Do you remember your first day?
Yes, I remember it clearly. Tony was my mentor from the start, which was great. We went to Yamamori for lunch, where I had the Karubi beef, medium rare – it was excellent.
Back at the office, I was introduced to the team and given an overview of the project I'd be working on. That was probably the moment it all felt real. I remember feeling genuinely excited, not just to be there, but to finally apply what I'd been learning in college to something practical.
Was there anything you wish you'd known before starting?
I wish I'd known how normal it is not to know things.
Coming from university, you don't really know what's expected of you. You don't know how much you should already understand, or whether you're meant to prepare in advance. That uncertainty adds stress. Once you're in, you realise expectations are actually very reasonable — especially for interns — but before day one, you don't know that.
Also, it would have helped to know that asking questions isn't just acceptable, it's expected.
What was the biggest adjustment from university to working at Cellusys?
The scale and structure of real systems.
At university, it's usually front end + back end, and that's it. Here, you suddenly have many services talking to each other — APIs, importers, processors, microservices — and you don't always know where something lives or how it fits together.
That was challenging at first. You realise very quickly that you can't understand everything at once. Learning to accept some things as "black boxes" — at least temporarily — is part of becoming productive.
What kind of work did you find most challenging?
Testing and debugging things you can't directly see.
Early on, working with things like message processors or backend services was difficult because there's no obvious visual feedback. You're relying on logs, test data, and behaviour. That's very different from what you're used to in college.
Also, Java. You don't really use it much in university anymore, so there was a learning curve there too.
What are you most proud of since starting?
Two things stand out.
First, contributing to something new from the beginning — even if it started small. Being involved early in exploratory work, like the initial AI tooling discussions, felt meaningful. It wasn't just about the code; it was about being trusted to help shape something.
Second, communication. I'm much more comfortable now explaining what I'm working on, asking for help, and speaking in technical discussions. That didn't come naturally at the start.
Has your confidence changed?
Definitely.
I'm much less afraid of asking questions now. Early on, you worry about bothering people or slowing them down. In reality, people want to help — and if they're busy, they'll just reply later. That's fine.
I've also learned that even senior engineers' demos break sometimes. Seeing experienced people handle that calmly made a big difference. It showed me that things going wrong isn't failure — it's normal.
How did mentorship play into your experience?
It helped in more ways than I expected.
Mentorship wasn't just technical — it helped with stress and perspective too. Talking things through, realising others had the same doubts, or struggled with similar problems, made everything feel more manageable.
Outside of formal mentorship, just being surrounded by people who are approachable and willing to help makes a huge difference. You don't need to know who the expert is — you can ask anyone, and they'll help you find the right person.
How would you describe the company culture?
Supportive, focused, and surprisingly balanced.
There are long periods of quiet concentration — real focus — and then short bursts of conversation and humour. That balance matters. It lets people reset and stay productive without burning out.
People listen to each other here, regardless of role. Your ideas might not always be used, but they're taken seriously.
Do you feel your work has had an impact?
Yes — even if it's small.
Knowing that code you've worked on goes into production and is used by customers makes a big difference. Not everyone gets that experience as an intern, and it makes the work feel real.
What advice would you give to someone starting an internship at Cellusys?
Don't let not knowing things stop you.
If you don't understand something, ask — and if you still don't understand, ask again. It's much easier to clarify early than to carry half-understood knowledge forward.
University and work are very different. There isn't one right way to do things, and no one expects you to know everything. Curiosity and honesty matter far more than pretending you've got it all figured out.
