How Two Summer of Tech Interns Grew Their Careers at PartsTrader

Jayen and Tom both went into PartsTrader as Summer of Tech interns, and have ended up building long term careers there. They’ve moved through different teams, picked up new tech stacks, taken on more responsibility and contributed to some big projects. Their advice for interns? Be curious, ask questions and make the most of the support around you! Thanks to Jayen & Tom for sharing their stories and showing us the huge value interns bring when employers give them the space to learn and contribute.

What internship were you originally hired for through Summer of Tech? 

Jayen: I was hired by PartsTrader as a Platform Engineering Intern in 2023.

Tom: "Software Developer (Front-end focused)" in 2020, which quickly became a full stack role past the internship role/project.

What is your role now, and how is it different from your internship role?

Jayen: I am currently employed at PartsTrader as a Full Stack Developer. This role differs significantly from my internship position. As a Platform Engineering Intern, my focus was primarily on developing performance tests and automation tools. In contrast, my current role involves building .NET applications using C#.

Due to the collaborative and cross-functional nature of PartsTrader, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with technologies outside my core responsibilities, such as cloud infrastructure and deployment pipelines. Additionally, I had the privilege of leading an internship project into the following year.

Tom: I'm now a Tech Lead. Quite a bit different from the internship role for sure and probably easier to list the things that are the same! My internship role was more about causing chaos, asking questions, without the responsibility. The Tech Lead role is now managing chaos, answering questions, with the responsibility of ensuring product delivery.

Couldn't do my current role without having had that previous experience on the other side of it. Every now and then I get the opportunity to go back to those roots of shaking things up and make sure I'm keeping that spirit alive.

What was the most rewarding project you worked on as an intern?

Jayen: The most rewarding project during my internship was the development of a performance testing framework that enabled developers to test the performance of their own applications. It was particularly fulfilling to see the framework being actively used and to receive constructive feedback from developers, which helped me improve the tool further.

Tom: My internship was focusing on a project developing an in-house React UI component library. A big step for PartsTrader at the time as a wide variety of UI libraries were used prior and the decision had only just been made that React was to be the frontend tech for all new UI endeavours.

It allowed me to get involved across various teams, work with a lot of great people, and work in a lot less-great old code for assessing our UI needs. My fellow interns and I then became PartsTrader React "experts" so also got to teach other developers about how to work in and with our component library. This kicked off my love of keeping UX forefront of mind, delivering the best experience to our users in every aspect and making our UI WCAG 2.1AA compliant for accessibility!

That project kicked off a lot of change and progress within PartsTrader and I have really enjoyed seeing others come in and pick up where we left off.

What helped you successfully transition from an intern to a graduate role? What challenges did you face in making that transition, and how did you overcome them?

Jayen: A key factor in my successful transition was making a conscious effort to engage with my colleagues and demonstrate that I was approachable and good to work with. I also consistently showed a willingness to learn and take on new challenges, which helped build trust and credibility within the team.

Tom: Working on the skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable. See the unknown as a personal challenge and develop your ability to break down a piece of work, identifying your own base knowledge that's applicable, knowing what you don't know, and how to figure it out.

It helped a lot working at somewhere like PartsTrader where everyone is very approachable and happy to explain and help you. There's no such thing as a dumb question, everyone is at a different learning stage for any of the many possible areas to learn.

That became a habit of picking up the bit of work on the backlog that was the most unknown and difficult for me, knowing I could figure it out, which allowed me to learn the most. Still a habit I have today.

What challenges did you face in making that transition, and how did you overcome them?

Jayen: One of the main challenges I faced was adapting to a new technology stack. Prior to joining PartsTrader, my primary programming experience was in Java. Transitioning to .NET and C# was initially quite daunting, as despite both being object-oriented languages, they differ significantly in structure and functionality. I overcame this challenge by committing to learning and taking online courses to strengthen my understanding of C# fundamental. I also made sure to actively seek guidance from my more experienced colleagues.

Tom: As the intern guardrails disappear there is more responsibility in personal ownership over a piece of work. It's easy to start being afraid of releasing something you've worked on.

Getting involved in the process of change management by working with others on creating automated guardrails helps to overcome that. Understand and trust the process so you can be confident that you won't break production, and have a plan for if you do.

What was your biggest learning moment or challenge during your internship and the start of your grad role? 

Jayen: The most significant learning moment was understanding how different teams operate and communicate. After my internship, I rotated through three different development teams before settling into my current one due to the company wanting me to help out and upskill in certain areas. Each team had its own dynamics and domain focus, which taught me how to adapt my communication and collaboration style to fit different environments.

Tom: Coming in and working on new things as an intern, I did not properly understand people's aversion to change. I was a bit frustrated by this until I began to properly understand the wider business context, the stakes, and risks associated with them. Sometimes changes, while technically good on their own, are not worth making for the risk involved.

I learnt to focus on what I could do in the present with the current accepted risk and known mitigations, and bookmark ideas that I could bring back up or pass on to others when appropriate for the wider business.

How did your Summer of Tech internship set you up for success?

Jayen: My Summer of Tech internship was instrumental in laying the foundation for my professional growth in the tech industry. It provided me with a valuable opportunity to transition from academic learning to practical application by immersing me in a real world technology environment. I was able to contribute to meaningful projects, collaborate with experienced professionals, and gain insight into industry best practices.

Tom: The 10 week internship period was perfect for getting stuck in and I had all the support I could ask for.

My immediate team lead for technical learning; my developer lead for motivating me and pointing me in the right direction and understanding the wider PartsTrader context; my fellow interns for comradery in learning together; my mentor for questions on anything and everything in or outside of my team; finally, everyone else at PartsTrader who taught me something or provided encouragement and support.

How can students make a strong first impression during their internships?

Jayen: To make a strong impression, it's important to show up and actively engage with the company culture and show genuine enthusiasm for learning. Demonstrating a willingness to explore new technologies and contribute beyond your assigned tasks can leave a lasting positive impact.

Tom: I always say at SoT Meet & Greets, just be a sponge and get stuck in. You're there to learn and everyone's perspective is valuable regardless of experience.

Don't overcomplicate it or put too much pressure on yourself. Everyday is a challenge which is why we're in or looking to be in this industry, right?

What should students & grads in the Summer of Tech programme focus on going into next year?

Jayen: New Summer of Tech students should focus on standing out to employers, especially those offering roles aligned with their interests, by consistently performing to the best of their ability and seeking out learning opportunities. The job market is highly competitive, so it's beneficial to highlight relevant experience clearly in your CV and during interviews. For example, when I applied for the Platform Engineering role, I emphasised my prior experience developing a performance testing framework during a Summer Research Scholarship. I made sure this was prominently featured in my CV and discussed it during the interview. Additionally, including a unique or funny or interesting hobby in your CV can help you stand out. In my case, a niche interest I listed sparked conversation during my interview and helped me connect with the interviewers on a more personal level.

Tom: Find out the things you enjoy or are curious about in your studies and have a play when you get some free time. Genuine passion and a willingness to give things a go is the next best thing to experience as an employer. I often argue it's more important. Take a topic you're learning about and try to apply it in practice with the next new bit of tech.