Can you brief us about your scope of work during your internship?
The main project that I was working on this summer was creating a map component that can be dropped into eTrack Plus. I went through the whole workflow with this component as I worked on it from creating a local prototype to integrating it into eTrack Plus. My main goal this summer was to create something meaningful with code and also to learn the inner workings of a software company.
What new skills, techniques and knowledge did you gain from your time with ANB?
I learned how to do frontend development in this internship which is something that I had never done before. This was done using the VueJS framework which uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and so I learned how to code in all three languages. I also learned how to use Swagger Editor and create a backend service which is something that I have also never done.
What are the highlights of working at what is considered a ‘smaller’ tech company?
The highlights of working here was that I got to work closely with a lot of people. I also liked it as there was a good emphasis on socializing and getting know my all of my colleagues which is something that I could never get from a larger tech company. Finally, the best part of working here was that I got to do some work that I consider meaningful while at a larger company I could not do the amount of coding that I got to do here.
Were colleagues supportive and how did you find the company culture?
My fellow interns were some of the nicest people and they created such a welcoming environment. The full-time employees at ANB were also extremely welcoming and helped me out in every way that they could with my projects. I am so glad that I could intern here and become a part of this friendly culture.
What are the key takeaways from your exposure to energy efficiency industry?
The main takeaways I received were from my tenure at ANB last summer. Last summer I had no coding experience and so I helped more on the business side. From that, I learned about one-line diagrams and other things which showed me that the work that ANB was doing was very important to the energy efficiency industry. Creating portals is a hard thing to do for energy companies and ANB really helps to expedite and improve that process for these companies.
How easy/challenging is it to collaborate remotely with covid19 restrictions in place?
ANB made it extremely easy to communicate with one another with the use of Microsoft Teams as I was able to send a quick message to anyone and we could call and discuss in real time very quickly. Most of the work that was done was also online so there was no need to have to move from my computer or have to print out a paper that needed to be signed or something like that. I hated that covid happened but I am very glad that ANB has a very good remote work system.
What are the programming languages you are working on?
The main programming languages that I am working on are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. The first three languages listed above were used for frontend development for the map component that I created and were all bundled in a framework called VueJS. Python was used in the API that I helped to write. This API was used to reach into a data storage system called a data lake and then pull out the data which can then be used in the platform.
What was the biggest challenge and how did you overcome the same?
The biggest challenge that I faced was debugging my code. Sometimes the Google Maps API would not interact correctly with my codebase so I had to debug and figure out what was wrong with the code multiple times. I overcame this with patience and research online.
How did the internship match your expectations?
The internship definitely matched my expectations as I expected everyone to be very friendly and welcoming to me. I also expected to do some meaningful coding and that is what I ended up doing. I am so happy that I came to ANB for another year and I hope that these skills will transfer to my next adventure.
