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yusufcodes
yusufcodes

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👨‍💻 What I learned from my first week as a Software Developer Intern

Introduction

In this post, I'd like to detail a few bits of advice upon starting my first job as a Software Developer Intern.

💡 To quickly introduce myself, I'm currently studying my Bachelor's in Computer Science in the city of Manchester, UK. As part of this degree, I've taken a year out to gain some Industrial Experience, which will form part of my degree. I started working over a week ago, so thought I'd get this post out following my experiences so far, as well as general tips which I feel will help anyone starting out in a new job.

What I've learned and my tips 👍🏼

You won't know everything straight away, and that's OK 🤯
I felt bad about all of the things I didn't know, despite being new to the company. I had to adjust this mindset so that, instead of feeling bad about myself, I'd simply try my best with a given task and see what I could achieve. Over time, you will get to grips with things - just know that this will take time.

Don't be afraid to ask for help 🗣️
As nice as it may be to get on with a task for some time to try and make progress, there may come a point where you aren't getting anywhere. This is the time to ask for help. You don't want to be hitting the same brick wall which, if you had asked for help earlier, could've avoided completely. The way I'm trying to approach this is to try my best with a given task and when I'm feeling completely stuck, I will ask for guidance.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes ❌
Let's be honest, the last thing you want to be doing as a new employee is making a mistake - whether it be a small mistake or a catastrophic one. But these things happen sometimes. Why shouldn't you be afraid of these mistakes? Because: you will genuinely learn from such an experience. You'll want to ensure that the same mistake won't happen again, so you will do what you need to do in order to really learn from the mistake you made.

Reflect on your experiences regularly 📖
The process of reflecting can really help you look back on all of the things you've achieved so far, and help you identify areas which you'd like to work on more. I'm personally trying to write down all of the things I've done at the end of each week, reflecting on both my progress at work and also my feelings throughout the process. I feel like this will help me as I progress in my career as a developer. As a student, I'll have something to look back on, before eventually starting my career once I've graduated from university.

If you aren't feeling totally comfortable - speak to someone about it
Starting a new job, no matter what level you are at, can be daunting. You may have a bunch of thoughts and emotions running through your mind, and sometimes just talking to someone about things can help you make sense of all of this. This could be with someone at your new workplace, or someone you know in your personal life.

Conclusion

I hope this quick post helps you out in some way, and if you found it useful, please share it with friends and family who you think may find it useful too! Thank you for taking the time to read my post☺️
Find me on social media 👋🏽:
-Instagram
-Twitter

Top comments (8)

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maniflames profile image
Maniflames

Reflect on your experiences regularly

Yes! Internships go so fast. I have to take a final one in my upcoming school year. Taking notes, no matter how small, has definitely saved me last time so I'll do that again.

Thanks for writing down your thoughts this early :)

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yusufcodes profile image
yusufcodes

Good luck with it! And thank you for reading my post😊

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elenaraujo profile image
Elen Araujo

Next day 16 I'll start in a company as Java developer intern, and man... Your post came in a such good time. Actually, my future manager sent me this link 😂 I think he knows that I'm nervous and anxious. Keep writing about your thoughts, and progress. I'd love to know!
Thank you :D

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yusufcodes profile image
yusufcodes

Oh wow that's amazing that a manager thought my post was good enough to share! I will try my best to continue posting.
Thanks for reading and I hope your internship is going well😊

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ben profile image
Ben Halpern

This is truly fabulous advice.

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yusufcodes profile image
yusufcodes

Thank you Ben, much appreciated!

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marcelimxo profile image
Marcelim Rondón

Thanks a lot!

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yusufcodes

You're welcome - thanks for reading!