How It Feels to Be a Backend Engineer Intern at Bukalapak
When I was looking for an internship, I did some research. I asked friends about their internship experiences. Some were great, some were not. Such a story left me confused: Which kind of internship would I experience? Would I learn new things that eventually sharpen my skills? What kind of company should I apply?
I took more time for research to find the answer. Until one day I found some awesome companies, one of them is Bukalapak. I also had some friends who suggested me to apply for Bukalapak.
So, when I decided to apply for an internship at Bukalapak, I just knew it would be amazing. While the idea of having flexible working hours captivated me, I was also curious about SerbuSeru and how Bukalapak handles tons of daily API requests. So, without further ado, I submitted my internship application, did my online coding test, and got interviewed by the HR and the engineer there.
And I made it!
The day I was accepted to be Bukalapak’s backend engineer intern was one of the best days of mine. I worked with New Vertical (GROWTH) Squad, assisting the team to develop API for new features. We aim to engage more users, drive transactions, and improve the system.
During my five-month internship, I was assigned to work on 4 projects. My first project was with the Serbu Seru team, fixing several bugs and developing push as well as on-site notifications. Then the second project came in: BukaNonton. This new project was aimed to enable users streaming several videos on the Bukalapak app. A full-time engineer and I teamed up in this project. We had to work from scratch — and it was challenging.
About the third project, it's kinda confidential so there’s not much to say here. Then the last project followed, which was Spin & Win. As the only backend engineer assigned, I was challenged to add several new features, one of which was to enable users to receive free daily chances to play the game. Other tasks I did was adding two new buttons for history and the game’s terms and conditions. All in all, I learned a lot, from Bukalapak’s scrum process to the depths of unit testing. It was a very enjoyable experience, and the people were very supportive!
During my internship, I once also involved in a 2-AM stress test in which my lines of codes were part of the tested feature. I also had my works went live to the productions and used by our end-users. That’s the best thing that ever happens to an intern!
Was it all about projects? Did you have fun there? — you might ask.
I sure did! Although there are times when work got exhausting especially when other squads rely on the completion of my project. I often had a lot on my plate. When times got rough, I always motivated myself, reminding me of my mission being an intern in the first place. I also consider those difficult times as an opportunity to learn from many available sources, such as YouTube and Google. There’s a satisfying feeling when I was finally able to tackle challenges!
Some days I made it, some days I didn’t. When the latter happened, that was when I need my mentor and colleagues. They always had my back when I was down. There’s no need for feeling shy, awkward, or inferior. I came here to learn and it’s all that matters.
If you think that I only learned about technical stuff, well… you couldn’t be more wrong. The internship has, in fact, taught me how to improve my communication in a business setting. Furthermore, the internship has also changed my perspective on programming. It made me realize that programming language is not the main skill you have to learn, it’s the fundamentals behind it. Programming isn’t about translating your ideas into lines of codes, but rather how your lines of codes could affect millions of users out there.
I was delighted and enjoyed every second I had at Bukalapak. Each day has a new challenge to learn, ranging from programming languages to programming concepts. My mentors never dictate me; they gave me a lot of space to explore and experiment on my own. Whenever I got stuck, they’re always there to help me out.
To sum up, the internship at Bukalapak was indeed an insightful, constructive, and adventurous journey. I was involved in many discussions on how to improve our products. I also had a chance to discuss with Bukalapak’s Founder, Achmad Zaky about the company’s aspirations and goals.
For some, five months might be just numbers. For me, it’s one of the great moments of learning and develops myself as a professional and individual; a moment to prepare for my future.
