The Introduction

After a brutal co-op search on the UWaterloo job board, I was lucky enough to land a job at Kablamo after an interview with Jack. I wasn’t his first choice during recruiting, but he wasn’t mine either (kidding), so it was alright.

For 4 months starting January 2023, I got to work as a React Native frontend intern in the Canadian division. On the first day, I was onboarded, had my environment set up, and was introduced to the team. And by the second day, I was able to hit the ground running and got to work on my first ticket.

The Work

Naturally, I was put onto a current client for Kablamo Canada, which is in the FinTech space. I’m not sure what I am allowed to share about this project so I will do the wise thing and not risk any potential future contracts.

I already had some experience with TypeScript React from previous co-ops, so I had minimal trouble getting familiar with the code and getting started. I started with some super easy tasks and slowly made my way into the more difficult and larger pieces of work. My tech leaders, Jack and Will, were great at giving me work that allowed me to be more and more familiar with the codebase without being overwhelmed.

There were some very memorable pieces of work during my 4 months. Mostly good and unique memories, and of course some frustrating experiences. But I learned a lot about good practices and habits, coming up with creative solutions, and the importance of testing your code.

Sometimes I would be given feedback on my pull requests that were so genius (shoutout to Will) I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to think of the solution by myself. Other times I would be given feedback that required me to basically rewrite my solution from scratch (shoutout to Will again), and I would have to go out for a walk before getting to work again.

One of the things I really liked about working on this project was that since the project was still in the early-ish stages when I joined, I felt like the work I was doing was making an impact. I could see the work I did being used and built upon, which made me proud of what I had made.

I feel like the project grew tremendously during the 4 months I was here. I look forward to seeing how much more the team accomplishes when I come back in September of this year.

The Social

Kablamo Canada has an in-office day every Thursday. As an introvert, I was intimidated at first, but the team was very welcoming and friendly. I liked the chill and social environment I could work in. There were snacks and we would sometimes play games after work. Even though my commute to the office was almost 2 hours one way, I found myself looking forward to every Thursday. I will miss playing Liar’s Dice and trying to make Jack lose all his dice.

There were also a lot of team events. During my time at Kablamo, we had a couple of team dinners, went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), went to mini-golf, saw the Mario movie, and did a cultural potluck. I really enjoyed the frequent events and I hope the team continues hosting these events.

The Goodbye (for now)

Since I was the first Canadian intern, I was setting the bar for the country and my university. So when I heard that Kablamo is hiring from UWaterloo again, I was relieved. It would have been pretty bad news for me if they didn’t. My goal was to set the bar very high so that future co-ops would be miserable. I really hope I achieved that, sorry future co-ops.

I’m looking forward to coming back in September as a part-time employee unless something happens to my contract before then.

I miss Kablamo already! Maybe you’ll be able to take my Milkybar virginity when I come back.

By Kwan, your favourite Canadian intern so far.

Epilogue

json
{
  "en": {
    "Aaron": "Hope Toronto and Montreal wasn't too cold",
    "Adam": "Even though you live in the middle of nowhere with no means of transportation, thanks for stopping by once in a while",
    "Alexis": "If I stop by at Australia this summer I will be sure to bring some products from my dad",
    "Angelo": "Thanks for helping me get access to Teams",
    "Daniel": "Hope you beat the Blade of Miquella one day",
    "Harry": "Raps in 6 in the 2024 NBA finals",
    "Jack": "Here is your blog Jack, can I get my rating now",
    "Jacky": "You have ice in your veins but I am still the better shooter",
    "Joseph": "Looking forward to getting to know you more in September",
    "Long": "We should go snowboarding some time, sad I couldn't go",
    "Millan": "One more reason to visit Vancouver again",
    "Rob": "You're the one that smells bad Rob",
    "Ross": "The trophy is my most prized possession now, thank you",
    "Taz": "I will be back to bug you more in September",
    "Tobi": "Could I get a ride to team events from Waterloo in September please :pleading:",
    "Will": "MVP of this season, would not have learned nearly as much without you. P.S. employment is definitely overcomplicated",
    "Yang": "My favourite BE engineer in Canada so far"
  },
  "fr": {
    "Ludo": "Warriors in 7 in the 2023 NBA finals"
  }
}

Hope I didn’t miss anyone!