you based on our experiences this summer.
Each of us found our way to BTI360 differently. Some of us first heard of BTI360 at a campus career fair, while others had friends recommend the internship program. Either way, none of us were expecting what happened when we showed up.
Drinking From a Firehose of Technologies
On the first day I was introduced to my fellow interns and met the internship program’s leaders. After some standard onboarding information we were given a syllabus for the first month of the internship program. As the program lead began going over the syllabus, I was feeling a little anxious.
I was thinking, “Oh my, how am I ever going to learn all this? We’re going to learn Angular, Spring, Database constructs, Docker, AWS, Continuous Integration, TDD, Agile development, all in the first month! What!!” But despite my initial insecurity, our program lead assured us that the BTI360 team would guide us through this firehose of learning through hands-on workshops and one-on-one mentorship.
The first month rolled by pretty quickly and I have to say, I surprised myself. I think we all did! We plowed through some awesome hands-on exercises that taught the value of shipping quality software and shipping it fast. We learned critical technologies and implementation patterns that equipped us for the latter part of our internship. And most importantly, we learned to operate as a team. After that first month, I felt like I learned more that month than I had in the previous three years of college.
We all thought we had mastered our craft and were ready to tackle the sentiment analysis app that we were to work on for the rest of the summer. However, what stuck with us when we all reflected back on our summer experience as a BTI360 software engineering intern wasn’t what we had necessarily expected.
Mentorship Matters
First, we realized from day one that BTI360 is saturated in a company culture that cares deeply about the personal and professional development of each of its teammates. So much so, that each of us interns had our own personal mentor throughout the summer to help guide us through technical challenges, suggest better implementation patterns, and ask questions about the real world. It was pretty cool to not only have a mentor but to see what a culture of mentoring looks like.
Each person I came into contact with was instantly willing to spend time to invest and develop me – both technically and as an individual. My mentors talked to me about managing time, keeping up with new technologies, how to find out what I’d like to do within the field of software engineering, and so much more…pretty much anything I could think of to ask about, they answered.
At BTI360 they preach a culture of mentoring and developing others, and I saw the team put this into action. During my internship, I realized that to become a skilled engineer, I would need others along the way who were willing to help me.
Well, it just so happens that I’d landed in a company who talked the talk and walked the walk. They believe software engineering is a team sport. And the teammates at BTI360 were more than willing to invest in each of us. Encouraging and helping us to grow each day into better leaders and better software engineers. This experience made me realized that if I want to go far and fast in my career, mentorship matters.
– James, Liberty University, Software Engineering Intern – Class of 2017
Be Technically Curious
Second, the atmosphere at BTI360 is immediately and obviously different than my previous experiences at my last internship, where the IT department seemed to only go to work because it was a paying job. At BTI360, every software engineer is passionate about their work. They truly see software engineering as a craft that they can master.
An example of this can be seen by the projects teammates do outside of work. Richard, one of my mentors, was telling me how he coded an application outside of work to find deals on books in local bookstores. Or Jim, who told me about how he was using one of the technologies he learned on his project to create a supplemental application for an online video game he plays at home. These examples are just snippets that speak to the overall culture of technical curiosity at BTI360.
The desire of each teammate to grow their technical expertise, demonstrated to me how important it is to stay curious. Growing a little bit each day is important to stay passionate about your craft and make work fulfilling.
– Andy, University of Virginia, Software Engineering Intern – Class of 2017
Become a Better Engineer
Third, I learned the difference between programmers and professional software engineers. When I started programming, I had the mentality that as long as my code worked, it was good enough. As long as the code did what I wanted it to do, it didn’t matter how long or convoluted the code looked. Writing code was not an art, in my mind. And this was reflected in all of the nearly illegible code I wrote in college.
It wasn’t until I began my internship at BTI360 that I learned about clean code and why clean code is important. During the summer, BTI360 had a team of committed code reviewers. These reviewers forced me to rewrite and refactor my code multiple times making it cleaner, more readable, and ultimately better. If the code reviewers did not enforce clean code standards, I know that I never would have learned how to write better, cleaner code.
By the end of the summer internship, I wasn’t just writing clean code – I was thinking about how to write my code as clean as possible before I even started typing. After realizing the importance of clean code, I looked over old class projects and was thoroughly surprised by how illegible my code was for the past 3 years of college.
The code I write now, after finishing as a software engineering intern with BTI360, is so much cleaner than the code I wrote previously. And if code is easier to read, then it’s easier to update and maintain. And this is required in the real world of software engineering. I know now that continually striving to write clean code will help me to become the best software engineer I can be.
– Andrew, George Mason University, Software Engineering Intern – Class of 2017
Great Engineers Make Great Teammates
From the beginning BTI360 emphasized the importance of teamwork. That the secret to delivering great software is a great software team. During my internship, I was taught how to embody the core behaviors of a great teammate: lead with humility, do the right thing, and grow each day.
We learned how to be servant leaders and lead, not selfishly, but to support the needs of others. Teaching, coaching, and mentoring each of us holistically. BTI360 developed us into highly efficient and effective team members in the workplace, and most importantly, helped each of us grow into better individuals outside of work as well.
Working together on a high performing team was quite refreshing. Especially when compared with some of the nightmarish “group projects” I’d begun to fear in college. (You know exactly what I’m talking about). I learned that working as part of a team of talented and passionate engineers is quite enjoyable and rewarding. I’m glad I was able to experience what it feels like to be on a high performing team!
– Callie, University of Virginia, Software Engineering Intern – Class of 2017
Take Time to Recharge and Have Fun
Lastly with all the emphasis on being mentored, working with brilliant people, and becoming a better software engineer…is there any time for fun?
Absolutely! As with everything that BTI360 does, when it comes to fun, they don’t miss a beat. As software engineering interns – we started off the summer internship at Escape the Room, working together as new teammates, and almost setting a new speed record. Now that was a unique and fun team-building experience right out of the gates!
BTI360 truly wanted us to grow and learn more than ever this summer. But they also wanted us to enjoy the experience and have fun. So we held ping-pong tournaments between ourselves, trying to climb up the company ping pong rankings. Sometimes we hit the snack bar and talked about life, while other times we recharged by playing darts.
Each day at the office came with food, laughter, and a healthy dose of friendly competition. We learned to value our work and our down time. Best of all, we not only learned to become better software engineers, but we also built friendships. Our internship team still keeps in touch via text, even after we’ve all gone back to school. Sharing funny stories from our classes, or new technologies we’ve come across. This is all thanks to the way BTI360 emphasizes the importance of fun amidst all the other things the internship has to offer.
– Michael, University of Virginia, Software Engineering Intern – Class of 2017
The BTI360 Software Engineering Internship
It’s our hope, as former interns, that our stories and experiences, will help explain why BTI360’s internship, and BTI360 as a whole, is such an incredible opportunity. This internship changed not only the way that we approach working with others – but it changed the way we view software engineering as a whole.
– Software Engineering Intern Team – Class of 2017
Are you a Software Engineering Major?
Currently in your junior year at school, looking to put your technical skills and knowledge into practice? Then BTI360’s Summer Internship is for you. Get a head start on your professional career and gain valuable, hands-on experience by becoming a BTI360 software engineering intern.
Are you a soon-to-be Software Engineering Graduate?
Perhaps currently in your senior year as a software engineering or computer science major? Well, transitioning from college student to a young professional in the “real world” can be a time full of excitement and apprehension.
At BTI360, we develop you, both personally and professionally. We’ll help you establish the skills needed to succeed as a versatile and valuable leader on your software team. Check out our opportunities to become a full-time BTI360 Teammate after graduation!