Why I Extended My Super Internship

Growing up, math has always been my favorite subject. Simply because I thought the logic baked into the subject was particularly satisfying. When I learned about programming in high school, I also enjoyed it thoroughly. I especially liked making simple games and found that rewarding. I loved computer science and mathematics, so going into University I was torn between which path I should take. I decided to go down the math route because the courses seemed way too interesting to miss out on. Thus began my journey as a math student at the University of Waterloo.

Going into my first co-op term I knew I wanted to do something in software, specifically in backend development. This was an easy decision as I already liked and had experience coding. Moreover, between the limited math related jobs and the plethora of software jobs available, the decision was easy.

After I was done interviewing and received several offers for my first co-op term, there were a few things that stood out to me about the opportunity at Super (FKA Snapcommerce). These things included:

• A Modern Tech Stack: Super listed this as one of its selling points, which any young and aspiring developer would enjoy because they get to work with cool and interesting technologies.
• Less than 200 Full Time Employees and Growing: I wanted to work at a smaller start-up that was exhibiting immense growth, so that the work I do could have a lasting impact. There’s no plot twist here, I wasn’t wrong about this assumption, more on that later!
• Competitive Compensation: For my first co-op, Super extended the best offer, which made my decision a lot easier. Additionally, the offer came with some unique perks that made the deal even sweeter. This included an UberEats pass with a weekly free meal and a home office budget. These benefits made me feel more valued and inclined to accept the offer.

Landing at Super

When I made the decision to accept a role at Super, I had no idea that my experience would exceed any expectations I had. When my internship period was over in May, I did not want it to end. Fortunately, Super offered me the opportunity to extend my stay for four more months, to which I gladly accepted.

A four-month co-op term turned into an eight-month co-op term. I was supposed to go back to school in May and, leaving inspired, I switched my University sequence. Here are some things that made this worthwhile experience for me, and I hope it helps you make the decision to take the internship at Super:

A great team. They say that your team shapes your work experience the most, I found this to be an understatement. I had an incredible team that left me feeling appreciated and heard. When working with the full time engineers, my ideas are always genuinely considered and I never felt dismissed because of experience level or being an intern. My team was also always there to support me whenever I had any questions (and I had many).

High impact work. After onboarding, I joined the team that was working on the new fintech product. Within two days I shipped code to production. Within two months I was fully onboarded and driving bigger features to completion. I had thought that as an intern I might be working on some unimportant part of the code base and doing some uninteresting work. However, I was a part of the core team that was working on the company’s latest venture.

An example of my work includes, leading two database migration projects, which improved the backend architecture. The second time around, I was trusted to lead it from start to finish, which is a testament to the level of trust they had in me. The new tables that I created increased code maintainability, with new features being built on top of my work.

Work environment. The environment and culture is supportive and fosters growth. The company places a lot of trust in the developers and their ability to manage themselves, which I loved. If I needed to run an errand or take a sick day, I would Slack my team and everyone would be understanding.

Drive impact. The final factor that led me to extending my co-op was that I would be able to do even more impactful work and see the launch of the product that I am working on. As an intern, I want to prioritize learning above all and at Super I could accomplish that goal.

If you want to join the Super team and learn more about the internship program — check out our careers page.