Could you introduce yourself?

Hi! I am Shama, born and raised in Eindhoven. After my bachelor, I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I was particularly interested in the technical side of my studies. I had some prior experience as a student assistant and used to carry out projects for the Technical University of Delft. During a visualization project in which I had to collect requirements, I developed an interest data, which inspired me to focus on Data Science and Engineering during my master’s degree.

How did you come into contact with Aurai?

I was on the lookout for a traineeship in Data Engineering when Aurai reached out. The traineeship looked good and well thought-out on paper. What struck me during the application process and technical assessment was the friendly atmosphere. Aurai is a relatively small organization and it immediately felt like a welcoming place to work, where the atmosphere is relaxed, but the standards are high.

How did you experience your first eight weeks as a trainee?

It has been great! Everyone here is young, but they have already accomplished so much. What makes this traineeship unique is the pleasant collaboration with peers, the room for personal input and the individual attention for each trainee. The traineeship is well put together and allows you to develop a solid technical base that you put into practice immediately. The training builds skills you can deploy in your next work project.

In addition, not only the training courses but also the group of people are very diverse in terms of background and experience. Women are usually in the minority in this field. It has been great having female leaders at Aurai, especially in terms of communication style and dynamics with clients.

What expectations did you have beforehand – and were they confirmed?

I had some doubts beforehand about my long commute. Fortunately, the comradery made it more than worthwhile. I also expected a strong emphasis on Structured Query Language (SQL) I soon found out the traineeship was a lot broader, which allows you to become familiar with different concepts and how to connect them. I also expected to gain insight into the industry itself. This was particularly evident during the discussions with guest trainers, which were very useful, partly due to the small group size.

What do you find most valuable about your traineeship so far?

I now have a much clearer idea of Data Engineering and how it relates to Cloud Engineering. For me, the practical side was particularly enlightening: that’s where I discovered Linux! The training sessions with former trainees are also informative – it’s nice to hear how they started and where they are now. I found the group project and the individual projects particularly strong, as you really learn to build something from scratch. I will never forget the things I learned there. And not just in a technical sense: I have refined my own narrative, I have become more confident, I have learned to share my thoughts more easily and how to distinguish between what to keep and what to let go. Plus, streaming Kafka was really cool.

To whom would you recommend this traineeship?

If you’re interested in AI, modelling and software, then this traineeship will provide you with a solid foundation. The Aurai Data Engineering traineeship will be a joy for you if you enjoy programming, puzzles, and investigations. In that case, I would say: allow yourself a great start to your professional career, a good technical foundation and all the tools you need to expand your knowledge and skills. And, perhaps most importantly: at Aurai you will not only learn to add practical value to companies – you will learn your best values and skills.

Interested in our Data Engineering traineeship? Sign up here!