We sat down with Ekin, to ask about his NCIA internship experience and his NATO career since starting as an intern, five years ago.
What are the main differences between your previous intern role and your current role?
When I started my internship at NCIA, it was my first time working in a different country, which made it a new experience for me. I joined NCIA in 2020, when all the COVID-19 restrictions were introduced, so it was challenging to move to and integrate into a new country. Regardless, I welcomed the fantastic opportunity to work, learn and develop my skills at an exceptional organization.
I studied Computer Engineering and therefore already had a lot of knowledge in my field. However, I am happy to admit that as soon as I started, I quickly realized that there was still so much to learn. As a result, I gained both perspective and experience in a practical working environment and my learning journey continues to develop as computer engineering advances. Today, in my current role at NCIA JISR Centre, I am still applying the principles and technical knowledge that I gained during my internship.
In my current role, I have more responsibilities and stricter deadlines compared to my intern role, but thanks to the knowledge and self-confidence I gained from my internship, I felt prepared when I first started in my full-time role at NCIA. I was already familiar with internal project management, and identifying and resolving requirements and issues.
How did your internship at NCIA provide further career opportunities for you?
My job title when I joined NCIA was Test Engineering Intern, but my tasks went beyond this scope, which gave me the opportunity to take on responsibilities in the development and maintenance areas of our projects. In my team, there were many experts from different fields, who guided and taught me along the way. Thanks to that, I was exposed to a variety of relevant areas, which helped me to understand what I enjoy and what I am good at, so that I could define my own career path. I also identified areas of interest to develop further, so I have continued building upon my skillset and knowledge ever since.
What did you learn during your intern role that still helps you today?
Initially, when I was writing code I was not thinking beyond functionality, for example I did not consider whether it was readable, re-useable or easy-to-maintain. My colleagues pointed this out and suggested that I research conventions, standards and frameworks that would complement my code writing. I had never implemented anything with Cypress, Entity Framework and migrations, Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS), Business Models and Business Managers etc. This new approach means that I tackle coding with a future-proof mind-set, which facilitates and accelerates implementing new features and fixing bugs with efficiency.
My colleagues’ advice was invaluable, as it taught me to consider the success of my work from different angles and think beyond the basic deliverable. Now, this way of writing code has become second nature to me and it is a skill I continue to develop and improve.
What advice would you give to people starting their internship at NCIA?
First and foremost, congratulations! NCIA is a great place to learn, grow, speak up and provide valuable input, contrary to what some people might think when they hear the word ‘internship’. From my experience, you will not be assigned meaningless tasks just to fill the day. You will contribute input, your work will be appreciated and you will have a positive impact on your team, the organization and the Alliance.
My advice would be to not hesitate to ask questions or for help. Your colleagues will support and assist you throughout your internship. You will collaborate with many people with different areas of expertise, different project scopes and different cultures and perspectives. Leverage this opportunity, because you can gain so much knowledge, insight and experience from such a diverse workplace.
Application to join the next cohort of interns at NCIA are now open until 16 March 2025 23:59 CET. Find out more about the opportunities and apply today here.