July 2024

 

 

Name: Philip Henry

Major and College: Bachelor’s in Computer Science at University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Internship Title: DevOps Intern

Internship Site: CTRL+

 

 

 

1) Please tell us about your career goals.

I plan on becoming a Cyber Security Engineer with a heavy emphasis on C, Assembly and Linux. With that knowledge I will secure systems that are responsible for our nation’s Defense.

2) Tell us about your internship (i.e. day-to-day responsibilities, special projects/clients and work culture).

I am currently working on automating payroll operations programmatically via Google Apps Script and Java. Apps Script was very foreign to me and has a very steep learning curve. I have a meeting with the CTRL+ team at least weekly to make sure our direction and vision for the projects are clear. I couldn’t be more impressed by the support the team has given me.

3) Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

A friend of mine mentioned that CTRL+ was looking to offer a summer MTIP internship to a current UMBC student. So, I reached out to them, and we began to form a relationship. CTRL+ has multiple monthly social events, I attended a few and they were kind enough to offer me the internship. Both owners Brad Hoffman and Bhavin Parikh completed their undergraduate degrees at UMBC. A very special note of appreciation goes out to Lauren Choiniere, she has made the onboarding process so seamless.

4) Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

College Career Center, Alumni Networking

5) What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

How far outside of my comfort zone I have had to work in order to grow as a software developer, and the satisfaction that comes with working through an issue that has been a hurdle for days or sometimes even weeks. I cannot state enough how amazing the CTRL+ team has been and how fun it has been to work with them!

6) How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Ctrl+ had a manual offer process for new hires. Using Google apps script I was able to help the HR team automate this process to be faster and more accurate, removing the need to manually audit the offers.

7) What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience (i.e. Internship search, Resume or Interview tips)?

Don’t stop reaching out and don’t be afraid to use unconventional means. Be very respectful, but if you know of an event for hiring, go to it. If you have a hiring managers email, send them a resume and a pleasant message. Every door that has opened for me only did so because I kept knocking. Rejection is part of the process, trudge the road to happy destiny.