Current student, Luis Suarez, received a Career Center Internship Grant for his recent summer internship at BuildBetter. Luis shared the following about being a summer intern:
What did you do as an intern at this organization?
Engineering Intern
How did you find this internship?
I met my advisor through Jumbo Ventures during my first semester at Tufts. I kept in touch since then and formally asked for a position last summer, but he could not offer one at the time. Then I asked again this year, and he gave me the opportunity.
What did you enjoy most about your internship?
I had the chance to work in a small team and experience first hand the fast-paced culture of a start-up. I enjoyed learning how a real code base is updated in real time and how everyone wears different hands to handle all areas of a business. I was happy to see that two members of the team were also from my country, so it is good to see a diverse team in this field. I have always considered entrepreneurship as a career path, so this experience helped me understand the pros and cons.
What did you find challenging?
I found it hard to work remotely. I usually get distracted while working alone, so I benefit more from the feeling of accountability while working next to other people. On another hand, I found challenging working as a programmer, since I realized there is a gap between my skills from school and the skills needed for real production code.
What advice would you offer to someone who wants to make the most of an internship like yours?
Perfect is the enemy of done. In a fast-paced environment, focusing in a “perfect” product can slow down the needs of a team. Since perfection depends on the input of customers, it is more valuable to develop a simple product and then go through several feedback loops to improve your work. Learning to accept and act on feedback is the most valuable skill you can have.
