Reflecting on My Internship at Exaud

My name is João and for the last months I interned at Exaud as Junior Developer. When I joined the team, I did a quick interview, where I talked about my academic background and future expectations – you can check it out here. Now that the internship is about to end, here are a few thoughts about this 9-months experience.

#1 Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

First work experiences have a really important role for any recent graduate looking to apply his or her skills in the workplace and sample working life. For someone who, like me, had little or no work experience, 9 months didn’t seem that long, believe me! Time really flies so don’t get scared about not being able to endure it, though it will also depend on where you will go. For me, being at Exaud was a real joy, the work environment is great.

#2 Google Is Your Friend

In the beginning, I was bit overwhelmed since it was a completely different routine from what I was used to. Programming professionally has really nothing to do with doing some coding for University or learning something on your own. However, there is one thing that seems to be common in all the cases: you shouldn’t give up on your first obstacle and remember, Google is your friend. Learn how to properly ask him the right questions and he will give you the answers you need.

#3 Hands-On Experience

During these nine months, I had the opportunity to create an Android app with an Android Wear component. Following the concept of TypeIt Wear Sms, a mobile and wearable app created by Exaud in 2015, we reinvented it into something from where I could learn and grow. The concept was simple, TypeIt Notes, a notes application that lets you check and alter notes, both on the smartphone and smartwatch.

From this idea I was able to learn a lot of stuff. For example, I learned how to use the Wear Data Layer efficiently (this is what you use to communicate between the smartphone and the watch) and how to create UI tests in Android using the Espresso library. But the main thing was really to get to work with the Android environment and figure out its capabilities and also what it currently lacks.

Additionally, I’ve ventured to unknown lands using Java for a project we are currently working on. Gaining more experience with native Java is always a good thing as it is the foundation on which Android is built upon. Although some things are easier or done in a better way in Android, in the end it is still Java.

#4 Obstacles Don’t Have To Stop You

So now, just a few days left until I finish the internship, I want to tell you, don’t forget to have fun and don’t take your work as a burden. When you are faced with an obstacle, which you believe you can’t overcome, maybe you just need to take a breath and tackle it again, later! Don’t forget that, sometimes, starting from the beginning is a better choice than trying to build upon something that you are not sure is well done.