02-03-2020

Interview with Ricky, an intern at CCM Electronic Engineering

As a business set in Sønderborg, we are using the proximity to the University of Southern Denmark to hire interns and student workers. Aside from giving students the opportunity to get “real-life” work experience, we also believe that they can bring new ideas, knowledge and lots of enthusiasm into the company, resulting in a win-win situation. But what do the interns think?

Ricky is doing his internship at CCM Electronic Engineering as a part of his studies at the University of Southern Denmark. Let’s hear more about what he is working on and what is it like to be working here.

Hi! First of all, can you tell us what is the main task during your internship? What are you working with?

Primarily, I am writing software. For obvious reasons, I do not make the final software that goes to the customer, but rather making first drafts of the code. That way, nobody will get hurt by a robot, as some more experienced engineers make the final version. I do not dive too deep, for example I just make a motor drive, even though that is not what the customer needs in the end. I also play around to get into specific areas, for fun, even though it might not be used in the end.

Do you mostly work on a PC then?

I often use other tool, to check whether my code is actually working. I also have some ad hoc tasks, for example, right now I was assembling a PCB board. Doing tasks and solving mishaps that anyone here could do – I usually get those tasks.

Is this an interesting topic for you? Why?

I might be a bit of a nerd, because I find it interesting. Looking at code is not always exciting, but in general it’s interesting, maybe because it is within a smaller company. I think that at bigger companies they won’t let you to switch between various tasks, while I have been coding both in C and LabVIEW, and I get to play with PCBs, fixing and testing them. Different stuff.

How long will your internship take?

100 days exactly. That is what the contract says. That adds up to around five months, from February until June.

What are the greatest challenges you have encountered so far?

A lot of what I have learned at school is not so useful, but once out in the real world, I have to learn a lot of new things which are slightly different. It is not starting completely over, because, for example, I know how to code, but LabVIEW is a completely new programming environment.

Why have you chosen CCM Electronic Engineering as a company do your internship period in?

I wanted to avoid bigger companies because I heard I would be just working on one task, and I know I have difficulties being interested in one topic for that long. So I picked a smaller place. I also knew someone working here already, which helped me to get into contact directly with the boss.

How do you like it so far?

It’s fun, which sounds wrong since it is work. But it has been very nice out here, people are very nice and everyone knows each other. We always have lunch together. It does not feel like someone is standing behind me, making sure I am doing their slave work. Everybody is equal, roughly (laughter).

What are your plans for the future?

It will be nice to keep working here. I would also like to try working in another country, but if I will not feel like it, I would be nice to continue working here. Or at least in another smaller company. I like working with software, and it also pays well.

Thank you very much for the interview.

What is your experience with internships as a part of studies? How much should universities and companies interfere with the content of the internships? What should companies pay attention to when hiring interns?

Let us know what you think.