My Synpulse Journey - Carl Andrew

My name is Carl Andrew Rendol. I am currently a 4th-year scholar pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Ateneo De Manila University.
I am a Pathways to Higher Education (Aiducation's Partner Organization in the Philippines) participant and I have been part of the Aiducation community 
since October 2015.

My SPMA Experience
During the summer of 2017, just after the end of the school year, Pathways invited applications for Synpulse Project Management Academy (SMPA). I, along with my batchmates, immediately applied to participate. At the academy, I was able to meet and network with very experienced international mentors (Ajay, Anu, Tanja, Lynn, Heinrich and Weili, just to name a few). I also gained very invaluable knowledge that has greatly helped me in my studies.

Some key takeaways from the Academy...

• The academy helped me gain presentation skills, looking for proper sources online, project management phases, analyzing risks and opportunities (SWOT analysis), and many others. These technical knowledge has been very helpful to me in my studies and day-to-day life. I have had an easier time adapting to the workload and managing projects with groups.
• I had an overview of how a software engineer works through my mentor (Ajay). One of the main topics I talked with him about was computer science, software engineering, and software development. I remember how we talked about the technical aspects and how they are used, and I clearly remember how we talked about the software development life cycle. Of course, as a senior high school student, I knew very little about it back then but getting to know these technical knowledge about one of the courses I wanted to take was very helpful.
• It gave me an overview of what my career would be like in the future. During this time, I was still in the dilemma of choosing which course I would take in college. Talking with Ajay and getting to know how a software engineer works were very helpful for my decision. I was able to somehow see what I was about to get into and if I would feel comfortable with it.

The SPMA 2017 with our mentors and co-participants, after graduation. 

My Synpulse Internship Experience

At the start of my 4th year in college last June 2021, I had to go on an internship as a requirement for my course. As soon as I knew about this, I asked Pathways if they could ask Synpulse if they are accepting interns. Because of the great time that I had during SPMA, I figured that I would also get valuable experience, insights, and have fun if I had an internship with Synpulse. Of course, as they were not sure about this, I looked for other internships that I could apply for. Just before the end of the application period for internships, Pathways told me that Synpulse is opening an internship program. I applied for it as soon as I got the news about it.

During the first day of the internship, I was both excited because I get to experience working in Synpulse and nervous because this experience might be very different from my SPMA experience. During the onboarding process, I got to e-meet a lot of great people that I would be working with for the duration of the internship where we received a warm welcome. 

For the internship, we were tasked with a project to work on a google nest device that would assist Synpulse employees in and out of work. Our internship mentor (Ernese) emphasized that the focus of our internship was about giving us the knowledge and experience that we knew we could not get in college. I believe that we were able to meet this expectation for two reasons.

Internship goals:

• Gain an understanding of Google Assistant, Google Nest Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and how to integrate with cloud APIs. This was the focus of the first week of the internship. We delved into the theoretical and learned how to use the Google assistant, what are APIs and how to use them, and how to integrate an API on a program. After the first week, we applied what we learned. We were faced with challenges working with the Google Assistant and Google APIs but with the help and motivation of Ernese, Albert (a junior software engineer), and Cole (co-intern) we were able to find workarounds for it. Overall, this challenge was very rich in learning and as Ernese said at that time, we would never truly learn if we don’t find a problem (in the context of programming).
• Have the opportunity to work with a team of experienced technology experts and expose us to the Synpulse development process while developing on a Google Nest device. We were invited to attend daily standups. The standup meetings gave us an overview of how Synpulse employees work and their working style. We were integrated into their work environment and it was very rich in the application of what I have been learning in college. We had the opportunity to work with some employees that gave us advice and motivation to do more than expected. We were also invited to leisure activities that exposed us to the company culture. Overall, it was a very insightful and fun experience to have worked with these great people.

Finally, some valuable lessons and takeaways that I would never forget from Ernese:

• I should be proactive. It is very important for a person to be proactive, especially in the work environment. One must make themselves visible to their superiors, reach out and offer services that they can provide, and display their specializations and skills. In addition to that, coming up with ideas and researching shows a willingness to do work and being proactive.
• I Should have the ability to figure things out. The real world or the corporate world is not like the school and university environment that I am used to. There is no one to tell me what I am supposed to be doing, and if ever someone does tell me, it means I am doing a terrible job at my work. Having the ability to figure out what I am supposed to do is very essential.

Internship Final Presentation with Synpulse Managing Partner and CEO Yves Roseti, Partner Christoph Nützenadel,
Philippine Managing Director and Country Head Ellen Agena, and Internship Mentor Ernese Norelus

My Appreciations:

To Synpulse...
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to have our internship with you. I have learned a lot and realized a lot from the experience. I greatly appreciate you giving us the avenue and time to learn new topics and relearn concepts outside the classroom framework. 

To Aiducation and GYLA
Thank you for building the bridge between students like me to many great opportunities of interacting with great people. I greatly appreciate you giving your time to provide us with the network to interact and gain knowledge and experience.

To Mr Dölf Kappeli
I would always go back to the time that you opened the door for me to get into these valuable resources and experiences. Thank you for always being there and supporting me in the background looking at my growth.                         

Written by  Carl Andrew Rendol - AiduTalent, Philippines Chapter