My Experience as an HNG4.0 Intern

Well this is going to be a combination of a whole lot.

Entering into the internship was in itself exciting because I’ve heard about the “cool” stuff they do.

However, on getting there it was a little more than expected (a lot more actually).

THE NUMBERS

With the number of interns taken in, you’d wonder if you actually stand a chance to come out on top (I mean 4000+ is an overwhelming number).

It took a lot of will and determination to get past that. I always kept pushing(and avoided looking at the members list).

THE DEADLINES

I use to think I could handle deadlines and pressure(until I met Mark Essien). I mean all I had to do was get the task done couple of days before and I’d be fine.

Guess what….I was right!

Except I underestimated the power of a rejected task. I realized I had to step up my game, make sacrifices, create time when there was none in order to meet up.

THE TASKS

Imagine being faced with creating something you have no knowledge of. That was pretty much my situation in the early periods (I mean I had never known of Figma beforehand).

With new tasks pushing you to learn more, research more, to know more, it was indeed a privilege to learn so much in such little time. I for one never thought I could create a mobile app in one week using a new language and framework. That was crazy.

THE TEAMWORK

As I advanced in the internship, I got to realize it’s not all about what you could produce as a developer.

Before now, I underestimated the power of teamwork and believed all I had to do was study and I can get all the results I want. But being fixed in a team, I realized we could attain even greater heights.

The fun part was that we all get to switch teams each week so you can learn how to work with different people.

Initially, all I was interested in was to gain a bit of knowledge and when things got tough I’d just drop off. I mean along all of the hustle, I was this close to letting go. I’d have to give credit to some friends for the encouragement because at that point I needed it.

For aspiring interns, one thing is for sure, if you are determined to make it to end, you can.