- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.
This summer I participated in Wells Fargo’s Technology internship program. During this program I was able to refine my skills as an aspiring software engineer. In specific, I was allowed to work on a team of software engineers to develop a product throughout the 10 week program. This meant that I was able to learn and apply new programming languages such as React, Typescript, and CSS. Along with this, I was able to network with peers and leaders in the industry through several leadership development projects and “lunch and learn” seminars. The experiences and material I learned from the program were priceless and I am very grateful to have had the chance to participate in this internship.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?
Prior to participating in the internship program, I doubted my abilities as a programmer and even second guessed my career path. I was afraid that I would not be a valuable asset to a technology team and that I still had a lot to learn before entering the software engineering realm. As I completed my STEP signature project, I soon realized that my preconceived notion was far from the truth. I was able to build and deploy numerous projects with the team and was even trusted to complete various issues independently.
Going forward, I have much more confidence in myself and my abilities. Instead of being hesitant to become involved in complex projects, I have begun to dive head first because I realize that when I face material that I am uncomfortable with I am able to grow and flourish into a better programmer, colleague, and person in general. With a full-time return offer from Wells Fargo at the end of this internship, I am extremely eager to return to the workforce and make a positive contribution to the work being done and the team I am working with.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?
Being able to work hands-on with code that affected millions of consumers and customers allowed me to realize the significance of my work and promoted personal change within me. I acknowledged that I should not be anxious to apply the skills I learned from academia to my professional work since I was truly competent in the material. I was able to complete my tasks promptly and diligently with few or no bugs in my code. This was one factor that spurred me to become more confident in my abilities.
Also, working on a team with other engineers and being able to peer program with them was very valuable. By speaking through my thought process and concerns of the code with them, I began to realize that I was able to seamlessly fit into the team and make a positive contribution to the work being done. Whether I go on to work at Wells Fargo or another company after graduation, I am sure that my work and insight will be of value to the team and the work being completed.
Finally, the opportunity to network with other interns allowed me to gauge the abilities of others. By speaking with other fellow interns that were also aspiring software engineers, I was able to determine that I was on a similar level as them in terms of software engineering knowledge. Moreover, I was able to distinguish new technologies and methods of problem solving that I had not thought of prior. Upon completion of the internship program, I have used suggestions from fellow peers and industry leaders to further hone in on my soft skills and hard skills.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?
The transformation is valuable for my life because it showed me that it is normal to be nervous about change but it is not okay to fear change. It is through change and challenges that I was able to become a better programmer, colleague, and person. I was able to develop accountability, responsibility, confidence, and leadership through completing this internship program. Without change and challenge it is likely that I would plateau in terms of developing this personal attributes. Therefore, I realize that, as I progress in my professional career, I will be able to develop my soft and hard skills further.
