Gearing up for internship success

It’s intern season, and a new class of Oracle Interns are ready to make an impact. Whether you’re returning to Oracle, joining us for the first time, or seeking insight for your future, we want to set you up for a great internship.

The Oracle Intern Program is specially designed to help you kick start a successful career in tech.

It’s a highly unique experience, and nobody knows it better than our former interns. That’s why they’re offering an inside look at their internships—and sharing how you can make the most of your own.

Software that creates impact

Tanya Gupta had always dreamed of helping people navigate the world with innovative tech and was drawn to Oracle because it exemplified the idea of “software that creates impact.” While she had prior knowledge of Oracle products, her internship experience was filled with constant learning. Some tasks seemed overwhelming at first, but she didn’t have to face them alone.

“My mentor effortlessly helped me navigate through it, told me where to look for help, and was a pillar of support when I felt hesitant trying out things for the first time,” she says.

The culture of support on her team was Tanya’s favorite part of the internship. Despite being more experienced in the industry, her colleagues encouraged her and valued her suggestions equally. Most importantly, the experience allowed her to fulfil her goal of making an impact.

“It was satisfying to be able to apply the concepts I had learnt in college to a real-world project,” she tells us. “My manager described to me the actual impact my project would create, and the idea of being able to have that kind of effect is precisely what kept me going during the challenging times.”

Embracing the unexpected

Kassandra Montemayor had explored many career options throughout her life and didn’t have a traditional tech background. Joining Oracle as an intern meant embracing the unexpected—a decision that she enthusiastically stands behind.

Like Tanya, she was able to rapidly expand her knowledge, learning numerous technical skills through hands-on activities.

“In school you’re really just introduced to all these different subjects and concepts,” she explains. “Once you put them to practice, you realize just how much there is to learn.”

Being part of a remote team required a lot of virtual interaction, but the distance didn’t take away from the strong family dynamic she had with her teammates. Ultimately, the internship opened her eyes to amazing possibilities she’d never considered before.

“There are so many different career paths within Oracle that I didn’t know existed, so much material from which to learn and grow. I can’t believe my life goals are coming to fruition.”

Expanding your passion

When Landry Kezebou joined us as an intern, he was fascinated by Oracle’s experiments with AI and machine learning tools. His interest only grew, and after getting his PhD, he took a full-time position at Oracle on the same team he interned with. Turning an internship into a career has allowed him to expand on the work he’s passionate about, strengthen his relationship with his team, and give back to the community. He even served as a buddy for new interns last summer.

“It’s rewarding to be able to pay forward the mentorship that I got during my own internship, and even when I joined full-time,” he says. “I planned out most of my mentee’s tasks and how to help them integrate into the team.”

Find your calling

As a veteran, Jose Hernandez also knows what it’s like to be an intern with a unique background. Adapting to a civilian career after active military service is difficult, and he wanted to work somewhere that supported his ambitions. He came to Oracle with a dream of becoming a software developer but was placed on the OCI team, where he realized his true calling for cloud development.

Jose echoes other interns with his praise for employee support. Everyone on his team was accepting and cared for his personal well-being, easing his transition to civilian life. He also points to resources at Oracle that enriched his experience.

“Through Oracle’s multiple employee resources, I was able to enhance my knowledge and skill set on Java and Maven (one of Java’s package managers) through Oracle University, as well as learning new things from my mentor.”

Being an intern opened Jose up to new perspectives and gave him clarity about his future. The experience was one of the highlights of his post-military life—so much so that he’s joining us again this summer. For newcomers, he has some advice.

“Oracle could be one of the best decisions you can make, from the friendly and welcoming culture across the company, to being able to work on unique projects, and just an overall good experience,” he says. “It could be the stepping stone that changes you from being a software developer to a software engineer!”

Believe in yourself

Jose is far from the only intern to return for another session—Amia Combs spent three summers at Oracle. She was nervous when she first joined in 2020. The corporate world was unfamiliar to her, and she struggled with imposter syndrome. Fortunately, she found a strong support system in her teammates, who helped her adjust to her new environment.

Amia had joined Oracle to fulfill her dream of becoming a software engineer, but after that first summer, she was presented with a different path. Her manager had been observing her skills throughout the internship and felt that she would make an excellent product manager. The following summer, Amia switched to the product management team and hasn’t looked back.

Her biggest tip for new interns? Believe in yourself.

“Coming in with imposter syndrome is normal for any intern, but I had to understand that I was in my position at Oracle for a reason,” she shares. “They chose me, so I need to show them exactly why I was the chosen one.”

Cosmo Trikes knows the importance of overcoming imposter syndrome all too well. He was hesitant to even apply for a position at Oracle, worried he didn’t meet the qualifications. But Cosmo had a track record of resilience. In 2018, he was in a ski accident that left him paralyzed.

“I wasted no time recovering,” he says, “I went back to school and doubled down on my ambitions.”

The same mindset helped him overcome self-doubt and pursue an Oracle internship after all.

“After I started my work, I found out how gratifying it was—taking one task at a time and doing the problem solving, seeing my direct impact on our product, as well as learning more about Oracle.”

Community

According to Cosmo, relationship building was integral to his internship experience.

“Throughout the day I would chat with other interns, attend intern events, get involved with other groups inside Oracle, join team meetings asking lots of questions, and meet with my manager to learn more about our team and company.”

Guinevere Swiencicki shares a similar sentiment. Community was at the core of her internship experience, from peer learning groups to personalized training.

“Oracle supported each of us by listening to interns’ needs and amplifying our voices,” she recalls. “Every intern was given a mentor to guide them, a team of fellow interns to build connections, and opportunities to grow professionally and learn new skills.”

Since joining Oracle full-time, Guinevere’s found this continued investment in development through the Global Tech Program to help drive her greatest impact as a product strategy manager.

Say yes

The more enthusiasm and positive energy you put out, the more doors will open for you. Layla Massey discovered this when she started tweeting about her journey with Oracle SQL last year. The tweets caught the attention of company leaders, who were impressed by her passion and offered her an internship position.

Layla hit the ground running at Oracle and fully immersed herself in the intern experience. Not only did she build new tools and engage in hands-on learning, but she also maintained a coding blog and gave a talk on leveraging social media presence to 300 fellow interns.

As she reflects on the lessons she learned during her internship, there is one that stands out as especially meaningful: get out of your comfort zone.

“Are you scared of public speaking? Say yes to any and every public speaking opportunity that comes your way! Are you looking to challenge your UI/UX design skills? Ask to create those mockups. I said yes to every opportunity, especially if it brought me out of my comfort zone. I believe that’s when the best growth happens.”

Are you looking to launch your tech career with an exciting, hands-on internship? Get to know our student and graduate opportunities now and find more openings on campuses this coming year.