diff --git a/report.md b/report.md index 2db0620..e405f8c 100644 --- a/report.md +++ b/report.md @@ -198,6 +198,79 @@ Problematic: development of a benchmark framework # Conclusion +## Education and career objectives + +I chose to major in Image Processing and Image Synthesis for multiple reasons, +most notably I had an interest in high performance programming, and thought that +this major would yield well to it. This proved to be true, although more so due +to applying it to the projects that we were given rather than the courses we +were taught (except for a few which specifically focused on it). + +Through watching conference presentations, I learned about the field of finance +and thought it would provide interesting challenges that aligned with my +interests. This motivated my choice to intern at IMC, even though their business +is far removed from the core teachings of my major. This too, proved to be true, +and I'm glad to see my initial hunch panning out the way it did. + +## Improving the major + +Having more focus on measuring results and performances of our projects would be +an interesting idea, to put it into context for the major, the need for real +time image analysis and other such constraints means that having the skills to +measure and improve our code can be a necessary part of working in the industry. + +The one class that stands out to me as having this issue front and center is the +GPGPU course, introducing us to massively parallel programming on a graphics +card. However, we were mostly left to our own devices to figure out effective +ways to measure, and analyse those results. Providing more guidance would be a +productive endeavor, ensuring that the students have been provided with the +correct tool set to deal with those problems. + +## Introspection + +Working abroad, with the additional COVID restrictions, is a harsh (FIXME: find +softer term) transition from the routine of school. However, both the company +and the team have made it easy to adjust. + +* The daily stand-up meeting, and weekly retrospective seem more important than +ever when you can potentially not talk to your colleagues for days due to +working-from-home. + +* IMC is very pro-active in organising regular events for their employees. This +is a great way to feel more engaged during such a period. They also organised a +week of training once the other interns had joined, which created a broader +network of relationships in a foreign city. + +* My mentor encouraged me to ask as many questions as I could when I first +started my internship, and I assisted to some presentations which gave +additional context about the work being done by the team. This was helpful in +getting over the fact of feeling overwhelmed when first getting acquainted with +the code and technology being developed and used. + +* The gradual transition to return to office, allowing me to arrange one day a +week to work next to my mentor, lead to more one-on-one interaction which feel +more productive than the usual textual interactions. + +## Career evolution + +This internship was everything I expected and more. The people are great, the +company is thriving, the work environment outstanding. + +The *fintech* sector is full of interesting problems to me. I loved learning +about the basic theory of trading, what constitutes the basis for our +algorithms' decisions. I had a great deal of enjoyment working on my projects +during the internship, despite the few moments of frustration that come from +working on a distributed system. + +Working at IMC, you are surrounded by smart and hard-working engineers, and +encouraged to interact with everybody to spread knowledge. Their focus on +continual improvement means that you are always learning and making yourself +better. Furthermore, they take good care of their employees, the mood is that of +a focused, casual, and playful atmosphere. +All in all, I think that IMC is great place to work at, there are few companies +like it. This will have an impact in how I rate potential future employers, as I +expect few places to be as well-rounded as IMC. + # Appendix ## About IMC