Tomek Ciesek – Java Fullstack Developer, summer intern 2017
I can’t remember if I was nervous at all, before I’ve joined STP. And I was right. People working here are very open-minded, and they help you to adapt very quickly and feel comfortable. The internship in STP showed me how organized is the work of software engineer in the modern environment.
I also had a chance to learn continuous integration & delivery tools (Travis, Jenkins) & cloud hosting services (AWS, Heroku). Thanks to the close cooperation with our Scandinavian hubs and business trips, I’ve gained a lot of confidence in speaking English.
What would I recommend to people applying for this year’s edition? Here are few things that might help you to get closer to being chosen for the internship:
– Ensure that your previously gained knowledge is well organized & divided, especially in the area that is required for your position;
– Come to our office during Open Day (April 12th in Kraków) – it’s a good place to get the idea about the projects you might be involved in;
– Prepare your CV and apply! Don’t wait for too long – it’s easy to miss the deadline!
We also asked a couple of questions to Wojtek Krawczyk, who was Tomek’s mentor during the entire internship (and can be your mentor this year!):
Wojtek Krawczyk – Engineering Manager, Tomek’s Mentor
What was the biggest challenge in order to fit the young talent to your team?
To find the task that is suited to his set of skills. The task which he would be able to handle in a relatively short manner of time. My plan was clear – I wanted to help him to gain from this internship as much us he could by learning practical and modern business solutions and, at the same time, that the whole project would still be attractive and easy to showcase. To simply be able to show it to his friends and say: “I’ve done it”. And that’s exactly what happened.
Do you have any suggestions for this year’s applicants?
Talk honestly about your passions, what you like and in which direction you would like to develop yourself. Tell the truth about the things you don’t know. We are looking for sharp, thoughtful and passionate people. We are not expecting an extensive knowledge, we know you’re still too young for this.
Bartek Kahl – Frontend Developer, summer intern 2015
At first, I had some concerns whether I’m prepared enough for the internship. I was wondering if I will be capable of handling everything – it was going to be my first serious job. For those reasons I was also afraid of working in the company of this size. As it all turned out, there was nothing to be worried about.
The most important thing I’ve learned is how to take care of the code quality & its readability. The time spent on the internship helped me to start noticing even small details, which I wasn’t aware of in the past.
You should definitely be interested in a lot of new things, be up to date about what’s hot in the tech. I think it’s also good to have a small project or at least a part of the code, and show it during the interview (it’s not the requirement by any means, but it’s nice to have).
Jacek Zawodny – Frontend Developer, summer intern 2017
I wasn’t afraid before starting my internship because I was already an intern in another company before and I already met people that I’m going to work with during the integration dinner.
I improved my English skills a lot. My job consists of contacting foreign business partners every day. I also improved my front-end & DevOps skills.
Kamil Lis – Frontend Developer, summer intern 2016
It wasn’t my first internship in IT, so I had an idea how it might look like. On the other hand, I was a little bit afraid of everyday communication in English, because my experience comes from Polish companies. Now I know that this wasn’t a problem at all and thankfully it was a great opportunity to polish my English.
I had an opportunity to learn a lot of new technologies & front-end tools, like React in which I have been working to this date.
It’s important not to be afraid and plan few steps ahead. And of course, you have to know the basics of a certain technology, which is why it’s very good to go through an online course or run the project of your own.
Rafał Sojecki – Frontend Developer, summer intern 2016
During my internship in STP, I learnt how to configure AWS, CircleCi, Docker & many other tools needed for a quick, fast & easy setup for the new projects established on different environments (local, develop & production),
Despite the knowledge from the studies, I really suggest discovering new technologies on your own. The same with English (especially spoken) – use every opportunity to improve it :).
Patryk Iwaniuk – iOS Developer, summer intern 2017
Before applying for the summer internship in STP I had no clue if I’m able to handle it, how the atmosphere is going to look like, will people like me, etc. Many questions – zero answers in my head. The fact that previously I had been working only in a small startup with completely different company culture wasn’t helping me.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that I shouldn’t be afraid of asking a question if I’m not sure about something. On the other hand, now I also understand the role of getting feedback – I’m was receiving it in order to get better and not to prove I’m a stupid guy. In the technical area, outside iOS programming I also polished my git skills, which saved me many times during my work, but also at the university.
What would I suggest to this year’s applicants? I would practice my FIFA skills… But seriously, always ask if you are not sure about something (and if you can’t figure answer on your own), try to do as much as you can during those two months (but do it conscientiously). And last but not least, it’s better to double-check than screw up.
Michał Drobniak, Javascript Developer, summer intern 2013
Before I joined STP, I had no clue how the cooperation with partners from other countries might look like. During my internship I’ve seen projects that are maintained by the whole teams, not just by a single person. If you are thinking about this year’s internship, keep in mind these advises: read as much as you can, even on a common level, in order to further develop your knowledge of IT terminology.
Check out the movie from last year’s internship
Don’t forget – 12th of April – Open Day for Students in Kraków
Pizza. Beer. Football. Passionate tech people who might give you tips about how to successfully apply for the internship. Do we need to say more? The address is Armii Krajowej 28. We start at 4:00 PM.
Still got questions?
You’re more than welcome! Just write an e-mail to internship@schibsted.pl.
See you during the Open Day! Good luck with your applications!
