This summer I interned as a Software Engineering Intern at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company in Santa Clara, California. Aruba provides cutting-edge networking solutions for both wireless and wired technologies. It is a market leader for Wi-Fi technology and is considered the biggest small company in the industry. It was a great experience being part of Aruba for nearly three months.
The Bay Area where Aruba is headquartered is bustling with innovation and energy. Third Space skills played a very important role throughout the course of my internship. Intellectual curiosity along with 360 degree thinking in the workplace is the driving force of innovation and success. Soft skills are of paramount importance in the tech industry. I learned the importance of working in a team and being proactive; which not only helped me in my projects, but also helped build my interpersonal skills. I made new friends in my team as well as with my fellow interns. Interactions with my team members and also other employees throughout Aruba helped me gain perspective of the expectations of new grads from the tech industry. I now understand the importance of developing connections. From carpooling to playing badminton and carrom, going to barbeques and even skydiving; I met many people with shared interests.
The Aruba University Programs invited Oscar Garcia, speaker and founder and CEO of Aspira, a workforce development and training firm, for one of its intern sessions. He was a great inspiration for all of us. “Leadership is Influencing”, he said; while also speaking about the importance of networking. One of the things he said which inspired me was that we should never forget where we came from. We must bring in our experiences to anything we aspire to do; which is what makes us unique and stand out among the crowd.
During my project fair and presentations, I realized the importance of efficiently presenting my work to both the technical as well as non-technical (sales and marketing) professionals. It is not only important to build a product that is technically sound, but it is equally important that we make a good pitch to the clients about our product. Adapting to the customer requirements is important while designing and building a product. Also, companies need to adapt to the shifting currents of the market. Using Third Space skills are essential to help steer the business strategies and to the overall growth of the company.
This internship was a great learning experience and I hope I get an opportunity to go back to Aruba next year.
