Summer has ended, and we say goodbye to our interns who have been with us for the past few months. Every year, a group of enthusiastic students choose to spend their summer break with us – entering the world of IT and getting their first professional experience.
Today, we’re excited to introduce you to three of them and give you a glimpse into their stay with us. They will tell us more about which projects and tasks they worked on, which skills they built up, and what future interns can expect from their time with us.
Hi Theo, Linda, and Peter! How are you feeling now that your internship at NETCONOMY is almost over?
Linda: “I think I speak for all three of us when I say we have mixed feelings. On the one hand, we are all looking forward to starting university again and our friends there, but on the other hand, the internship was very cool. The time flew so fast, so we leave with a laugh and a crying eye.”
From left: Linda, Peter, Theo and Samuel
Tell us a bit about yourself. What are your areas of study, and what led you to apply for an internship at NETCONOMY?
Peter and Linda are both studying business informatics at the Vienna University of Technology and heard about NETCONOMY at a career fair there. The relaxed atmosphere and the chemistry in the conversations with the recruiters were the key reasons for them to apply at NETCONOMY.
Peter: “Unlike my other interviews at the event, the atmosphere with NETCONOMY was relaxed and comfortable, and I thought if it started like this, it would definitely pay off to take a closer look at NETCONOMY.”
Theo, who is studying software engineering at TU Vienna, became aware of NETCONOMY through a LinkedIn post. For him, the interview situation was the main reason for choosing NETCONOMY. He also had an interview at another company, but there, he had the feeling that he would lack guidance and responsibility at his internship:
Theo: “The vibe at NETCONOMY was just very different. I was told right away that after a detailed onboarding, I would be assigned mentors who would support me in my tasks and projects. Which turned out to be true.”
Is this your first internship? If not, what made your experience at NETCONOMY unique compared to others?
Linda and Theo already had internships at other IT companies. For both of them, our structured onboarding process was one of the biggest benefits NETCONOMY offers.
Linda: “Getting an overview of which departments there are, where to look for information, and whom to contact in which case was a huge help. From the beginning, I felt very guided, with support from my mentor, lead, and all my teammates.”
Theo had a similar experience:
“At first I was concerned about how I would be able to find my way around the company. However, during onboarding, I got a good overview of NETCONOMY as well as the processes and tools that they have in place. Also, I had a mentor by my side right from the start who always helped me out when I had any questions or concerns.”
One thing that stood out for all of them was that, as interns, they were seen as a valued part of the team. Their opinions were taken just as seriously as those of other colleagues. Additionally, interns are given the same amount of trust as everyone else at NETCONOMY, which means that they can also make use of the flexible working models – which Peter saw as a great advantage:
Peter: “Thanks to the flexible working hours, I could organize my summer and make the most of it. Ultimately, I had more freedom than during the semester at university even though I was working full time.”
What projects or tasks did you take on during your internship?
Peter started his internship by revising logging and tracing for an internal project. For him, it was a great first task because it required only basic knowledge, so he could familiarize himself with the new environment with which he had no experience so far:
“I had theoretical knowledge on those topics but no practical experience as we mostly worked with Java or Spring at University. So, I learned everything I needed in my internship from scratch, and the support from my mentor and the whole team helped a lot.”
Later, he was part of a migration project for monitoring tools and helped the team by writing new database queries.
When Theo joined his team (which works for a big B2B retail customer), they were facing a challenge within the project environment. Theo’s mentor seized the opportunity and let him develop a backup solution for the project on his own.
In the beginning, Theo’s mentor gave him small tasks so as not to overwhelm him, but the solution as well as Theo’s skills developed steadily. He was able to complete the solution as his project within the internship, including test reports and instructions for other team members:
“When I started, I never thought I would be able to pull this project off and finish it successfully during my time here. I am so proud of myself for that, and now I’m experienced with new applications and environments.”
Linda was also part of a project team, but for a B2C retail client, and actively participated in the sprints. That’s why she first took part in the extended onboarding process, where she coded in a building block project to get a feeling for working on a large-scale project.
She then had another “onboarding” meeting with her entire team, where everyone introduced themselves and showed her how they could assist her individually. And off went the first sprint:
“I was amazed at how much I was able to contribute to the project. After pair programming with my mentor in the first few sprints, I was asked by my product owner to work on my own tickets because he wanted me to be part of the team’s success. This made me feel appreciated and motivated me a lot.”
At the beginning of each sprint, she talked with her product owner and one of the senior developers about which tasks she might like. By the end, her entire team knew exactly what tasks would help her develop herself further, so they handed them over to her and supported her.
