Tartan Careers - Julia Kim
Sport: Volleyball
Class Year 20-21: Senior
Major: Statistics and Machine Learning
Internship Year, Title, and Company
Summer 2020, Intern, Progeny Systems Corporation
Application process: My search for internships ran pretty late this year, but I worked as an intern for Progeny the summer after my freshman year so I reached back out to my old boss around mid-April to ask about any opportunities for this summer. After weighing my options, I accepted the position at Progeny at the end of April. I had also applied and spoken to a handful of different companies in the fall, though none of those panned out.
Why did this internship interest you: Since I had previously worked for Progeny, I had a very good idea of the culture of the company and the type of work I'd be doing. They take a pretty hands-off approach with interns, which can definitely be challenging, but ultimately leads to a lot of learning as it's up to you to figure out how to make things work. They assign interns meaningful projects, so I always felt that I was actually contributing to the company and that my work was valuable and would be utilized after I left.
How did you complete the internship - remotely or on-site: I completed my internship remotely; I was in Pittsburgh for the beginning then worked the rest of the summer at home in Virginia.
Description of internship: As an intern, I worked 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I worked in a division of the company called the Intelligence Systems Group (ISG) that specializes in computer vision. I was tasked with redesigning the administrative page for their satellite imagery system, which entailed creating a website using HTML & CSS and writing code in JavaScript. I worked in a "team" in the sense that ISG handles certain employees and projects, but I mainly had contact with my mentor and one other employee who helped me with my work.
How it could have been different in not remote: Since I was lucky enough to have worked at Progeny in person previously, I didn't feel as if I was missing out on experiencing the culture and atmosphere of the company this summer. When I was working in person, the interns got to interact a lot more, both with each other and with other members of the company. We partook in weekly meetings, lunches, and the company would organize social events for interns to attend. It was tough to miss out on the full experience, but I was grateful for the opportunity to work in a manner that would keep everyone safe.
How did this internship shape your next move: My internship allowed me to further narrow down what I think I want to do post-graduation, as well as the type of company I would look to be a part of. It taught me many useful technical skills that could open up new opportunities for me, as well as general experience in a technology-focused workplace.