How Audrey’s DevCamp Journey Led Her to Tokopedia
Audrey joined Tokopedia after participating in Tokopedia Devcamp 2021, an exclusive six-day boot camp for university students or fresh graduates who want to create an impact through technology.
Welcome to the October edition of our Nakama Story, where we talk to employees — otherwise known as “Nakama” — about their journey to Tokopedia, as well as their current roles and responsibilities.
This time, we spoke with Audrey Datau, a Software Engineer in Tokopedia’s Engineering Productivity team. At Tokopedia, Engineering Productivity is a data-driven engineering discipline focused on optimizing Tokopedia’s engineering process to ensure we deliver an exceptional experience to millions of Tokopedia users.
Audrey joined Tokopedia after participating in Tokopedia Devcamp 2021, an exclusive six-day boot camp for university students or fresh graduates who want to create an impact through technology. Speaking to Audrey, we hoped to learn about her experience with Devcamp and her journey to Tokopedia.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I studied computer sciences at the University of Indonesia (UI), where I graduated in 2022. Ever since high school, I’ve always been passionate about technology. Before university, I loved participating in computer olympiads. When I graduated and the time came for me to choose a university major, I chose computer sciences. Looking back, I really enjoyed the programming classes. During my university days, I also did internships in an edtech and software company, and participated in several coding competitions in my free time. My ultimate dream was to work in a tech company.
Why did you decide to join Tokopedia DevCamp?
Tokopedia Devcamp connects participants with Tokopedia’s tech professionals and gave us the chance to gain hands-on experience in building real impactful products. From watching a few videos of Tokopedia DevCamp on YouTube, I saw that the program seemed really interesting and challenging.
As I had always wanted to work at a tech company, I felt that this program would bring me a lot of knowledge and practical experiences, which for a fresh graduate like me was exactly what I needed. After seeing the announcement, I worked on my CV and submitted it for Tokopedia DevCamp.
How was the selection process?
The selection process was extensive. First, there was the CV screening, which filtered out candidates based on their experience and qualifications. Afterward, there was a technical or coding test. If you pass, you’ll proceed to the HR interview round. If they think you’re a good fit for the program, they’ll schedule you to meet with a user, one of the mentors, and someone on the Tech team. During the user interview, you will be asked to code live and answer several technical questions so they can assess your technical knowledge and skills.
How was the overall Devcamp boot camp experience?
During my batch, the boot camp was six days long. Every day, we participated in a webinar on different topics, from Tokopedia’s overall business and product management to Back-End Engineering, Web Platform, IT Security, and Engineering and Infrastructure. At the end of each day, we were given real-life cases to deconstruct and practice on.
In the first few days, we were also divided into groups of three-four participants, given a problem statement that we had to solve by building a product, and assigned a mentor. Throughout the week, we consulted with our mentor on the product we wanted to build to solve the problem. At the end of the week, we had a 24-hour hackathon, which allowed us to code and build the actual product. Overall, it was a very challenging yet rewarding experience.
What skills did you gain from your Devcamp experience?
Knowledge-wise, I definitely learned a lot about the theories behind the many disciplines that are relevant for today’s tech players, including the field of Engineering Productivity. So much so that I am now a Software Engineer on the Engineering Productivity team, where I am responsible for maintaining the quality of Tokopedia’s features, including conducting automation tests for Tokopedia’s web platform. I’m very grateful to be able to apply what I learned during the Devcamp program to my day-to-day work.
After the boot camp experience, I also believe my problem-solving and collaboration skills improved a lot. As the peak of the Devcamp program was a 24-hour hackathon, throughout the week we had to work as a team to come up with solutions, delegate tasks among team members, and really put our brains together to present and convince our mentors of our ideas.
Any tips for those who want to apply to Tokopedia Devcamp this year?
First, present yourself in the best way possible through your CV. Really outline your technical skills and experiences so that you give yourself the best chance to get through the CV screening phase. Next, I highly recommend practicing your coding skills before the online coding test, so you can familiarize yourself with the logic and technical skills needed. Last, for those who are nervous about the HR and user interviews, I would suggest that you take your time and try to relax. Process the questions, think about your answers, and give it your best shot.
Oh and another tip for during the boot camp itself: Don’t be shy to ask questions and share your ideas, as this will only help you grow and succeed. Good luck!
For more information about Tokopedia Devcamp 2022, click here.
