Jason Zhang, SEAS ’23, Philadelphia, PA
This summer, I had the opportunity to work for a start-up called JusticeText. Thanks to Penn’s Career Services’ Summer Funding, I was able to explore my interest in software development.
During my internship, I specifically worked in full stack development, where I implemented features in sprints. I got to learn the ins and outs of software development on webapps. I was able to learn the fundamentals of front-end and back-end development, as well as work with various people to get features out. Since this was a small startup, I was able to experience the horizontal structure and culture of the workplace. I really enjoyed working with JusticeText and was able to not only learn a lot but also work with fantastic people.
I spent the summer reading a lot of code which gave me insight into how I should be writing code. From this experience, I was able to learn what the current industry is like. I learned how they set up their codebase, their planning, and their delegation of responsibilities. Through standups, I was able to see what other people were doing and how we are all working together towards a common goal. Although my role was that of a developer, this was really interesting to me because I got to see the other aspects of the tech industry that are more focused on design, marketing, and outreach. Although I was more focused on the technical side of things, I am glad for the opportunity to check out other roles in the same industry as that gives me a broader perspective on the industry that I want to go into.
Working for a startup gave me a lot of autonomy and I was excited for my contributions to be added to the project. This internship also showed me the importance of collaboration. It takes a lot of manpower to make sure that a webapp can come together. I also learned the importance of iteration. I originally wanted to make sure everything was right in one go, but it was more efficient to slowly build upon what I wanted to do. I hope to take what I learned in dealing with my work, having an iterative approach to development, and having a collaborative mindset into my future career. From this experience, I learned that I value the people that I work with as well as the type of work I am doing. This is very important because I am about to approach the start of my career and I still am not too sure what I want to do or what I value in a career. However, this experience allowed me to gain some perspective and allowed me to reflect on what I want to accomplish in the future.
As I approach the end of my internship, I am truly grateful for this opportunity that would not have happened if I had not received Penn’s Career Services’ Summer Funding. Without this resource, I would not have been able to contribute to such a cool start-up and learn about the industry. Looking back, I was able to grow professionally and personally through this internship, and that will guide me in terms of my future, my career, and my future decisions.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2022 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here.