What was the most valuable skill or knowledge you gained during your time at NETCONOMY?
Linda had several highlights to take away from her time at NETCONOMY. One is the practice and experience of speaking in front of other people in meetings. Students also do that at university, but it was a different experience for her in a work context.
Additionally, it was interesting for her to observe conversations between customers and the implementation team as well as sprints in the real world. This provided her with a good overview of what a real-life software project looks like:
“What surprised me the most was how much I enjoy working in the backend area, since I was very focused on frontend before. The internship opened my eyes to the fact that backend is also pretty cool, and I can see myself working in this area.”
For Theo, one of the biggest takeaways was that he would like to work in this field in the future as well:
“Skill-wise, I gained my first experience with cloud services, and I am now very confident that I want to develop further in this direction.”
Peter said that the best part of the internship was seeing that he could learn about new topics and have fun doing it, even if he had no prior experience. As part of an internal team, he specifically had a wide range of tasks, from security topics to the classification of AI tools:
“The coolest part of my internship was knowing the topics I’ve been working on will have a company wide impact. You put time and work into something, and then it will go live, and a team of 500 people will use it.”
What’s one interesting thing you discovered about the office culture at NETCONOMY that you didn’t expect before starting the internship?
For all three of them, the positive team spirit and the relaxed, friendly atmosphere at NETCONOMY was a big highlight.
Peter was especially thankful for how people made sure he felt included:
“From my team, there was only one other person working at the same location as me, so I didn’t know how I would get connected with people from other teams. However, every day someone would go around the office asking who had the time for a joint lunch. That was always great fun, and I was able to meet a lot of colleagues that way.”
For Theo, the regular social events organized by the NC Social Club were a cool surprise because they were a great place to bond with people from other departments.
Theo: “What I enjoyed the most was that we went on trips together. For example, the entire Vienna Office started the weekend together when we went to the climbing garden on a Friday afternoon. We had so much fun and got to know each other in a completely different way than at work.”
What tips do you have for future interns at NETCONOMY?
On this question, the three agreed immediately: the best tip is to be open to new experiences and to proactively address any questions or uncertainties you may have.
Linda: “People at NETCONOMY are all extremely open, so it’s best if you are too! You can trust everyone to support you, so you should never be afraid to reach out to someone when you’re insecure or facing a challenge.”
Theo: “At NETCONOMY, everyone wants to help you get ahead. So, if you’re ever overwhelmed, remember not to lose your cool – you’ll always get help from your lead, mentor, or other teammates. Everyone will happily share tips and techniques and teach you something new.”
Peter said that even before the internship, you should be open to new things and have trust in yourself:
“As a developer intern at NETCONOMY, you usually have a skills assessment test before your interview. However, remember that you don’t have to do extremely well on the test. It is meant to give your lead a picture of your strengths and weaknesses, where you have potential for development, and where he or she can support you.”
Ready for an Adventure?
Our interns aren’t tied to coffee duty. Instead, they build and expand their skills in various areas and work on exciting, real-life software projects. They have the opportunity to take on product ownership, collaborate on shaping solutions, and gain valuable work experience.
Sounds good? Join us for a summer internship which lasts from one to four months, or for a longer period throughout the year. We offer paid internships on a part-time and full-time basis in software development, project management, or finance.
You can find more information in our FAQ below or by getting in contact with us – we are excited to meet you!
- When is the best time to apply for the summer internship?
The best time to apply is as soon as the internship positions are opened, which happens usually in Autumn.
- Who is eligible for a summer internship?
We are looking for excited young people to grow with us in various departments, so it’s best to browse our open (internship) positions to see if there’s something suitable for you! In general, you can join us in an internship position while you are in school during summer or during the year as a student.
- What does the application process look like?
Once you apply, our recruiters will check your documents, review them, and set up an interview for you and your future lead. Depending on the role you applied for, we might have a technical skill assessment for you to check your skill and experience level.
- Do I have to work full-time?
Our internships are usually on a full-time basis, but as flexibility is a core topic for us, we are open to discussing your possibilities together to see which model works best for you and your future team.
- Can I work remotely?
As you should get to know our culture in a short period of time and a contact person should always be at your side, we cannot offer you a 100% remote position. Still, you also benefit from our flexible working models and can adopt the hybrid model, which allows you to work from home if it is coordinated with your team.
- Are internships at NETCONOMY paid?
Yes, you will be paid for your work with us – your salary will depend on your skills and qualifications.
