For many people, an internship experience is a significant milestone in their careers. Working as an intern frontend developer at Producter for five months was an unforgettable experience. I was involved in numerous small and large tasks and epics for a product that was praised for its exceptional design (yes, indeed, awesome), and this process provided me with continuous opportunities for self-improvement. In this article, I will share my five-month working experience at Producter and describe the impact this experience had on me.
The Interview Process:
Firstly, I would like to briefly mention the interview process, albeit it was a process that felt like scraping through with my fingernails. We started the interviews in December 2022, and eventually, I managed to secure the position. I officially started working on January 1st, but as I mentioned earlier, I enjoy the thrill of scraping through. So, I wanted to get involved a week prior to getting started to familiarize myself with the team and participate in internal company events and games. During that week, I didn’t take on any tasks. It was like going to one of your parents’ schools at a young age and wandering around (the teacher’s children will understand what I mean).
And We Begin:
As I mentioned earlier, I started working on January 1st. My first week was filled with readings, research, and setups. My excitement was building up, and I was eagerly awaiting the day when I would start taking on tasks. And finally, I began receiving my first set of tasks. It was the initial seeds of a wonderful experience for me. I eagerly looked forward to watering them every day to see them bear fruit.
The most impactful aspect for me during this process was the realization that the enhancements I made would be used by others, and their feedback after using them was the most rewarding part of my profession. As time went on, my confidence in myself and my improvements started to grow. I could visibly see the progress I was making. Having my teammates witness this development and provide positive feedback excited me to tackle more challenging tasks in the next sprint.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I was involved in numerous small and large tasks and epics. In fact, I recently completed a new epic that has a very distinctive feature setting it apart from the others. I took full ownership of this epic, although I didn’t hesitate to seek guidance from my mentor during the process. I was involved in almost every aspect, including the submission phase. Therefore, this epic could be a milestone for me. And… I highly recommend using the Chrome extension for this epic. In fact, I would be thrilled to receive feedback from you, under the codename ‘ozy.’ Your feedback would make me very happy 😅.
Let’s Step Outside the Circle a Bit:
As you can understand from the section heading, I’m going to step outside the developer's perspective for a moment. The reason for this departure is actually my interest in topics beyond my field. What are these topics, you may wonder? We can say it’s the product and growth side. Thanks to a culture of transparency and open-mindedness, collaboration and knowledge exchange in different areas like product and growth were facilitated. As someone who enjoys reading books on these topics, experiencing them within a real startup was a wonderful experience.
Let’s Talk About the Numbers:
In this section, we will delve into the numbers regarding the feedback I have given so far, the tasks, and the epics I have completed. The reason for doing this is that it will provide a clearer demonstration of my progress. Let’s also note a beautiful quote by Peter F. Drucker on this matter: ‘You can’t manage what you can’t measure.’
- Total number of feedback: 7
- Number of completed tasks: 121
- Number of completed epics: 2
These are the numbers for the first 5 months. Let’s see what will happen in the remaining 7 months of the year. I’ll be eagerly looking forward to that day.
What does it feel like to work at a startup:
It gives me a feeling akin to running a marathon without resting, and that satisfies me. The fact that it constantly requires determination is, in my opinion, a wonderful thing. (If I’m not going to experience this at this age, then when will I?) Let’s further elaborate on the metaphor of running a marathon. During the race, you shouldn’t stop, but in order to endure for a long time, you need to shape your other actions accordingly. For instance, adjusting your pace, managing stress, and maintaining control over your breathing. If you aspire to work at a startup, I believe you should prepare yourself for it and find enjoyment in it.
Gratitude Corner:
I wanted to add the part that I eagerly read in books and felt different emotions while reading to this article as well. Expressing gratitude and acknowledging your appreciation will lighten your burden, and I strongly recommend that you give it a try. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my mentor, followed by everyone in the team who helped me throughout this process. Working with a supportive team and gaining experience in new technologies is a great source of motivation for me. I believe that with the knowledge and skills, these experiences have provided me, I can be even more successful in future projects. This semester spent at Producter will hold a significant place in my memory as an important milestone in my career.💙
Recommendation Corner:
In each of my writings, I will make reading recommendations. Here are my first 5 book suggestions. Enjoy your reading!
- Hacking Growth: How Today’s Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success | Sean Ellis
- Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative | Austin Kleon
- Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad | Austin Kleon
- Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day | Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky
- Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity | Kim Malone Scott
Until we meet in other writings. You can see me more frequently here from now on. Thank you for reading. Until we meet in other writings!
Producter is a product management tool designed to become customer-driven.
It helps you collect feedback, manage tasks, share product updates, create product docs, and track your roadmap.
