I started my ten-week internship at Softwire having just completed second year maths at Cambridge. Although initially worried about never having been formally taught to program, a two-week introductory training period helped me pick up the basics quickly (or at least learn enough that I knew what to google when stuck). We worked in a team of six interns and a tech lead and there was a real emphasis throughout on helping us improve as developers by teaching us to write easily understandable and maintainable code rather than just code that works.
The next eight weeks were spent developing a web app for the charity Anthony Nolan to help them use a messaging service called Microsoft Azure Service Bus. We used JavaScript, HTML and CSS along with a C# back end and React to make a “Visualisation and Editing Network GAdget for azure serviceBUSses” or “Vengabus” (cue lots of bad singing and even worse Vengabus-themed puns). At the end we presented our app to the other Softwire employees in a “Lunch’N’Learn”, a regular talk with free lunch where you can learn about anything from data science to Charlemagne.
One of the best things about Softwire is the relaxed work environment. There’s a casual dress code, the hours are flexible and employees are trusted to get the work done.
But what really makes Softwire stand out is the people. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and with a range of social activities from board games to pub trips to jiu-jitsu, there’s something for everyone. Personal favourites include the annual company picnic and spending an afternoon learning to sword fight in a park.
Overall I’d really recommend an internship at Softwire – you get to experience what it’s like to be a software engineer and it’s genuinely a great place to work!
