During my internship from July to November 2022, I worked at a company where my primary responsibility was to continue developing an internal tool designed to streamline organisational processes. This tool was critical for improving workflow efficiency, and I stepped into an ongoing project that required me to quickly understand the existing codebase and contribute meaningfully. The internship took place in a fast-paced, agile work environment, which demanded adaptability and effective time management as I juggled multiple tasks, from writing code to collaborating with the team. This experience marked my first significant immersion into a professional software development setting, setting the stage for both challenges and growth.
Stepping into this professional environment evoked a mix of emotions. I felt excitement at the opportunity to use my academic knowledge and to see how my skills could make an impact. Simultaneously, I was nerve-wracked by the pressure to meet expectations, anxious about making mistakes that could disrupt the project or disappoint my team. The rapid pace of the agile methodology amplified these feelings, as I often felt uncertain about keeping up with tight sprint deadlines. However, I was relieved when I successfully implemented a feature or resolved a bug, which motivated me to push through the initial discomfort.
At the core of my approach to this internship was my belief that all systems should be designed with long-term viability in mind. To me, this means writing clean, testable code using maintainable and scalable technologies, not just for functionality but to minimise environmental impact. I’ve always felt that sustainable design is a responsibility, as inefficient systems waste resources and contribute to a larger carbon footprint. This perspective shaped how I tackled the project, pushing me to prioritise efficiency in my contributions, even when it meant spending extra time refining my code.
One major difficulty I faced was adapting to the company’s specific workflows, which differed from the structured, academic settings I was used to. Learning new technologies like GraphQL and Prisma was hard, especially under time pressure. I often found struggling with unfamiliar code or debugging issues I hadn’t encountered before, which tested my problem-solving skills. Recognising these challenges prompted me to seek help from teammates and invest time in self-directed learning, turning obstacles into opportunities for growth. This also made me aware of the need to be honest with your team as collaboration is essential.
Reflecting on this experience through others’ lenses helped my understanding. From my teammates’ perspective, I was an intern requiring guidance, which meant they had to balance their own workloads with mentoring me. For the end users of the tool, reliability and efficiency were essential as inefficient code could slow their workflows and increase resource usage. I believe this aligns with sustainability in software engineering. For example, van der Kraan (2023) argues that sustainable systems must evolve while reducing carbon footprints, which is also addressed by Paliychuk (2024) in the context of Green Software Engineering. These perspectives highlighted how my work fits into broader ethical and environmental contexts, pushing me to consider ‘how’ and ‘why’ I do my work a certain way.
In this internship, I learned the value of test-driven development and agile methodologies, which ensure reliability and adaptability. This is key to building systems that last without excessive resource consumption. I gained hands-on experience with a modern tech stack, deepening my technical skills and reinforcing how sustainable practices reduce environmental impact. A key insight was realising that efficiency isn’t just about cost-saving but also the environment. In the future, I intend to integrate test driven development and sustainability principles into all my projects, planning to explore tools and frameworks that prioritise efficiency. This experience shifted my mindset, and I’m committed to prioritising these software practices in my career moving forward.
References
Paliychuk, U. (2024). Sustainable software development: What is it, best practices. Beetroot. https://beetroot.co/greentech/best-practices-of-sustainable-software-development/
van der Kraan, D. (2023). Sustainable software engineering through the lens of environmental. Xebia. https:// xebia.com/blog/sustainable-software-engineering-through-the-lens-of-environmental/
During my internship from July to November 2022, I worked at WiseTech Global, a multinational company with offices in Australia, New Zealand, USA, and the UK. My role involved contributing to software development projects within a globally distributed team, where I collaborated with colleagues across multiple time zones and cultural contexts. A notable aspect of this experience was participating in daily stand-up meetings, which often required scheduling around vastly different time zones. This internship immersed me in a professional environment shaped by intercultural and global collaboration.
I was excited to learn from diverse perspectives and see how cultural backgrounds influenced work practices, as it felt like an opportunity to broaden my worldview. However, I also felt anxious about potential communication barriers, such as misunderstandings during meetings or misaligned expectations due to cultural differences. For instance, coordinating stand-ups across time zones sometimes left me uncertain about whether or not I was contributing effectively. Sometimes I would struggle to interpret indirect feedback, but there were also times where I worked really well with teammates which highlighted the rewards of bridging those gaps.
I’ve always believed that in a global workplace, respecting and understanding different cultures is essential for effective collaboration and inclusion. To me, a team thrives when everyone feels valued, regardless of their background, and this belief guided my approach at WiseTech Global. I assumed that acknowledging cultural differences would enhance teamwork, as referenced in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory (Hofstede, 2010), which highlights variations in communication and hierarchy across cultures. This internship tested that belief, revealing both its strengths and its limits, as I had to adjust my own communication style to align with others rather than expecting them to do the same.
Adapting to the intercultural dynamics of the team presented real challenges, and recognising these difficulties was key to my growth. One major hurdle was navigating the different communication styles of my colleagues Some favoured direct, concise conversations while others expected a more polite, indirect approach, reflecting Hofstede’s (2010) findings on high-context cultures. This occasionally led to confusion, like when I misinterpreted a teammate’s suggestion as ‘being nice’ rather than something that was very important. Addressing these issues required me to seek clarification on my assumptions, teaching me about cultural norms in professional interactions and the need for patience and flexibility.
From my teammates’ viewpoint, I was a new intern adapting to their established workflows, and my efforts to align with their styles likely influenced how they perceived me. For the end users of WiseTech Global’s software, cultural adaptability in development ensures products are inclusive and accessible worldwide. Shokef and Erez (2016) argue that cultural intelligence and adaptability are vital for global software teams, enabling them to navigate diverse contexts effectively. Designing software for global markets demands sensitivity to language and cultural need which principles I now see as important to engineering practice.
This internship taught me the role of cross-cultural communication in driving project success and user satisfaction. I gained a deeper understanding of how cultural awareness ensures software meets diverse needs. My understanding of global collaboration grew, and I developed a sense of how my actions affect teams and users worldwide. In the future, I’m committed to enhancing my communication skills, whether through formal training or research into global trends. This experience has encouraged me to pursue roles in international settings, where I can design solutions that are enhanced for global audiences.
References
Hofstede, G. (2010). Cultural dimensions. Geert Hofstede. https://geert-hofstede.com/cultural-dimensions.html
Shokef, E., & Erez, M. (2016). The role of soft skills in global software development teams. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 42(10), 928–941. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSE.2016.2587345