MY PRACTICUM
A Summer at Leidos
I spent the summer of my freshmen year interning full time as a Software Test Engineer for a company called Leidos.
My daily duties included writing and running regression, functional, integration, load, build verification, and 508 tests.
​
As a quick summary: The goal of software testing is to verify that the application does everything it is supposed to do and doesn't do anything it's not supposed to do, even in the most stressful or unexpected conditions.
​
For those reading that are not familiar with the concept of software testing, here is a great article where you can learn more about it.
Key Takeaways from the Summer
One of the big takeaways for me was hands-on experience in the software development life-cycle. A lot of what you learn in the classroom is the theory and the tools to build applications, never will you actually see how a team operates.
​
Starting off as a software tester is a great way to build familiarity with this as you interact not just with the testing team, but also with developers, business analysts, and management.
​
Another advantage to starting off in testing is that it gives you a unique perspective when your write software. Since my practicum I have noticed that I spend more time focusing on edge cases and testing my code to make sure it is correct. In a sense, an experience in software testing helps teach you to think about code rather than write it.
Growth
One of the most beautiful things about higher education is the large amount of growth that you experience in such a short time. This can only be expanded upon by the addition of an internship or co-op.
​
I grew a lot as a person through this internship and a large part of that growth comes by way of perspective. Below, I've included a copy of my final journal from the internship and I think that it demonstrates this well.
In the final paragraph I talk about the importance of being realistic about your knowledge and realizing that there are a lot of people out there with more experience than you. I never thought I was the best, or even a great programmer, but I'm now more aware of the fact that when I apply to jobs I compete with not just freshmen or even sophomores, but upperclassmen and post-grads. You have to be realistic about where you're positioned in the field and tease out what makes you unique compared to everyone else.
Looking Forward
Looking forward, I think I have developed a much deeper interest in computer science research. Even though I wasn't a software developer I still had enough exposure to realize that I am more interested in the theory than the programming side of things.
​
Without this experience this is something I never would've guessed to be true and that is part of what makes an internship so valuable.
​
In the coming months I will be emailing professors about the possibility of doing undergraduate research here at the University of Maryland and I look forward to trying something new.
Future Plans
For the rest of my time I am at UMD I plan to complete undergraduate research. I am particularly interested in applying machine learning to real world problems and finding new fields where it can become applicable to. I also intend to spend a semester as a TA for CMSC 216 or another CS course.
​
Further in the future I may stick around for my PHD so that I can continue researching as either a professor or in the private sector.