In this weeks Student Intern Series post, Mavs Barsha Shrestha and Madison Hennig share insights and advice on the benefits of working for Maverick, projects they've worked on and favorite memories they've made during their time with the company.

Name: Barsha Shrestha
School: Minnesota State University Mankato
Degree Program: Computer Information Technology
Planned Graduation Year: Spring 2016
Time at Maverick: One year, three months

Why did you join Maverick?

Maverick is one of the perfect platforms to get hands on experience. It is also very close to campus and is the highest paying job on campus.

What have you learned so far?

Different technologies, applications, programming languages, agile software development and many more. Working effectively in a team and enhancing communication and networking skills are some other non-IT related skills and yes, I’ve also become better at playing hacky sack.

What kind of projects have you been working on?

I have been working on Docket Redevelopment and Support. We write and maintain shell scripts to scrape data from various assigned websites and convert them to standard Westlaw format using Perl and Java.

How is Maverick different than other internships or work experiences?

The hours are very flexible so it’s been easy to get my school work done and client’s work as well.

What’s your advice to other students who want to get into programming?

Programming is not just limited to writing code. It reflects the way you think to solve any problem. As you practice more, it develops your problem solving skills and you will definitely become a good programmer.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I plan to work in the States for a few years, gain some expertise in my field and learn about the work culture. Then, I will probably go back to my home country, Nepal, and provide work opportunities in the same field for people there.

Name: Madison Hennig
School: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Degree Program: Computer Science
Planned Graduation Year: Graduate, working at Medtronic
Time at Maverick? One year, eight months

What did you learn during your time with Maverick?

I learned how to do a lot with selenium, a tool that I had no prior experience with. I also gained a lot of experience with formatting under a standard as well as working both on a team and individually.

What did a typical day at Maverick consist of?

I would spend the first couple of hours working through different bugs in the daily/nightly tests that are run. After that, I usually spent the rest of the day working on either new code or refactoring old code. Sometimes, I had meetings to discuss new things that should be done or go over code changes as well. Oh, and of course the occasional hack break for a chance to get outside and bond with coworkers.

How is Maverick different than other internships or work experiences?

Maverick is business experience with the flexibility of a college schedule. I was able to work effectively around classes both in the summer as well as during the school year. The work environment is also very relaxed.

What’s your favorite memory working at Maverick?

When I got my first real project, I was told that they expected it to take me about a month. The surprise when I finished it within a week was particularly rewarding.

How did you become interested in programming?

I took a few programming independent studies in high school. I assumed it would help me in the engineering field, where I intended to end up at the time. I ended up enjoying programming more than I expected. Needless to say, I decided to pursue it instead.

How has working at Maverick helped prepare you for the real world?

Maverick gives you experience working with people in the field on tasks that are very similar (if not the same) as those that you would be working on in the work force. I found that I felt like a team member rather than an intern.