As we wrap up our internship season, I want to reflect on the brilliance of this program. It’s been a great experience so far and like the other interns, I’m impressed with how much I’m learning and the opportunities to actively contribute to the business. From collaborating on real-world projects to brainstorming innovative solutions, our intern team is making tangible impacts that help drive the company forward.

Since I came on board in June, my first three impressions are what I refer to as “The Three Cs.” They consist of community, culture, and capstone projects. I am incredibly grateful that these foundational pillars are integral to the distinctive character of the program. Actian’s internship is truly structured to move its participants from interns to capable, confident employees who will be ready for the next stage of our careers.

 Experiencing a Sense of Community

Given the remote nature of my internship—I’m based in Illinois—I was initially unsure how I would be able to connect with my fellow interns and Actian employees. To my relief, when we attended the in-person orientation at the Round Rock Center of Excellence in Texas, it became abundantly clear that despite the mostly remote work environment, Actian cultivates a supportive community of employees who not only care for the success of the company, but for one another, regardless of where we’re working.

It was extremely encouraging to have such incredible support from so many individuals within the company. Every employee with whom I’ve interacted has invited me to connect with them.

Without exception, they genuinely want to see us succeed and have provided us with the individual investment, tools, and resources to do so. This strong sense of community fosters collaboration and ensures that we all thrive together. As an intern, I feel like I’m part of a team that’s making a difference in the company. 

Participating in a Culture Worth Celebrating

Every Actian employee I’ve spoken to has genuine praise for the company’s incredible people and culture. Given this fact, it is no surprise that this positive culture extends to interns as well. During our in-person orientation, interns were able to meet each other face-to-face and engage in activities that allowed us to connect with one another.

This allowed us to get to know each other on a personal and a professional level. Whether it was the group dinners or the cohort favorite “GameOn! ATX” competition—for which I would like to extend a humble apology and thanks to my team’s opponents for continuing to be gracious following their loss!—we were able to share some incredibly fun memories.

Although we have all returned to our various work environments, including remote locations, thanks to the brilliant design of Employee Experience leaders Rae Coffman and Sara Lou, we are fortunate to have a continuing calendar of upcoming fun events. This allows us to interact and share, regardless of where we’re located or what team we’re working with at Actian.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the mini campfire. For this annual Actian intern tradition, each of us is sent supplies to build a candle campfire in their home. The supplies are complete with ingredients to build s’mores, which we’ll eat while we share scary stories with each other. Eek!

This is one example of how the recognizable culture that Actian cultivates globally is scaled to the internship program. The culture ensures that each intern feels seen, supported, and connected throughout the entirety of our experience with Actian.

Delivering Powerful Results With Capstone Projects

There tends to be a cliché that an intern’s only tasks are those that are miniscule to the company. You know, making copies or running errands. That’s certainly not the case here. No Actian intern will ever find themselves simply fetching their manager a cup of coffee. Instead, we are all given a unique opportunity to learn and showcase our hard work.

Each intern is assigned a capstone project at the beginning of our 12 weeks. We work on it, collaborate with others in the company, and ultimately deliver a structured, substantive outcome at the completion of the internship.

We are each given a team consisting of our manager and a buddy who create a reliable balance of support and autonomy as we work toward our project—honing our skills while adding value to the organization. Although I do make a mean cup of coffee, I am more excited about the project management skills and transferable, real-world experiences these capstone projects afford each one of us.

Our Unique Internship Opportunities Extend Globally

The brilliance of our internship program is not limited to inside the U.S. borders. Actian has an incredible cohort of interns working in Germany as well—and they hail from various parts of the globe. One difference between the U.S. and the German program is that those interning in Germany have the ability to be hired at any time of the year. Actian provides these interns with incredible opportunities that include an internship, academic thesis supervision, or a part-time position.

In the last year alone, the Actian office in Germany has supervised 11 students. This includes three academic thesis students and one who will be joining Actian full time this fall. It’s exciting for everyone involved in the program!

Coming from all levels of education and diverse experiences, these interns work on the Actian Vector team under the leadership of Steffen Kläbe and Thomas Schweser to contribute to the success of one of the industry’s fastest analytical database management systems. These interns start their program by completing an extensive onboarding experience that introduces them to the codebase and explains how to successfully optimize it.

Following the completion of these first one to two weeks, interns are assigned a task designed to provide hands-on experience with the codebase system. This task usually entails solving a problem or something similar that delivers actual business value, such as fixing a bug in the code. The initial task allows interns to not only advance their skillset but also gain the confidence needed to move into their selected projects.

Following this task comes the fun part! Interns choose a project that aligns with their interests. So far this year, there have been 17 projects that directly influence the current usage and future innovation of our Vector database. These projects range from “Memory Loading” to “Cloud Usage” to “Data Compression.”

The impact that these interns and projects have on the company is not only recognizably impressive but also incredibly powerful. Their dedication and innovation that they bring to the company every day continues to demonstrate a significant impact that advances our products and our business.

Making a Lasting Impression

Overall, the brilliance of the Actian internship program continues to reveal itself the more I experience it. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here. I am certain that this experience will be one I carry on far longer than my 12 weeks here. Thank you to everyone who makes it possible!

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