Employee Name: Lennel Chua

Role: Junior Software Engineer

Questions

1. Why did you want to intern at Pixium?

I decided to intern at Pixium for 2 main reasons. Firstly, the job scope outlined by them was very much aligned with my course of studies and as such I felt that Pixium would be able to provide me with an environment where I get to practically apply skills that I was taught in school.
Secondly, after doing more research about the company, I was particularly impressed that they offered such a diverse range of services to their clients. This led me to believe that interning at Pixium would enable me to become more proficient in my technical skills and grow in my knowledge and understanding of the ever-changing technological industry.
What advice do you have for prospective interns?
My advice to prospective interns is simply to approach your internship with an open mind and with a posture of humility. I feel that being teachable is a crucial trait in determining how well you will improve and grow. After all, you can’t learn if you aren’t humble enough to realise that there are in fact things for you to learn. So, come with the excitement to learn and with the expectancy that there will be things that you don’t know.

2. What was the largest obstacle you faced during your onboarding?

The largest obstacle I faced during the onboarding process was probably having to pick up new technologies and methods of doing things that I previously had no experience in. This however, is very understandable and common because of the sheer depth and breadth of the IT industry. New technologies are perpetually being introduced and existing technologies are constantly being improved. As a result, there will definitely be incongruence in the technologies that are utilized and the methods that are adopted by different companies.

3. How did you overcome this challenge?

Firstly, my more experienced colleagues and supervisors at Pixium really played a significant role in tutoring me and in breaking down concepts that were foreign to me. They were also very encouraging and patient with me whenever I was unsure of things or when I had to keep asking them questions.

Secondly, I had to put in the due diligence to learn and research on my own as well. During my onboarding stage, my supervisors gave me the room and time to familiarize myself with the technologies and methods that I had to pick up. That being said, the onus is on me to really take ownership of my own learning as much as my supervisors were more than willing to guide me. Some of the sites I frequented to aid me in my learning were Stack Overflow, W3Schools and Youtube.

4. What has been your favorite experience interning at Pixium?

My favourite experience interning at Pixium is undoubtedly the culture of the company. If I could describe the culture of the company in three words, they would be Professional, Candid and Accepting. I will elaborate on each of them.

Professional: The leaders and frontrunners of Pixium are exceptional in what they do. Not only are they highly competent and skilled in their technical capabilities, they are equally adept in the way they communicate and lead. They know how to motivate the team to a higher level of performance and they model what it's like to be an efficient and effective worker.

Candid: At Pixium, there is a strong sense of accountability where we keep one another in the loop of what we are up to. This makes it possible for us to assist one another in our tasks and push one another to become better at what we do as we can be honest about our difficulties and opinions on matters. When there is encouragement to be given, it is given. Conversely, when there is feedback and critiques to be given, they are done so respectfully and constructively.

Accepting: At Pixium, you have the unique opportunity to work with people of different nationalities and cultures. No matter what race each of us are, what countries we are each from or what practices we each have, we accept one another and treat one another with respect. We often also try to educate one another about our own cultures over breaks as it helps us bond and understand one another better. In addition, the team puts in effort to organise get-togethers and cohesion activities to build more camaraderie within the company.

5. What are some of your responsibilities as a junior software engineer intern?

My main responsibilities were generally to assist the company in whatever projects they had ongoing. For most of my internship, I primarily operated as a web developer.

6. What are your plans or goals after interning at Pixium?

A more relevant goal for me in the near future is to obtain a degree in a technology related field of studies, preferably computer science or information systems. My plans for the long term involve me being able to create or start something of my own. It doesn’t have to be a big business or product but more importantly, I just want to have something that I can call my own and be proud of. Of course, If I get the opportunity to be employed by Pixium again in future, I would be more than happy to work for them.

7. What is the one thing that should be taught in school that isn’t already?

Just a disclaimer that what I mention here may not necessarily apply to all schools but is solely based on my own schooling experience. I personally think that live deployments is something that should be more heavily covered in school. For myself, I mainly worked on school projects locally and the assessment for these projects are conducted in a manner where I would demo my application to the lecturer on my laptop. With the exception of my Final Year Project where I had to learn how to deploy an application on my own, the concept of live deployment was not taught in school. I feel that having the knowledge of different types of servers (VPS, Cloud, Shared Hosting) and understanding concepts like DNS, Domains and SSL are crucial to every developer preparing for the workforce especially because they deal with the final execution of the projects/applications

8. How are employees empowered to help shape or participate in the office culture?

As employees of Pixium, we are always encouraged to give our feedback and opinions on projects regardless of our status. This was something that I really admired about this company as all the members' points of view are valued. Being a part of Pixium, we also get the chance to organise activities with the purpose of bringing the team together, whether it be sports activities or just a meal, we try to find a common activity that everyone can enjoy doing. The management of Pixium also regularly updates the team on the direction the company is heading in and on what future plans there may be. I feel that this is something that can be easily overlooked or undervalued in other companies but in actuality, it plays an important role in establishing alignment amongst the team as everyone is clear of a common goal they can work towards in unity.

Thank you very much Lennel, Understanding each of our teammates' unique interests, skills, and experiences not only keeps our minds open but helps them unlock their true potential. Stay tuned for more Pixium Employee Spotlights!