I began my six month internship at MediatTek in Austin in July of 2015. I had recently graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Computer Science and was nervous and excited about the opportunity. I was to help provide software solutions for convenient data access and useful data representation. 

In my last year of school, I was a member of a team that had built a web application for these exact purposes, so the idea was not completely foreign to me. However, the task given to me at MediaTek was a more intricate one and required a deeper set of knowledge than what I had acquired during my education. In order to accomplish my task, some of my time would first have to be spent learning how to complete it. Fortunately, my team members were generous in their patience towards me. I was given time to both figure out the solution and apply it.

This ability to learn while working is a gift that I am grateful for. All of my previous occupations required simple (oftentimes very simple) applications of knowledge. Growth was limited, and after a short period of time I found myself repeating the same task over and over again. This monotony always brought boredom. This was not the case at MediaTek. Each new task brought new challenges, creating a healthy balance between work and learning.

Work is only worthwhile when valuable. The product I have helped to create is actually being used. New features are being requested as the user base continues to grow. I was given the opportunity to become a better programmer and make something real at the same time. For any internship, I cannot imagine a better outcome.

I feel very lucky to have spent my last six months in Austin working for this company. I appreciate the kindness of my team members and their willingness to let me contribute. I am very excited to continue my stay here as a full time employee and hope to continue to progress at the rate I have thus far.

Thomas, December 2015, Austin, USA.