Meet Radwan Rahman, a Computer Science student in Auckland who interned with CoGo in 2021 as a Graduate Engineer. We met with him to get the details on how his internship was going and he filled us in on why he chose CoGo, what he learned from his mentor and how he overcame imposter syndrome.

Why did you choose CoGo?

I liked their mission and what they were doing; it’s meaningful work. CoGo doesn’t just want to make a profit. They want to make real changes to people's lifestyles, they are eco-friendly, and the culture is welcoming. I think it’s better to start at a small start-up to get a broader field of knowledge - not just in one specific area. 

What has been the highlight of the internship so far?

My mentor and I introduced new features and revamped the look of the app along with other maintenance upgrades. We did something that actually went out into the real world rather than an interim product. I contributed to something relatively small, but it will be out there that people will use. They handed me the task. I have also helped them start and build their intern program for future interns by providing valuable feedback on my experience.

Have you had any challenges or anything unexpected?

I did face imposter syndrome. The people here helped me realise that they don’t expect the world from me. I haven’t had any major challenges; my team has anything that I might need. 

Do you have any advice for imposter syndrome?

Look up why companies hire interns. They provide different perspectives and understanding my and the employer’s sides helped me understand my value.

What is a valuable skill you’ve learned from your mentor?

It’s not all about technical skills; it's also about communication. Of course, as an intern, you won’t have all the technical skills - I have the soft skills, the communication skills. Those are quite important. Most coding and software engineering is about making decisions about specific projects or things you want to implement. My mentor told me I have a better chance of getting a leadership role if I develop my soft skills. My soft skills are just as important as my technical skills for engineering roles. 

What kind of support have you been getting from your team?

I’ve been introduced to so much new software that I really haven’t encountered before. Especially as a beginner, my team is really patient when I ask a question more than once. 

They asked for my opinions and took them very seriously, the suggestions that I made were later implemented. My team also put in an effort to always make me feel included.

How did Summer of Tech help with the internship process?

Just be providing so many choices. 10s (if not 100s) of companies, list roles here. Employers have to choose me, but I also have to choose them. The process worked really well for me, from Meet & Greets to speed interviews. 

What’s one piece of advice you’d give a student starting the Summer of Tech programme in 2022? 

Don’t be so hard on yourself!

What’s next for you?

I really like working here; I would like to come back. Other than that, I’ve learned a lot here. I love working on more complex projects. What I learned here is definitely going to help me on my career path. 

In February 2022, Radwan completed his internship and has since returned to university to complete his final year of study.