This position at IBM required a fundamental skill set of communication, organization and an analytical mind. These are important skills in school as well, and working in a rapid real-life scenario helped to augment all these areas. In particular, the skills I saw the most improvement during the term were my analytical view and programming. Though I had programming background from school, this position allowed me to directly apply this knowledge and expand my skills in a practical and hands-on manner.
Though I’ve worked in teams before, the independence within a team was an aspect that struck me. My teammates were always there to help me along the way, but it was ultimately up to me to complete deliverables. My supervisor entrusted me with challenging tasks knowing that I could ramp up. I appreciated the sense of autonomy and responsibility that my supervisor instilled in me throughout the term. She allowed me to approach problems at my own angle. If I needed help, she would always be glad to talk through them. Without her trust, I would not have the chance to analyze how I tackled problems; specifically, the means that help me to get through issues such as explaining to others or drawing out diagrams. The fact that I had a trusting supervisor and supportive team that I was working alongside made me so much more confident in my role.
The nature of my work also allowed me to improve my technical research skills. Prior to this work term, my JavaScript experience came primarily from school assignments and small projects. When I started working on a production-level product, I realized my current skills weren’t enough. Using online resources and internal documentation, I learned about concepts such as Promises and Async Await, and I gained a new appreciation for JavaScript as a whole.
My time at IBM has enhanced my academic experience, as I was working in an agile development environment. I have learned about agile practices and other methodologies through software development courses, but these methods had always been very intangible prior to co-op. The opportunity to immerse myself in this environment helped me to solidify the knowledge I have gained from University.