Step Into The Minds Of Our Summer Race Interns
The Cosmose Summer Race nears its end as both teams count the days to finalize their products. Discover what the representatives of each team have to say about their time at Cosmose and the valuable lessons they take away!
1) Tell us a bit about yourselves. What convinced you to intern at Cosmose?
Kacper: My name is Kacper Siemaszko and I’m entering my third semester of Data Science at the Warsaw University of Technology. Three main elements drove me to the Cosmose Summer Race — the curiosity to know how a startup works, the desire to test my skills in practice, and of course, the 10,000 USD price!
Piotr: I’m Piotr Książek and I’m studying Computer Science at the University of Warsaw. I heard about the recruitment for the Cosmose Summer Race from a group of friends I often code with. At the time, we didn’t really know exactly what we’d be creating, but what convinced me to join was knowing that it’d be very much like a three-month hackathon with the support and guidance of Cosmose’s experienced programmers.
2) What excited you the most about the Cosmose Summer Race?
Kacper: It would definitely be the freedom that was given to us by Cosmose. Unlike other internships where you’re forced to learn everything on the go and are part of an ongoing project, we had the opportunity to choose our technology, strategy and try out new solutions.
Piotr: The idea of creating a large-scale project combining various technologies from different fields. We were given absolute freedom when picking our approach to the problem, which allowed us to use tools we felt the most comfortable with. I also really enjoyed the sportsmanlike competition with the other team.
3) Any key learnings during your time at Cosmose?
Kacper: I feel like I went from zero to hero. From the point where I knew next to nothing about web development, I now browse the web thinking “how could I improve this service or page?”. Despite developing my practical skills, I’m really grateful for having the opportunity to work in such a dynamic environment — being able to observe and interact with people at Cosmose taught me a lot about the startup culture and how to work with others in a professional environment.
Piotr: The most valuable thing I’ve learned is the importance of creating an easily maintainable code and its impact on the fluidity of teamwork when building a larger project. In other aspects, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about Big Data analysis and web development in Python.
4) In what aspects do you believe Cosmose will support your education and career development?
Kacper: The internship at Cosmose taught me that practical insights are as important as acquiring theoretical knowledge. These insights are not only about programming but also about working in groups or organizing my own time under complex circumstances. It also helped me understand that being a developer is a suitable career path, but I’d personally like to continue my deep dive into the startup world.
Piotr: We’ve built our own version of Google Analytics in a completely different field of off-line stores, and that isn’t something many junior programmers can put on their CVs! The experience gained during this internship is unmatched in terms of versatility, I believe the variety of technologies we’ve used opens many doors for the future.
5) Once the internship is over, what will you miss the most about Cosmose?
Kacper: In a large scale, I’ll miss the openness and friendly work environment. However, it’s the small daily experiences — coffee with co-workers, karaoke in my team’s room and the Chinese lessons with Kuba that will stay with me for a long time.
Piotr: I’ll definitely miss the atmosphere. Some companies are formal and cold, some warm and thus may feel a little unprofessional. Cosmose is neither. To me, Cosmose combines the best of both worlds. The atmosphere can be friendly and spontaneous at times while still being professional. It’s unique and I absolutely loved it!
