How to score a tech internship

Isabella and Shayla attended the last She Codes event and share their experience on scoring tech internships at Cash Converters.

Why did you get involved with She Codes?

Shayla: As a part of the engineering foundation year whilst studying at university, there was a compulsory programming unit which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had never programmed before and wanted to seek further opportunities to expand my knowledge in coding. She Codes seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn and upskill. I was keen to meet like-minded women and be a part of a community promoting women in technology.

Isabella: Getting involved for me was mainly to network. Whilst I can learn in my own time, I needed to work on my development skills and was hoping to meet with female in tech in Perth to start making some new connections in the industry. Also, to get access to resources that would help me learn to code more efficiently.

What is your background work and study wise?

Shayla: I am currently in my second year at Curtin University studying a double degree in Electrical Engineering and Data Science.

Isabella: I work as a Sales and Marketing Communications Manager. I studied pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Western Australia, with an undergraduate degree in marketing.

Internships can be the perfect way to gain new skills and experiences, learn about the industry and create connections. I’ve gained new technical skills and building valuable networks with people working in the data science space

How have you found your internship experience so far?

Shayla: Thanks to the collaboration between she Codes and Robert Walters, I am currently in an IT internship at Cash Converters on the Data Science team. I have been involved in programming in C#, .NET framework and using Excel, then meetings and discussions with co-workers from different divisions.

Isabella: I'm in the tech department designing a new feature for the website from start to finish. I'm starting with the design process and will use analytics software to do a/b testing for the final roll out. 

What do you hope to learn from the experience?

Shayla: I hope to apply the skills and knowledge that I learn in industry situations and to gain new technical skills. I hope to be inspired as to what the future might hold for me in terms of career options available.

Isabella: I’d like to get exposure to new coding scenarios, meet a new network of people and potentially find new opportunities for work. 

Do you have any advice for others to get involved in internships and She Codes?

Shayla: My advice would be to get involved in She Codes and learn how to code, despite your work or study background. Programming helps you gain a problem-solving mindset which can be applied to any part of your work or home life. 

Isabella: I would recommend getting started and attend something. That way you can see if the program and its benefits suit you. If you put the effort in you will get something out of it. 

She Codes is a grassroots organisation that encourages women to code and provides pathways into tech careers through programming workshops and events.

Robert Walters is proud to sponsor She Codes to promote women and diversity in technology teams of the future.