What's your job about?
Theta is an IT consultancy company and my role as an Intern is to help build new software applications for the Product team. Since I joined Theta a few months ago, I’ve been working with the team to build a project from the ground up, which is really exciting! That means that I can go through the development cycle of the project first-hand. We started fetching data and building a database using C# and SQL, now moving forward to frontend development using JavaScript. That means building my skills in a range of areas, something that Theta really encourages.
What I do in a day’s work can vary, according to where we are up to in development. However, this will usually involve working very closely with my teammates, reviewing each other’s code and planning our next steps. Given that I am an intern, my daily tasks can range from researching and trying new frameworks, to writing code that will be reviewed by others.
Given the current COVID regulations, I have primarily been working from home. But, I am in regular contact with the rest of my team, relying on pair programming to get a lot of work done. When we do go into the office, it is lovely to see everyone! There are pros and cons to both ways of work, but in my experience, you can be quite flexible with what works.
What's your background?
I was born in Japan and moved to New Zealand when I was 6, so spent the majority of my childhood years in the South. I received my undergraduate degrees in Law and Politics at the University of Otago, and my original plan for my life was to become a lawyer and further train overseas. But, like with many people, COVID put those plans on halt. I reassessed my goals and what I wanted to do with my life, realising that my interests lay primarily in where law and technology intersect. I really believe in the benefits that technology can bring to everyday people, and I want to play a part in that.
So, I shifted gears into a career with a bit more freedom to achieve the goals I wanted, and here we are! I have always had an interest in programming, but never thought I could be good enough at it to make it in the industry. However, I have learnt that with hard work and supportive peers, I can go far.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Realistically, I think that anyone with enough determination and perseverance could get to the position that I am in. However, being successful relies on your desire to learn, and a growing curiosity about what is out there. While there are many supportive people in the industry, it is ultimately up to you to pursue those opportunities when you find them. You will find that most people love talking about what they do and what they can build, so it’s always good to ask questions.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
This is going to sound rather silly, but I love that moment when you’ve been spending ages on some code, then you hit run and everything loads and looks the way you want it to. Especially when working on frontend development, seeing everything laid out on the page exactly the way I specified is a great feeling.
Sometimes I can get bogged down in a problem and spend a long time unsuccessfully finding a solution. But, with a great team like the one I have at Theta, we can work together to build a great end product.
What are the limitations of your job?
As an intern, there is still a lot for me to learn. However, given that we have a small team and a lot of work to do, a lot of that learning has to happen on the fly. This is rather different from the more measured academic environment I am used to, but it does mean that I gain more realistic experience.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...