During my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I focused my summers on getting internships and learning as much as possible. I used these experiences to find out what I wanted to do when I started working full time. Looking back, there are five things I wish I did more of in my internships that I have spent the last 1.5 years doing in my full-time role.
Ask Questions
Be open to asking questions. If you are stuck on something, confused about a project, or feel like you may have missed something, then ask. When I started in my current role, I felt a bit uneasy with asking questions that may sound like common sense to someone else.
About three months into my job, a coworker gave me some great advice. He said, no questions you ask are stupid. They are valid questions that you need answers to. Noting this down, I stopped worrying about what others would think about my problems and have opened up to ask them. I have found it is better to clear up any questions I have on a project than wait and make a wrong assumption.
If I can quickly put my questions into a message or email, then I will often reach out that way. Otherwise, if all of my questions are focused on a specific project or topic I am working on, I find it easier to set up a quick call with someone or a small group of people to get answers or walk through the challenges I face. Sometimes, a quick call is more straightforward than explaining everything through messages or email. This is especially helpful if it would help to share my screen where I can walk through the code or data I am working on and highlight my problem areas.
Asking more questions often has allowed me to clear up any misconceptions, align on the work I am doing, and resolve issues faster. Don’t worry if your question feels too simple. We have all been there at some point. One area I especially find asking questions critical for is onboarding. If you are confused with employee onboarding to your new team, or something is unclear, ask early and often. Your confusions can help improve the onboarding process for the next employee.
Be Open to Learning
Continuing along the lines of employee onboarding into a new team, you will want to focus heavily on reading and learning as an intern. Your onboarding is the first place to face a new team and many new processes. Be open to reading and learning as much as possible in a short time. This is the time to understand how your team operates, set your computer up, and train on the company and team.
As your internship continues, take in as much as you can. Data Science is one of those continually changing areas, meaning there is always something new to learn. On my team, I often read others’ code or look into links they shared to understand more about what they are working on and how my work can relate to theirs. One of my two favorite tasks to do are code reviews. These meetings allow you to read others’ code often, talk with them about their design decisions, and get more familiar with different libraries. If you have the opportunity to participate in code reviews while still an intern, then take advantage of that!
Another area I can learn from and I love to attend is Lunch and Learns, where a group of individuals discusses a particular topic. These are great opportunities to hear what others are working on, see their work’s impact, and ask questions. I have often attended lunch and learns presented by individuals outside of my team, which gives me a broader perspective on how data science is used within my company. If you can attend such calls, they can be an excellent way to understand how different teams utilize data science techniques within the same company.
No matter what team or company you are on, keep reading and learning. There will be many ways you can learn about data science and how it is being used in your industry and company.
Get Involved
Another way to keep learning about your industry or company is to get more involved within your community. Since starting in my current role, two things have helped me know more about the industry and the products I work on: ask for training and get involved in different groups.
Asking for training materials and an overview of the team’s products was more than just the employee onboarding mentioned earlier. Subject matter experts presented these sessions in the field who spoke about the products our company made. The first training sessions I sat through felt like a lot of material being thrown at me all at once. It can be overwhelming at first, but the more you learn from it and ask questions, the more apparent it will get to you.
After taking the training, I had to step back and determine where I needed gaps filled based on what I took away from it. It can feel overwhelming at first, but if you take it one step at a time, you can learn a lot from the material and training sessions you attend. If your company does not offer any specific training, search for webinars and conferences tailored to your industry. These give you an understanding of what the field looks like and how your company fits into it all.
The second thing I have done is to join different groups both within and outside of the company. These groups are each focused on various aspects of aerospace. For example, I joined a standards committee for integrated vehicle health management through SAE to learn how standards are written and developed in aerospace. As well, I volunteer for an ML/AI community within my company. This gives me a view of how different teams use data science techniques. Joining various groups like this has helped me get a more holistic view of data science in aerospace.
There are many options to take advantage of to learn more about the company and the industry you work for. To get more involved, figure out what is available and what interests you. Join a program or volunteer for a group that will allow you to explore those interests.
Network
You may hear it often, I know I did, but knowing how to network is a valuable skill to have, even after you have gotten a job. In my first Internships, I was hesitant to meet new people and talk to them, but now I see the value in such a skill. Currently, I network often with individuals both inside and outside of my current company.
Being able to network with different individuals has helped me find groups within my company that are of interest to me and with whom I can work on projects. I have also met people of different levels who I can speak with about their careers and how they got there. Having these conversations has helped me understand what I want in the next five years and how I can achieve such a goal.
When you start an internship, be open to networking with individuals within the company. Suppose you meet someone in a call or through an email chain that you would like to talk more to, send them a meeting invite. I have found most people are willing to meet and answer questions. Networking with people inside my own company has helped me understand different aspects of the company. I can see what other teams do and how my work relates to theirs and theirs to mine.
Networking is also a great way to meet individuals who can become your mentors. Through networking, I was able to find all three of my mentors who have achieved different levels of success in their careers that I strive to have in my own. Having these connections has been valuable for getting more involved in my field, making career decisions, and asking for feedback.
Share Your Ideas
Lastly, be open to sharing your ideas. If you have an idea, no matter how small, share it. Many teams are open to sharing ideas, new concepts, and thoughts about improving their work. Please don’t feel like you can’t share your thoughts on where your team could do better. You have been asked to join the team for your internship, so take advantage of that position.
Some internships I have had felt like I couldn’t share my thoughts on the processes I saw and how they could improve, but I didn’t let that stop me. The least I can do is provide my input, discuss why or why not it may be a good idea, and let the team decide what to do with that information.
Final Thoughts
What Can I do to Excel as a Data Science Intern? Now that is a loaded question with so many possible answers. Things I wish I focused more on in my internships include:
- Asking more questions.
- Reading and learning as much as possible about the company, industry, and team.
- Get involved in different groups and events.
- Continue to network with people inside the company and learn what they do.
- No matter how small, share your ideas.
What lessons have you learned from your internships?
If you would like to read more, check out some of my other articles below!
Top 3 Lessons Learned in my Journey to Become a Data Scientist
One Big Lesson on Creating a Software Library
Remote Work Can Make it Hard to Stand Out as a Strong Data Scientist
