Expectations during the coding period

We expect you to work 40h/week for the duration of the program. Please indicate if you plan to take vacation during this time or if there is any other reason why you might need to take time out of this work schedule. Be prepared to consider how you might make up any time lost.

Practical requirements

  • Keep in regular contact even before coding starts. You are required to send a weekly status/progress report to your mentor during the coding period.
  • You are expected to keep a journal and/or post a blog. This is beneficial to you too. It is become a record of your progress and achievements that you can reflect on once you have completed the program. It may also be used to produce the weekly status/progress report we expect from you.
  • You are expected to complete 2 evaluations, one at the mid point and another at the end. 
  • We would like you to produce a YouTube video at the end demonstrating your work and evaluating your overall experience working with HPCC Systems.
  • It is a requirement of the program to produce a poster illustrating your achievements. You may be eligible to enter our Technical Poster Presentation Contest held at our Community Day Summit.

Use the month before you start to get to know your mentor

  • Establish ground rules that you are happy to meet. For example, agree the details of your work plan, set up regular meetings, get clarification for anything that you are unsure of, establish how your progress will be measured, when to check in code and where etc. 
  • Remember that mentoring you is not the only thing your mentor has to do! They are busy people with a heavy workload. They will do their best to help you stay on track but you also have a responsibility to do this for yourself too. Make every effort to keep to the agreed schedule and deadlines. If there is a problem, communicate this as soon as possible. It's much easier to get back on track if you ask for help sooner rather than later.
  • If you have organised a meeting, phone call etc, keep the appointment or give enough notice in advance so that you can re-schedule.
  • Do not be afraid to ask questions or to seek feedback when part way through a task if you are suspect something is not quite right. Developers sometimes find that a task that was intended to go one way, can end up heading in a slightly different direction once they've started. It'll save you some wasted time and frustration to check with your mentor before you go too far down the wrong track and you'll probably write better code as a result of their advice.
  • Listen to your mentor's suggestions and ask for an explanation if you don't agree or understand. They aren't criticising you they are trying to help and the chances are they are an expert in their field.
  • If you're struggling to contact your mentor or have other problems you want to discuss with someone else, contact our intern program mailbox.
  • We ask you to complete 2 evaluations. One half way through your internship and one at the end of the program. The first one helps us to make sure you are happy and making progress. The second will help us to improve our program for future students.
  • Stay in touch afterwards! There may be other projects you can get involved with in the future and we will be delighted to hear from you. We like to know how students that have worked with us are progressing with their studies or in their careers. We hope you'd like to know how your contribution has improved our project and how it may be being used and appreciated by our community.


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