My first month as a SilverStriper

In today’s blog post, our new intern, Sacha Judd, shares her experience working with the SilverStripe team.

Hi, I’m Sacha. I have recently finished studying at Victoria University and will shortly be graduating with a Bachelor of Design Innovation specialising in Media Design. I was a part of the Summer of Tech programme, which gave me the opportunity to promote myself and my skill set.

As a result, I was chosen to join the SilverStripe team.

‘Shaky start’

I was excited for my transition from university to working in a company, especially one that I felt had such an awesome culture as SilverStripe. I could not wait to be moulded into what my now fellow workmates described as a ‘SilverStriper’. One particular aspect of SilverStripe that stood out to me was the company's ambition towards growth. I was also interested in the agile environment and wanted to be a part of a team that could help me achieve this mindset.

Week one was off to a 'shaky' start as Tobie (Paul Jayme - Intern) and I received the news that our internship was to be delayed due to a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. However, next thing we knew, we were in the office, ready to start our bootcamp.

Design and develop

As a designer and a developer, I was excited to know that I could evolve with both of these skills throughout my internship and understand the place these two elements have within the company. I was able to join and work with different teams, allowing me to acquire a deeper understanding of how important both the design and development stages are in a project. Over the past few weeks, I have learned a lot about the process of working in teams and why it is important to always communicate with one another. I have also learnt the vital role that researching plays in the development of an initial concept.  

Support at SilverStripe

What has been great to experience throughout my internship is how our workmates will go out of their way to teach us and have one-on-one lessons. This has helped me grow as a developer and will help shape my career path, which allows me to see different aspects of the company such as what I enjoy and where I could potentially see myself working in a team. I hope to continue growing my skill set further by being inspired by the people around me and also adopting a good workflow into my everyday tasks.

SilverStripe offers a very supportive environment that allows you to be independent but maintain solid communication with workmates who are assigned to be your mentor and/or buddy. This has allowed me to reach out to my workmates on a more personal level to discuss any questions required.

Future CWP team

Overall I have had a great first month at SilverStripe and have come to realise you can never have too many sticky notes! In this new year, I have been working on a new theme for the Common Web Platform (CWP). I look forward to the new challenges SilverStripe has to offer.

Want to join the awesome team at SilverStripe? Please visit our job site where you can see the current openings and apply!