Intern Diary: What It’s Like to Be a Computer Science Intern

Sure, summer internships have ended and the school year is now in full swing, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year. That’s why we’re kicking off a new series on the WayUp blog where interns from companies across the country reflect on their experiences and what they learned. First up is Dean Rodman, a computer science major at Hunter College in New York City who spent his summer interning at Infor, a cloud-based business solutions provider.

Originally, I wasn’t planning to spend the second semester of my sophomore year searching for internships. I was more focused on getting good grades and enjoying my spare time. Thankfully, my advisor convinced me it was time to start thinking about my future career.

I remembered seeing an ad for WayUp on the New York City subway and decided to create an account. That’s when I first found out about Infor.

On The Job

I was so excited when I stepped out of the elevator on the first day of my internship. I’m a computer science major, so my internship was a software engineering position with the Mongoose Enablement Team (Mongoose is the name for Infor’s rapid application development platform). I loved how strategic I had to be to succeed at my internship. The work is never dull, and I’m always challenging myself to get better and more efficient with every project I work on.

Giving Back

I love computer science, but I’m also passionate about teaching. I had the opportunity to do both during my time at Infor. This summer, I got to supervise the first-ever Infor Hackathon and work with 12 high school students. The students were challenged with using Mongoose to build business-ready applications in only 10 hours.

My Advice for Being a Great Intern

If I had to give one piece of advice about succeeding as an intern, this is it: There will be times when you have to choose between waiting for your next assignment and making your next assignment. Do the latter. Learn what the other interns are doing and apply your unique skills to help them. Maybe even talk to some people higher up the org chart. Make the most of your time there. You will have a much more rewarding experience that way.

Want to join the Infor team? They’re hiring now, so head over to WayUp and apply!