Elham

Yes, I am currently working as a Software Engineering Intern, which means I work on software projects in a variety of fields, from requirements engineering to coding and development. I try to be involved in as many different phases of the software lifecycle as I can, so I help wherever I’m needed and wherever something piques my interest.

I’ve been here for three months now.

I’m originally from Ethiopia, a country in East Africa. You might know Ethiopia from its coffee, it’s very long history, or our long-distance runners. I came to blu BEYOND through a contact who knew I was looking for an internship, I got in touch with Jan afterwards, and then we had an interview call to see if I was a fit for the company (I was) and if the company was fit for me (it was), and now I’m here. :)

I like Germany a lot! It’s a beautiful place, and Munich is a gorgeous and very tidy city. I like the order here, and people are so nice and helpful. The main thing I’m taking from Germany I would say, is planning and attention to detail. And oh, bread. Lots of bread. ;)

Absolutely not. I believe it is very important for people, especially young people, to experience different cultures and different perspectives. And this internship, in addition to being an amazing learning experience for my technical and hard skills, has been a culturally and socially eye-opening experience. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I would not change it for anything.

There’s not much to complain about, really. Everyone at blu was so welcoming and nice, and I do believe I had an amazing support system. However, maybe some events to introduce interns to introduce interns to the culture and people might not be a bad idea.

Ah, so much. I could write a whole page dedicated to what I’ve learned. Work wise, I’ve picked up some new programming languages and frameworks. I’ve seen all the things I learned in theory in my classes come up in real world issues, and I’ve learned that what makes a great software engineer is your ability to work around problems and create meaningful solutions, within the constraints. But also, I’ve learned to ask for help and to always be open to new things. I’ve learned how to communicate better, I’ve learned so much about German culture and society (not the language however, I’ve learned a few words, but my German needs some serious work!), and in that, and perhaps most importantly, I believe I have learned a lot about myself.

The million-dollar question. :) I envision my future self-working in a positive environment, constantly learning, and trying new and challenging things (maybe even learning the German language). I always say, wherever you go, go with all your heart, so wherever I am, I hope my whole heart is there and that I’m happy and content.