Introducing a new woman in tech who’s joined our team
Meet Hélda, our newest intern, who is currently a FinTech Master’s Student at the University of Cape Town. She wanted to share some of her key takeaways of her first week interning at NONA and give you a peek into what life is like at NONA
My first week at NONA was really insightful, educational and FUN.
Day One:
This was all about meeting the people around the office, getting to know the teams with their projects. I got to see how new teams form when a new project arises, how everyone works together to breakdown the different tasks and how various segments are tackled.
I also got some insight into how teams keep ongoing projects flowing, and how they deal with new problems that can arise at any point in a project — even when it seems to be ‘done’ :) , I also saw how teams will look back on what they have done before to deliver the best version of the product.
Then I joined a team which was on the building stage of a project and got to see how ideas start coming to life and how their practicalities are then tested.
Some of my key takeaways from Day One:
1. ‘A failure to plan is a plan to fail’ literally…
2. ‘Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident’ — keep working
3. A product should ‘Always be useful’ otherwise it will lose it’s value
Day Two:
My second day was all about keeping the ball rolling. I joined a brand new project team to contribute to building and and assesses all options. It was emphasized that research is very important before proceeding with a new project, the main focus should always be to understand ‘what is going on here’, arrange meetings if necessary and always keep teammates posted.
Day two takeaways:
1. ‘Do something everyday that brings you closer to your goals’
2. ‘The more you read the more things you’ll know, the more you learn the more places you’ll go’
3. ‘Communication is key’
Day three:
On day three I dove into research and had to write a document of my findings to share with the team. I had to find relevant information about the project that will be used to build the product.
Day three takeaways:
‘Every second, every minute, every hour, every day, it never ends’
Day four:
It was learning day at the office. It was amazing to see how much we can still learn from each other, how people’s life experiences can spark new ideas and new ways to live. NONA did just that. There is a dedicated space for people to learn from each other and keep encouraging new ways of thinking .
Day four take away (also a quote on one of NONA’s walls):
1. ‘Do one thing everyday that scares you’
My number 1 takeaway of the week:
‘Be humble, be teachable and always keep learning’
I mentioned a lot of the routine here and you might be thinking ‘all you do is work’… But Noooo
The NONA family is beautiful, kind, warm and joyful. he atmosphere is healthy and contagious, it’s about your state of mind and your growth. At lunch NONA people can play some video games, hacky sack, orchess, or just chat in the kitchen. There’s always something to do.
‘The only way to do great work is to love what you do’
