Interns learn on the job

Internships provide valuable real-world work experience for students. Working on a range of projects that ultimately benefit customers gives them a sense of achievement beyond simply putting their education into practice. 

Developing software alongside others in a team and learning to work with an existing codebase are skills that elevate a graduate’s performance when they embark on their first jobs.

Hosting interns helps Maptek to identify where new developers might struggle and provides mentoring opportunities. The extra resources can be applied to bring valuable projects forward. 

Linh Nguyen decided to apply for an internship to put her Computer Science coursework knowledge into practice. 

She worked on visually optimising the graphical language used in workflows, which included improving the links between nodes and visual representation of graph changes.

‘Working with the visuals, it was fun to see how much difference it made every time I made a small adjustment.’

Nguyen initially found solving problems that involved multiple parts of a large system a challenge. She considers the skills and experience gained through exposure to a complex software system will give her a head start in adapting to new systems in future.

Having learned how to write maintainable code at university and following good coding practices, Nguyen was surprised to discover issues that she wasn’t aware of until senior developers pointed them out in reviews.

‘It’s important to consider how users interact with the system and what they expect a specific functionality to do – it can be vastly different from what the developers think.’

Li-Ting Liao was drawn to the Maptek internship after hearing positive feedback from others on the valuable training it offers. The interview process alerted her to the opportunity to tackle real-world problems.

Liao’s main project involved creating a Python script designed to package essential files into an extension, which streamlines sharing among users. She also helped implement user-friendly features in the Workbench to ensure a smoother installation process.

‘Working closely with senior engineers has allowed me to grasp the nuances of writing readable code. Creating user-friendly features and understanding the rationale behind coding structures was also particularly interesting.’

Liao, who is studying for a Masters in Computing and Innovation, faced the challenge of writing code that performs its function and is also easily understandable by others. She appreciated the thoroughness of peer reviews. 

‘The feedback was invaluable, helping me improve the readability of my code and introducing me to new syntaxes and libraries. I’ve learned that teamwork is crucial to building large scale, successful software solutions.’

Sam Yin found out about Maptek through a social computing club at the University of Adelaide and thought it would be a great opportunity to gain industry experience. 

‘We learned abstract concepts in Computer Science at uni and I was curious about their applications in real programming.’

Yin worked on a ‘keyblock analysis’ tool within PointStudio that helps miners identify potentially dangerous chunks of rock that are unstable due to discontinuities in their natural formation. 

‘I really enjoyed the team camaraderie. It’s a great feeling when people come together to solve an unusual problem, especially the celebration that follows.’

The biggest challenge was the shift from an academic style where functionality is written from scratch to working with an existing complex codebase. 

‘I’ve learnt to never be afraid to ask for help. Concepts that might take hours to unravel only take minutes when someone with more experience explains them to you.’

‘Maptek definitely lived up to its reputation of having the best internship experience in Adelaide!’ Sam Yin

Aqmal Pulle had heard good things about Maptek through a friend who was employed after completing a summer internship. 

‘I heard how positive the work environment is and the ongoing support they provide to their employees, which I can now say is very accurate.’

Having just finished a Software Engineering degree, Pulle was part of a team developing a mobile app to assist in modelling material movements in mines. He appreciated getting real industry experience and particularly enjoyed the problem solving aspect. 

‘There’s a great sense of accomplishment when you finally solve something.’

Pulle advises others to always be ready to learn new things, and not be afraid to ask for help. The internship exposed him to completely new technologies, taught him about teamwork, and highlighted the importance of producing maintainable code.

‘Maptek set incredibly high standards for me in terms of work environment, which will be a benchmark for any future jobs.’

Jared Lai had interviewed Steve Sullivan, a long-term Maptek employee, for a high school project and learned about LiDAR technology and its applications within mining, which led to an interest in laser mapping technology, and a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

During the internship, Lai helped to design a temperature-regulated enclosure for laser scanners. He learnt a lot about production – from laser cutting to sheet metal folding – and formed an appreciation of the engineering process involved. He also developed connections with people in industry.

‘A highlight has been the connections I made along the way, with co-workers in Maptek, people from machining shops and engineering companies.’ 

The iterative process of design was frustrating at first, but Lai realised its importance to ensure a high quality product is being delivered.

‘You must get experience of the engineering process in the workforce, as university cannot offer it adequately. This internship has allowed me to learn more about industry at my own pace.’

Peter Yeoh thought the Maptek internship would be a great opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in an area he wasn’t initially considering as a career.

A Software Engineering student, Yeoh worked on Modular UI testing that can be applied to existing and future web-based applications via browser automation frameworks such as Playwright. 

‘I enjoyed learning all the new technologies and languages, then watching as everything begins to work together. Figuring out how to connect every new technology into clean and usable products is painful, but fun.’

Experience in browser automation opened up ways to automate tasks Yeoh hadn’t considered before.  

‘I learnt about testing and distributed systems in real-world applications – more importantly I now know this is a career I can pursue while enjoying what I do.’

Yeoh learned a lot about working in an industry setting, and appreciated being able to ask questions and get advice on the best way to do something.

‘The office environment cannot be understated. There were times I preferred it over WFH. It’s a great place and a great community.’