Finding a great internship takes work, but it can make all the difference when starting your career. And as Layla Massey discovered, if you put enough good energy out there, sometimes, the opportunities can come to you!
Software Engineer Intern
It was a dream come true when Layla learned she was going to spend the summer interning with the Oracle Database Tools Engineering team. She’s learned a lot in the last few months and has had plenty of chances to put her JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS skills to work on Oracle SQL Developer.
She’s currently a junior at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas where she’s pursuing a degree in software development. Her journey to Oracle started back in spring 2022, although she didn’t realize it at the time…
“I began tweeting about Oracle Database pretty frequently when I enrolled in the database programming course at college using Oracle SQL. I immediately fell in love with the Oracle SQL command line and the SQL Developer App that I was using to create SQL queries for my class assignments.”
Sharing a journey
Layla kept on tweeting about her Oracle SQL journey: sharing monitor shots from lab sessions, cheat sheets for classmates, and all the ups and downs of being a budding software engineer. Then, something unexpected happened— her enthusiasm for all things Oracle caught the attention of Senior Director for Database Product Management, Kay Malcolm.
“Oracle leadership began to follow me and interact with my content! Liking, replying, sometimes even retweeting,” Layla shares. “I made sure to follow back and interact with anyone working at Oracle, considering I loved their products so much.”
That March, Kay reached out to Layla with an internship opportunity. She jumped at the chance.
“Shock”
“I was still in shock!” Layla says. “I thought, ‘this can’t be happening to me,’ but it was! And everyone at Oracle I interacted with reassured me that I deserved to be there. And something I hadn’t even realized yet: I had instantly gained mentors that believed in me and wanted me to succeed.”
It was a big step for the Database Tools team too, as Layla would be the first ever intern to join them.
The jump from college to working in tech can be startling, but Layla took it in stride.
“The first week of my internship had a ton of onboarding events. We zoomed, literally, through slides about Oracle products, history, and values. There were two groups with staggered start dates. I was in the first cohort with over one hundred other interns.
Getting to work
Her first week might have been a blur of activity, but the real work began afterwards. In week two, it was time to get hands on with her meetings and responsibilities. Onboarding sessions were replaced with team stand ups and Layla discovered how a professional development team worked. No small task given that Layla’s team was responsible for everything regarding the web version of Oracle SQL Developer.
“I spent a week or so getting familiar with the web version of Oracle SQL Developer Web, and I was so incredibly excited to be working with a product I enjoyed using myself. My amazing manager, Jeff, consistently replied to my annoying Slack pings, hopped on Zoom calls to share his screen and help me with whatever I needed.”
By her third week, Layla was heavily involved with building a self-service tool for Oracle SQL Developer Web. There was a lot to learn, but she dived right into establishing a minimum viable product (MVP) for the tool. A vital first step in making the project a success.
Real results
“The truly amazing aspect about this project was it’s a real tool that’s going to be released in an upcoming update of Oracle’s SQL Developer Web,” Layla says.
“I also had the freedom to design the UI/UX mockups for all three pages I was creating, and code the entire front end. I took on full responsibility for researching and documenting features, user stories, and had control over what the UI was going to look like.”
Along with all this, Layla also got to pursue her other great passion: content creation. She run her own coding blog and regularly shares her experiences in software engineering.
“I had the opportunity to write a few blog posts and Twitter threads detailing how to get started with Oracle’s web version of SQL Developer, create Oracle SQL cheat sheets, and be a guest on Oracle’s official podcast: Lashes.Love.Tech. with Kay Malcolm.”
People and perks
to clean-up her hometown
She was also invited to speak to her whole intern cohort of 300 people on how to leverage your social media presence.
Apart from professional development, there were lots of opportunities to socialize, network and top up on Oracle merchandise!
“Aside from the amazing swag we received like a new mouse, keyboard, laptop, backpack, hoodies, and t-shirts, there were so many fun events and company paid volunteer hours! We did a scavenger hunt, a Jeopardy game, a Bollywood Belly dance tutorial, an escape room and even a painting contest.”
“Despite not being able to go into the office and eat the amazing food on campus, we were covered with UberEats with a $300 voucher! But, I did get the opportunity to tour Oracle’s headquarters in Austin, Texas, and work there for a full day.”
Lessons learned
Layla has worked hard to make the most of her experience. Above all, she says, “don’t be scared to network. An internship is the perfect environment to learn about a new company.”
Idea-sharing has been another highlight. Layla believes that interns have a unique opportunity to bring fresh perspectives.
“You’re able to see the products in a completely different light than someone whose been working on them for 10+ years,” she observes. “You bring forth perspectives and pain points that customer resonate with.”
Beyond the comfort zone
Finally, she’s learned a lot about getting outside of her comfort zone and thinks everyone can benefit from doing the same.
“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.”
With the end of summer and her internship in sight, Layla has had time to reflect.
“Spending this time at Oracle has changed my career completely, for the better. I’m so excited to pursue more opportunities in software engineering, content creation, and product management.”
“I’m just so incredibly grateful for this experience and cannot wait to apply what I’ve learned in the future.”
Are you ready to get outside your comfort zone with a career-changing internship? Explore our student and graduate opportunities and discover a world of new possibilities.