Week 2: Moving the Needle
Just wrapping up week 2 of my software engineering internship at Merck! In case you didn’t notice, this week’s story title is credited to last week’s vocabulary digest.
On Monday, I made my first contribution to our daily scrum call. Despite the slight quiver in my voice, and the lack of substance I had to contribute, it did feel empowering to have the entire team hear me out with sincerity. The team is becoming more familiar now; alongside the daily standups, Tanvi and I have been getting generous KT from several different team members, with our manager acting as a driving liaison.
To count the exact number, we’ve had 6 scheduled KT calls this week. That’s 6 new technologies, frameworks, and infrastructures to grasp. Yes, it’s bordering overload, but I’ve seriously been learning so much more than I would ever expect. Understanding the infrastructure on top of which an entire enterprise runs, turns out, is not such an easy task!
Alongside this knowledge transfer, I had the chance to meet my manager’s manager. He founded the HyperAutomation & AI team (HAI), and gave Tanvi and I a thorough breakdown of our specific division, the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team, alongside the adjacent teams. Hearing him speak of the different divisions within HAI made me realize how structured and intentionally designed this team really is; every division fulfills a different vertical, all fitting together to completely streamline the processes of HAI.
I learned what Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is, and how it’s a practice that straddles the line between development and business operations. SRE allows for maintenance of infrastructure/platforms developed by software engineers, while keeping in mind core business objectives.
On the vein of networking, a core mantra from last week’s takeaways, I scheduled two 1–1 calls. One notable one was with my assigned mentor through the Emerging IT Talent program; she’s helping me navigate the early stages of my career, building both my professional and persona aura/confidence. This week, we went over how to craft a good elevator pitch, discussing which content is relevant to include, what tone we should be using, along with which contexts are most pertinent/inducive to elevator pitches. My other call consisted of meeting my manager’s manager once more, asking them for an overview of Merck’s Chief Technology Office. I also had the opportunity to get lunch with an adjacent engineering team within HAI; it was a very easygoing atmosphere, almost like school!
Of course, this week was also littered with some non-work related memories. We were introduced to our Office Olympiad! Basically like competing Hogwarts houses, but we’re instead fighting to win a coveted SnackMagic box. We also had a little intern-evening out at a local bowling alley. Great way to cool down after a long day of working, and who doesn’t love $5 games?? And of course, my daily procurement of a sweet treat from the cafeteria always brings a smile to my face.
Anyways, there are my main takeaways from this week.
- Don’t be afraid to set up time on someone else’s calendar. You never know what a single conversation could bring you.
- Be open and honest in conversations with your team members/managers, and ASK QUESTIONS.
- Record your Microsoft Teams KT sessions (with consent).
- One sweet treat a day is good for your health.
