Back in March, Springthrough welcomed a new development intern to our team. Rather than write about our perspective on his experience, we wanted you to hear right from him.
Meet Nate Lentz.
Nate is studying Computer Science at Grand Valley State University.
What three words represent your experience at Springthrough?
- Paramount
- Invaluable
- Community
What were you looking for in an internship?
I was looking for a place where I would be able to learn about Web Development from a variety of people. I was looking for a place where I would be able to contribute and create. A place that would invest in my future and where I could invest in theirs as well. I think that I’ve found that at Springthrough.
What surprised you the most about your internship?
I think the thing that surprised me most about my internship was the culture and the people that work here. There is a lot of personal freedom. I’ve never been to a place where it’s okay to drink a beer on a Friday afternoon or play ping pong in the middle of the day. It makes it easy to get up and want to go to work every day. It made me want to be good at what I do.
What kind of projects did you work on?
Since I started back in March, I’ve been on an array of projects ranging from small internal work to large scale production ecommerce/Sitefinity projects. I’ve been able to work on projects that leverage several different technologies and design patterns to solve complex solutions which was a really neat thing to participate in and see the development of. It’s extremely valuable to work with people who are masters at what they do.
What did you find most challenging about your Springthrough internship experience?
The most challenging thing was stepping into those larger projects. You never gain the real world experience of working on a production level project in school, so it’s a lot to take in at first. Luckily I was surrounded by people willing to lend me advice or help ramp up on a project.
What industry tip did you learn?
From a developer standpoint I think I’ve definitely learned how important it is to ask questions. I realized that if I can’t figure something out, it’s okay to find someone who might be able to help. It’s okay to not know everything. Asking questions offers an opportunity to learn and may sometimes result in a better solution.
What one thing will you take from your internship that will make you a better student in the fall?
Springthrough has shown me some really great ways to organize and maintain progress on projects. I feel like I can take many of the tools and processes used on projects here and apply them to school projects as well. Everything from the PM side of things to version control. I’m sure the fact that I was writing and analyzing code everyday will offer some benefit to me as I grind on my senior project this year as well.
What is your best memory from your summer internship at Springthrough?
I think my favorite memory was becoming a member of the "Bits Please" team. It’s been a pleasure to contribute, learn, and work within a great group of guys and talented developers.
