My name is Jeffrey Diaz Vega. I graduated from Montgomery College earning a computer science degree. When I first got my degree, I wasn’t quite sure how I could put it to use. I had a sense that hard skills were the ideal path and didn’t know much about networking or how to even start my career, until I came to Year Up.
Year Up does a great job training me in hard and soft skills I can use in the corporate world. They pushed me out of my comfort zone and started connecting me with so many talented individuals from different companies, including Capco, where people are willing to support me on my journey and give me an overall great experience.
Transitioning from Year Up to Capco was a little difficult, since everything I learn from Year Up is put into play. It was the first time that I’ve been exposed to a fast-paced working environment. Working alongside professional individuals who are efficient at their job intimidated me to the point where I was nervous about asking for help because I felt like I would slow the team down, even though it would be expected for me as an intern to need to ask questions. After getting to know the team and remembering my Year Up training, I realized that each team member was kind and ready to assist me. Once I greeted them one by one, I felt comfortable to truly be myself at work.
So far, my experience with Capco, as a software development intern, has been great. I am currently a tester/developer on one of Capco’s marquee clients and excited to help as best I can and learn along the way. My advice is to not be afraid to ask for help and be yourself. Asking questions is crucial and is the number one thing you should be doing as an intern to understand your task and your role. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s because you need elaboration and you can only get that if you ask for it--especially if you are stuck and can’t move forward without assistance. No one will judge you.
Another piece of advice I would have would be to avoid overwhelming yourself after you feel comfortable asking questions. Taking on too many tasks can be exciting, but you must gauge your bandwidth and be able to know when you have enough on your plate as is.
I’m excited for the next couple of months as I continue to learn, adapt, and connect with people in my field to expand my network.