Starting Your Career Journey
New Skills Learned Every Step of the Way One of the most profound lessons I can take away from this journey as an intern is to trust the opportunities that push you to step out of your comfort zone. Do not feel discouraged if your original idea or plan takes a surprising turn because no learning opportunity is anything but beneficial for your growth. Although my current internship position did not start out as my initial choice, I look back on it now as the best opportunity that I could have ever envisioned for myself. It was all thanks to the kind and supportive team of managers that took their time to study my curriculum, my strengths, and my knowledge. They placed me in a team where I would feel happy and challenged in the best way, but most importantly, where I would be allowed to grow professionally. Being able to contribute as part of the Salesforce Team alongside all the amazing people I have had the privilege of working with and getting to know better has been nothing short of incredible. I have learned beyond anything they could’ve taught me in a class while building valuable experience and teamwork. I have been given the opportunity to gain experience developing reports and dashboards, implementing Salesforce customizations to meet business needs, and hands-on experience with platform tools (Data Loader, Data Wizard, Visual Studio Code and Workbench) among many other tasks. Moreover, I was also given the chance to participate in various company events, activities, and meetings where I could interact with my team, actively listen, and contribute our ideas and shared experiences. It is really refreshing being able to collaborate with so many incredible people from all different locations around the globe and backgrounds coming together to work and cooperate effortlessly and respectfully. Guidewire truly creates such a comfortable and enjoyable work environment that I feel grateful to have been a part of during the entire internship program.
Growing with Guidewire Among all the learning experiences I have acquired throughout this program, I believe this one to also be one of the most profound. I have realized that working in computer science is not about having the perfect solution all the time or knowing all the answers to be successful. More importantly, it is about appreciating that technology is constantly changing and evolving and it is important to keep updated with the changes that come along with it. It is also key to have a natural thirst for curiosity because it allows you to keep an open mind and learn new solutions, tools, and strategies for approaching the same situation. The Importance of Teamwork It is not a competition; it is a cooperation of different perspectives and ideas coming together from a team who share the same goal. Working at Guidewire, I have truly learned the importance and value of teamwork and I believe it is a quality that has not only improved my work ethic, but has also helped me toward becoming a better emerging Salesforce Engineer. If there is one last piece of advice I would share with a new Guidewire intern is to not miss these opportunities for fear of failure or uncertainty. Remember that this internship is only the beginning of your journey in the tech world. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have all the answers, you will find that it is more important to take advantage of this learning experience and absorbing as much advice, wisdom and feedback from the amazing teams and people you will be meet and work alongside at Guidewire.