A day in the life of a Software Development intern – Meet Bertal

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a software development intern in the real world? Not just the “writing code in a hoodie at 3AM” kind of stereotype? Meet Bertal, a student from the Netherlands currently interning at Mr. Smith.

Who is Bertal?

Hi, I’m Berta and I study Software Development at HAN University in Nijmegen. I’m currently doing my internship at Mr. Smith, working on the ICT team. Think less fixing printers, more building cool stuff from scratch.

Morning routine: coffee first, code later

If the stars align, I’m at the office by 9 AM. Like any proper developer, I start my day at the coffee machine, catching up with colleagues before diving into the day’s work. I prefer working in the office. It gives me energy to be around people and bounce ideas off them.

What I actually do

My main focus is developing new products, which means I spend less time fixing bugs and more time creating things that don’t exist yet. It’s exciting, and it means I work closely with Bjorn, our support guy who translates customer needs into features I can actually build.

The programs I use:

·         Docker (it’s the first thing I open)

·         Visual Studio Code

·         GitHub, for both code and task tracking

I work mostly independently, but there’s always someone nearby if I get stuck or need input.

A proud dev moment

One of the things I’m most proud of? Building the Plist Editor – a configuration tool that’s already saving our support team tons of time. It's live, it's useful, and it's mine. That’s a great feeling.

The learning curve

When I first saw the size of Mr. Smith’s system, I was honestly a bit overwhelmed. I remember thinking, how on earth will I ever understand this? But with time, patience, and support from my mentor Tom, I started to get it and even contribute in meaningful ways.

What I’ve learned

Here are a few big takeaways from my time here:

·         I work best with structure

·         Risk management starts early

·         Complex Docker environments don’t scare me anymore

·         Type-driven development

What’s next?

After this internship (and once I finish my degree), I plan to start my own business in the software industry. Big dreams, but I’m building the skills and mindset to get there.