From campus to career: An IT internship experience

This year, we’ve had 33 红帽 IT interns join us across North America and in the Czech Republic. Our People (HR) team hosts numerous professional development sessions, but we also strive to provide a customized, and might I add EPIC, IT internship experience as well.

Get to know a few of the IT interns and hear what they have to say about their? experience:

Isabela Fernandes - Business Analyst Intern (IT Experience)

Shaw University; Major: Business Administration & Management

"I started my internship at Red Hat in May 2021 and have had the opportunity to extend my internship. At first, I felt overwhelmed because –there was so much for me to learn. I thought everyone else knew everything and I needed to catch up.?

I quickly realized that nearly everyone is on the same boat. No one knows everything, nor are they required to. That was a big relief for me, so I started putting less pressure on myself to be perfect. I like to think of it as a “fake it till you make it”, but you never truly make it, so you just make it up as you go, and that’s the beauty of it.?

There’s no final destination in learning and what I love the most about working at Red Hat is that there’s no shame in saying “I don’t know” or not being the smartest person in the room. Research, questions, and learning are encouraged in our open culture. I learned that we don’t always have to take ourselves seriously and had a blast filming a video to launch our team’s new intranet page. This makes it easier for us interns, since we are at that stage in our lives where we are still figuring out ourselves and what career we’d like to pursue. I’m not sure where life will take me professionally, but I know for a fact that Red Hat is helping me get there.”

Jinwei (Wayne) Zhu - Software Engineering Intern (Enterprise Applications)

New York University; Major: Accelerated Master of Science, Computer Science

“What an intellectually stimulating and friendly summer thanks to my internship at Red Hat. My last internship was about discovering a general interest in programming and Computer Science. This internship really enlightened me about a future career as a software engineer.?

I became genuinely interested in technology because it’s so relatable on a personal level. I feel empowered knowing exactly what is a container, namespace, framework, library, dependency, and hybrid cloud. I now understand why many companies are incorporating innovative technology and how certain DevOps and Agile principles, hybrid cloud architecture, continuous integration/continuous delivery, etc. These technologies help them to dramatically increase efficiency and productivity via automation, health checks, testing—you name it.?

Although I initially encountered my share of troubles, I have come to love IntelliJ, Git, Maven, and Jira. These tools greatly increase my productivity, clarify communication and provide easy interfaces for me to take in feedback and improve.?

Writing code has become an interactive and collaborative process instead of a stale assignment that we have to crack open alone at school. I’ve been so impressed by how down-to-earth, straightforward, and helpful my colleagues have been. They have a wealth of knowledge, and I’ve learned so much about software development principles and conventions from them.”

Justin Singh Privacy Risk & Compliance Intern (Information Risk & Security)?

American University Washington College of Law; Doctor of Law?

“I spent this summer supporting the Global Privacy Team as a Privacy Risk and Compliance Intern. As a rising 3L law student who’s focused on privacy while in school, I gained valuable experience in the practice of privacy compliance and the work that goes into a successful privacy program. In particular, I enjoyed learning about operationalized privacy in practice; taking legal privacy regulations and turning them into specific actions and processes that keep Red Hat business processes in compliance, and the opportunity to contribute and add value to the program.

Two projects I found especially valuable were conducting a legal basis for processing data audit of privacy impact assessments and an upcoming U.S. state privacy law tracker. Both projects pulled on skills and knowledge I have gained in law school, and also challenged me to apply that experience to real-world business processes. Auditing our assessments on the legal basis for processing data and tracking upcoming privacy laws gives the program the opportunity to strengthen its processes and recommendations, anticipate changes in the privacy regulatory environment, and apply new information and best practices to Red Hat programs.”

For Red Hat’s IT department, being a great place to work means creating an environment where associates can leverage their strengths, solve challenging problems using Red Hat and other cutting-edge technologies, and draw from their unique experiences to reach their full potential. And that approach applies to our interns, too.??

A signature component of the IT intern program is monthly intern socials. This year, we welcomed our interns by discussing “What Makes IT EPIC.” We also explored?what open source and cookies have in common.?If you’re curious – check out the ingredients. ??

In addition to an “Ask Me Anything” event featuring former interns who have since converted to full-time Red Hat associates, we organized an IT leadership panel (pictured above) full of valuable advice and learnings.??

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Be curious, inquisitive, and adaptable?
• Find a team where you can be your authentic self - don’t be afraid to stand out
• Figure out what you enjoy - our career paths are unique and different
• Network - whether via communities or mentorship. Take advantage of diversity of thought.

We’re thrilled these IT interns had a meaningful experience; and a special thank you to each of our Red Hat IT interns this year. We’re so glad you chose Red Hat, and we appreciate the impact that you’ve made on our organization. You have bright futures ahead!

We’d love to know – what advice do you have for our Red Hat interns? Post in the comments below.