A Day in the Life of UDig’s Software Interns

Ever wondered what a day in the life of one of our interns is like? This series will give you all the details! Our “Day in the Life” subjects are UDig’s software engineering interns: Jerry Gu, Matt Burton, Steven Dew, and Tanuj Koli. Here’s what a typical day looks like for Jerry, Matt, Steven, and Tanuj.

Jerry Gu studies at the University of Virginia and is majoring in computer science.

Matt Burton studies at High Point University and is majoring in computer science.

Steven Dew studies at Middle Tennessee State University and is majoring in computer science with minors in math and data science.

Tanuj Koli studies at the University of Michigan and is majoring in computer / data science.

Want to hear from our data interns? Check out A Day in the Life of UDig’s Data Interns.

The Project

This summer, we were tasked with converting an Excel spreadsheet form into a clean and simple interactive web app for UDig. Together, we worked to track users through PostgreSQL, polish the UI design of our app, and leverage its tech stack for peak performance. Our app allows for painless navigation and helps businesses evaluate various costs and benefits of potential technology investments.  

Dig into our project here.

Here’s what a day at UDig is like for us! 

Morning 

JG: My mornings are pretty simple. After waking up, I eat a quick breakfast and head into the office. I’m located in Richmond, I strive to go into the office as much as I can, but I do work from home sometimes.  

MB: I’ve found that I’m always the first one on the team to wake up, especially since Steven and Tanuj are located in Tennessee. An ideal morning for me includes a run – which doesn’t always happen – but it’s a great start to the day when it does! When it comes to breakfast, I make myself an egg sandwich every morning. Like Jerry, I’m located in Richmond. I like working from home, but I go into the office on Fridays to present our demo. The morning is the most productive time of day for me, I get the bulk of my work done between stand-up and lunch. This internship has exposed me to many new technical skills including React, Tailwind, TypeScript, Hasura, PostgreSQL, as well as a wealth of interpersonal skills involving communication and teamwork. I use my mornings to continue to develop my skills in these areas.  

SD: I’m still living the college lifestyle where I sleep in until the very last minute. I get out of bed about 20 minutes before the workday starts, then get on the computer just in time for our stand-up at nine. I’m located in Jackson, Tennessee, about two hours from Nashville, so I work remotely.  

TK: Like Steven, I roll out of bed as late as I can. I’m located in Franklin, Tennessee, just a few miles from the Nashville office. I work from home, but I meet up with the Nashville team from time to time. Before hopping on the computer, I have cereal and get settled in for the day. 

Lunch Time

JG: At lunch, I leave the office to get a change of scenery. Usually, I head home and grab something to eat with my brother. When we can, the Richmond team will get together for lunch; recently, Patrick, Rob, Matt, and I went to Jack Brown’s, a local burger spot and UDig favorite.  

MB: Because I work from home the majority of the week, I tend to stay put out of convenience. If I decide to go out, my go-to is Chipotle or Chick-Fil-A. During lunch, I make it a priority to step away from the computer, whether it’s catching up with my mom, playing with my dogs, or getting outside for a few minutes. If I’m in the office, my mentor Tate and I will grab lunch, or I’ll meet up with the other Richmond interns.  

SD: I work from home every day – after sitting inside for a while, it’s necessary for me to get out of the house for a bit at lunch. My favorite lunch spot is Zaxby’s, usually I’ll grab food there and spend some time outside before getting back to work.  

TK: I’m really big on meal prep, on the weekends I get all of my meals for the week put together which makes lunch time super easy for me. I use my lunch break to unwind, you can usually find me watching YouTube or catching up on anything I may have missed throughout the morning. While I don’t go into the Nashville office, I live nearby, so about once a month I meet up with the team at Condado Tacos – it’s a great way to catch up outside of work!  

Afternoon 

JG: After lunch, I switch to working from home for a change of scenery. My grind time is right after lunch, this is when I get most of my work done. I’ve been learning many new technologies here at UDig, most notably Typescript, React.js and GraphQL, each is helping me to build a website from scratch in a fun and productive way. Later in the afternoon, we (software interns) get on a call to collaborate as a team and discuss anything that might have tripped us up throughout the day. 

MB: The morning is a more meeting-heavy time for me; it’s also when I get most of my head’s down work done. In the afternoon, I connect with the rest of the software team or my mentor for help on my current project. While I don’t get a change of scenery throughout the day, sometimes I work remotely from Emerald Isle, North Carolina.  

SD: I’m not a morning person, I often find myself still trying to wake up for the first half of the day. After lunch, though, from about 2 – 5, I hit a good coding streak; I find it a lot easier to focus later in the day. Through this project, I have honed my ability to collaborate within teams, effectively allocate tasks, and meet deadlines. Moreover, I’ve enhanced my coding skills using tools like React, GraphQL and Postgres. This has helped my confidence grow when tackling projects of this nature. I always listen to music when I code. Recently, I’ve been hooked on a band called Warbly Jets, occasionally, I listen to a movie or video game soundtracks.  

TK: After lunch, I hit a reverse food coma of sorts – I’ve found that I’m most productive from 12 – 2, this is when I knock out the majority of my work. Over the course of the internship, I’ve been working on learning new libraries, languages, and frameworks, such as PostgreSQL, Hasura, Apollo GraphQL, and Typescript – each of which has helped in developing our web-app. In addition to technical skills, UDig has helped me garner invaluable exposure to the world of software engineering and technical consulting. 

After Work

JG: I practice Kendo, a modern Japanese martial art, multiple times a week. When I’m not doing Kendo after work, I like to relax by watching a movie or playing games with my family.  

MB: I play soccer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after work. On the days that I don’t have soccer, I grab dinner with my mom, then spend some time outside playing basketball with my friends. As a group, we’ve connected a few times to play video games after work, it’s been a great way to grow closer outside of UDig.   

SD: Every day after work, I go to the gym then come home and find something to eat for dinner. After dinner, I play video games or watch a movie before bed; I just beat the new Legend of Zelda game, it had me hooked for three weeks, but now I’m looking for something new to play! 

TK: I enjoy going for a run around my neighborhood after closing my computer for the day. For dinner, my friends and I have a tradition of getting together to try new recipes. We’re big fans of cooking so it’s always a good time making and trying new food together. I’ve also been a big fan of the Huberman Lab podcast recently, it discusses neuroscience and how the brain connects to our organs, controlling our behavior and health.