Our First Week as Interns at SmartBear in Galway!
Let's Meet Our Summer Interns
Earlier this month, we welcomed the next generation of developers into SmartBear as part of our highly successful internship program at our European Headquarters in Galway. 
Our intern program has been extremely popular with students and colleges, since its inception. Over the years, the program has welcomed highly skilled and talented students from the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and University of Limerick (UL). This year we welcomed four amazing students from GMIT. Over the next three months our interns will have the pleasure of working with our world class SwaggerHub development team. Let’s meet this year’s crop of interns and find out a little more about them and their first week at SmartBear.
Brian
I have just completed my fourth and final year of my degree course in software development at GMIT. My course covered a host of different programming languages like; Java, C, Golang, C#, TypeScript and Python. I also studied; algorithms, databases and softwarperience in a challenging development environment. This led me to apply for the SmartBear Summer intern program.
During my first week, I’ve already been brought into one of the development teams, everyone has been very welcoming, and eager to help me get the absolute most out of my time here. The office space is amazing, and the aesthetic really suits the modern technologies being used throughout the office. I’m really looking forward to working alongside everyone here at SmartBear over the next three months.
Mindaugas
I am currently a software development student at GMIT. I have just completed my third year, and now I am eagerly looking forward to starting my fourth and final year in September. Being a mature student, has really helped me to value and utilize my time in college to the full extent. I've always tried to excel, "do more learn more" is what I always say! With this philosophy in mind, the Summer intern program at SmartBear was an amazing opportunity to gain real world experience with a leading software development company.
My first week at SmartBear was quite a challenge, we joined the team at the end of quarter, so the development sprint was in full swing. It was also a challenge to learn how to use so many new development tools and other software applications. But there was no need for me to feel overwhelmed as the SmartBear team made a real effort to introduce themselves and offer their support. So far, I have found the experience to be, fast paced and challenging, and that's exactly what I like about it, real world experience.
Elena
“My name is Elena Makarenko; I am an international student currently studying at GMIT in Galway. I have just completed the third year of my degree in software development. Before starting my degree, I didn’t have a technical background at all! In my pervious degree, I actually specialized in language translation. And now, I have decided to learn a new type of language by pursuing a degree in software development.
I am so happy to be part of the internship program at SmartBear. The next three months will provide a career-building experience and will be a stepping stone to my future job. Having the chance to gain experience working alongside such an experienced and dynamic development team is incredible. During my time with SmartBear, I hope to have the opportunity to experience all aspects of software development. I can’t wait to get stuck into some QA testing, and get to grips with frontend and backend development. And hopefully after my internship, I will have a better idea of which path I’d like to take when I complete my degree. I am looking forward to the next 3 months and I can’t wait to put my skills and knowledge to the test.”
Naqi
My name is Naqi Ahmad, I recently completed a Software Development degree at GMIT in Galway. During my final year, I applied for the internship at SmartBear, and when I was informed that my application was successful, I couldn’t wait to get started.
Before I started the internship, I was expecting a vastly different experience, but I was relatively surprised by how many of the skills from college I could apply during my first week. From the very beginning of week one, we were responsible for completing tasks, and were also involved in daily stand-ups and sprint planning. I felt like I was part of the development team not long after starting. Everyone at the Galway office made me feel like I was part of the SmartBear team. They were keen to help me with any of my questions or queries.
Find Out More About Summer Internships at SmartBear
Over the next few months, as our interns broaden their development, testing and software engineering skills, we will have regular updates on their experience posted to SmartBear.com/Blog. If you would like to find out more about the Summer Internship Program and career opportunites, please visit SmartBear Careers .