Vertex Labs

“Over the course of this internship, I gained a substantial amount of experience, in technical, professional, and conceptual capacities. The bulk of my duties with Saxa Labs involved developing an API using a Node.js runtime and an Express.js web framework. I learned how to take documentation and turn it into functional code. Developing on the backend also meant, apart from configuring and implementing business logic to each endpoint, I also got the chance to develop what is essentially a “quasi database proxy” which involved configuring, programming, and deploying a MongoDB endpoint using Mongo DB Realm. In implementation I learned not only how to apply what I learned in school, but see the effects of efficient best practices in real time. With this work I got experience using professional development tools such as Swagger/OpenAPI, Atlassian/Jira, and software testing using Postman. I got DevOps experience implementing CI/CD pipelines to make the development to deployment process seamless. During my time with Saxa labs I also took on the responsibility of creating write-ups and diagrams for particular case-studies which involved transcribing interviews with start-up CEOs, writing detailed explanations of highly-technical application architectures, and creating diagrams to visualize these architectures. Collectively, all this experience has allowed me to gain a far better understanding of what it is like to be a software engineer from junior to senior perspectives and make substantive and demonstrative steps forward in my CS career”

“Over the past few months as an intern at Saxa Labs, I’ve been able to meaningfully contribute to real software development projects while growing my own skills both technical and professional. My responsibilities mainly pertain to the front end development of projects. Using React and Typescript, I build out features for sites and connect them to the backend to create full functionality. In this role, I’ve been able to develop a full understanding of the technology I’m using, focusing on optimization and efficiency as well as the stylization of components. This internship challenges me to ask questions and dig deeper to provide solutions that don’t just work, but are advanced, professional solutions. Saxa Labs ensures that interns use agile methodologies to experience what professional software development is like. I’ve had the opportunity to work with an AWS engineer, and ask questions to a professional on how to better develop software and gain insight into the industry itself. Through each feature, I was supported by stand-up meetings and organizational workflows through a JIRA board and grew more comfortable with Git and its abilities. As I was developing, code reviews from others helped me to realize where I could optimize API calls, prevent extraneous renderings of pages, and receive feedback on stylization of my features. As a result, I’ve been able to work in a professional setting while also being able to learn more about the technologies I’m interested in. Working with Saxa Labs has provided me invaluable experience and preparation for working in software development. The workflow and professional development that happens here cannot be taught in a classroom, and has been infinitely valuable in my career and my education.”