Internship Experience
18.06.2024
The typedigital internship experience
Andreas Kottre
CEO & Technical Lead
Salius' internship started with a jump in at the deep end - he worked on our customer projects right from the start, which gave him a lot of new experiences. Fortunately, this didn't scare him off, but he showed us what he was made of.
<p>Salius' internship started with a jump in at the deep end - he worked on our customer projects right from the start, which gave him a lot of new experiences. Fortunately, this didn't scare him off, but he showed us what he was made of. Before we let him go so that he can complete his bachelor's degree, we interviewed him. We wanted to find out from him what it's really like to be an intern at typedigital.</p>
<h3>What attracted you to typedigital?</h3>
<p>I had already worked with Andreas (one of the founders of typedigital) during my computer science studies at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. He mentored me there as a SCRUM master and contact person. He always gave me very helpful feedback and a good feeling in the meetings. I thought to myself: "Hey, if he's already so cool in the project, he's sure to create a great working atmosphere in his company too." That's why I decided in favour of typedigital.</p>
<h3>What was your first impression after you started with us?</h3>
<p>I had the feeling that I could be myself. That meant a lot to me because I don't often have that. At typedigital, a lot of emphasis is placed on having fun at work, openness and empathy. This allowed me to feel completely at ease as an employee and develop myself.</p>
<h3>How did you find the level of your tasks?</h3>
<p>I thought the level was just right. I would say that I was already quite good at programming beforehand and I was already very familiar with TypeScript - my main focus during the internship. I was able to build on my existing knowledge. If I got stuck with something, I could turn to one of the senior developers, who then helped me further.</p>
<h3>What do you take away from your time here? What were your biggest learnings?</h3>
<p>I have become even more confident when it comes to developing with TypeScript and adapting this language to various web frameworks. I also gained my first "real" backend experience at typedigital, as I mainly implemented "serverless" architectures with Firebase. Another new aspect for me was constantly thinking about software security. In my previous university projects, the focus was on the development of prototypes, where the security factor was more of a side issue.</p>
<h3>What's next for you?</h3>
<p>My original plan was to study in Kenya. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, so I'm now prioritising my Bachelor's thesis. I'm writing it at Digitalfabrik Tür an Tür, as the focus there is on social projects in particular. I'm studying computer science because I want to use it to bring about social change. I believe that the social enterprise Digitalfabrik Tür an Tür can create a good framework for exploring this idea further.</p>
<h3>Where do you see room for improvement?</h3>
<p>You have to realise that typedigital definitely has a start-up atmosphere. It is often the case that many tasks have to be completed at the same time. The founders, who are also your own contact persons, are definitely good at keeping the stress away from you. They have set themselves this goal and realise it very well. But despite all this, the founders are often very busy themselves. I was sometimes a bit more cautious when it came to arranging a timeslot if I had a question. That's why I sometimes had the feeling that the connection got a little lost. I also thought it was a shame that a lot of the work was done remotely. It's cool that you also get the opportunity to work from home, but I thought they could have introduced a few more days when everyone is in the office to strengthen the team spirit and bring a bit of variety into the working day.</p>
<h3>Would you recommend an internship at typedigital to others?</h3>
<p>Yes, definitely. Especially because you are valued as a character. I don't think that's commonplace in the industry. You can also learn a lot. However, I believe that you should have a certain basis of programming knowledge, as you also work independently a lot as an intern. You should therefore also bring a lot of willingness to learn with you. However, your own code is always reviewed by a senior, which gave me a lot of security and offered me a lot of potential for growth. Apart from that, I can highly recommend an internship - especially because you have a lot of say in the architecture used, which is also not commonplace in an internship.</p>
<p><img src="https://typedig.uber.space/assets/90412584-2a98-4b57-adc3-78d3f47c47c8?width=2452&height=1348" alt="Saliu Bild"></p>
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Andreas Kottre
CEO & Technical Lead
