Intern Perspectives: A warm welcome to the Veritas University program
"A priceless experience” is a funny phrase, sometimes used as a selling point for a multi-course meal or tourist vacation package. However, my first six weeks at Veritas have been just that! Only halfway through my Veritas University internship, I’ve experienced advances in my professional skills, both on and off paper, and made connections to others in the technology industry with interests and needs like mine. The internship program has provided a tremendously positive learning environment, helping me to build my resume and network among peers. Prior to becoming part of the Veritas family, I underestimated how much an internship would add value to my early career. The credit, no doubt, goes to the approachable, resourceful, and warm welcoming team at Veritas. The interns are carefully placed on teams across the company, and included in team meetings, where their opinions are earnestly sought after and considered. I realize this is the exception among internships, and I am grateful for the opportunity to receive this level of engagement. Being an intern at Veritas offers insights to how a company actually works – one of many ways Veritas upholds its core principles of “empowering its employees.” While I expected an intern might be left to figure the company dynamics on their own, given the time required to on-board an individual, the transition into various phases of my internship have been collaborative and smooth. The guidance and support received by Veritas interns is constant, and yet we are able to identify and express ideas of our own – and idea sharing is always encouraged. Veritas interns are asked to “think outside the box” to come up with our own strategies to address real company matters, and we have regular check-ins with managers, mentors, and recruiters to share. Our managers frequently provide feedback on what we can do to make the most out of our twelve weeks at Veritas. And then there’s the grand finale: We are all looking forward to the Intern showcase at the end of our Veritas University program. At the Veritas University Intern Showcase, all interns have an opportunity to display and discuss their work with Veritas employees in order to gain recognition as well as feedback on our efforts. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. I’m already done with the first half of my internship and very excited about what’s to come on #TeamVtas!VOX DC interviews: Senior Software Engineer, Yuwei Wang
In addition to inviting fresh faces to the floors of the company’s global offices each quarter as interns, we also hire many program graduates for full-time roles on our teams. One of these impressive people is Senior Software Engineer, Yuwei Wang.Veritas India welcomes 2019 interns to Veritas University
In January, Veritas invited 25 new interns to join the company’s Pune office through the Veritas University program. The 6-month internship provides an opportunity for participating college graduates to showcase their talent, integrating to ongoing IT projects on the Pune IT team.
Intern Perspectives: Choosing an internship with Veritas
In March 2018, I was pressed to choose an internship. Following conversations with those who had been a part of the Veritas University program, I was convinced to join with a focus on project management. In the discussions, three details stood out: each past intern highlighted the importance of team diversity at Veritas, the exposure to senior management they’d experienced, and the independence they held in decision making during their internship. Exposure to senior management Over the last seven weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to sit next to the CEO and provide my perspective on the direction of the company. Following the meeting, Veritas’ Chief Product Officer sent a direct message on Slack responding to my queries and asking about my internship project. I’ve gained insight to decision making at the topmost level, with many meetings closing with a recommendation and introduction to another leader. The learnings through these interactions have offered far moreawarenessof corporate life than the year of case studies encountered during business school. The management encourages and welcomes interns to engage and offer details on the Veritas University program. One example that sticks out was the extension of a meeting by a VP so he could share of his experience as an intern and provide recommendations for my Veritas University project. I know he maintains a full schedule yet went out of his way to be supportive; this quality of humility is seen across Veritas leadership. Diversity and intern support Every company claims to be diverse, so I was skeptical I’d experience anything unusual at Veritas. However, when I was introduced to my team, I was pleased to be paired with a group hosting a broad range of academic backgrounds. The university relations team did a great job in composing a strong team – diverse across education, experience, gender, and individual strengths. Apart from the immediate team, each intern has multiple mentors and an assigned collaborator who is well-pared to our work experience. I cannot emphasize enough the tremendous progress made in our project as a result of the expertise of each member of our team. As a business major, one skill that is most important to me is to drive consensus and motivate a diverse team; my time at Veritas has been a crash course in this effort, and I am receiving all the support necessary to succeed in my efforts. The liberty to make decisions Upon joining Veritas University, I was told two things by my mentor: Veritas wants you to enjoy your internship, and projects go live at the close of the internship session. I was excited to discover the CTO would be overseeing my project and assumed I would be required to follow detailed instructions throughout. However, the next thing my mentor told me was something I will never forget: “Deliver the project the way you see fit.” He noted I should be creative and had his support. Everyone on my team is considered a project decision maker. My mentors and collaborators guarantee we are exhaustive in the creative process, but ultimately, we feel incredibly empowered. I am pleased to have chosen Veritas for my internship. I’d joined business school unsureof the career path I wanted to take, and my experience at Veritas has demonstrated the value of a product management. This is what #LifeAtVeritas hasprovided me – a direction. #VtasNextGen
Intern Perspectives: What I’ve learned as a UX Designer at Veritas
Entrepreneur and startup expert, Eric Ries, defines startups as “organizations dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty.” In my 9th week at Veritas, I can confirm my focus project with Veritas University readily fits Ries' definition. I’ve learned to: Be adaptive When my teammates and I first began dissecting our internship project, we were lost. The problem/solution pair felt unclear, and I remember pondering, “How should we approach the problem?” and, “Can we really deliver something within such a short period of time when we must do so from scratch?” With my academic background, it was difficult for me to answer these questions without immediately wondering if we had enough time for research. The first and most important thing I’ve realized is the importance of adaptivity; while my prior knowledge shapes my approach, it may not be applicable in an industry setting. The ideal way of eliminating the gap between the two is to combine the major takeaway and apply it to the real world. In school, we spent 7 hours creating an affinity wall workshop for the purpose analyzing interviews, but in the real world, the whole process may need to be completed in 2 hours’ time. Understanding the core benefits of a theory and adopting it wisely is essential to the success of a project. I’ve learned to: Be humble and inclusive Working with great people is another factor that has made my internship at Veritas exciting and fun. Collaborating with engineers and MBAs has enabled me to better understand varying viewpoints, and together we can ensure we pursue a well-rounded goal. Talking to mentors and other experienced UX professionals has benefited me in both design and testing. In building these relationships, I’ve realized a UX designer’s measurement of success is intrinsically user-focused; it’s all about users’ acceptance of your designs. My internship at Veritas CX has honed my ability to be more inclusive – to be curious and question the reasons behind design decisions. My favorite quote from my experience with Veritas University supports ongoing curiosity, too: “I know you are resilient because you are a designer.” Curiosity is forever! I’ve learned to: Be bold and innovative When it comes to enterprise application design, people often choose to stay safe. I have to admit I did the same before my internship with Veritas. We were told interns could drive their projects, though in my first designs I played it safe. The senior management were supportive throughout the design review process, but thoughtfully pushed me to strive for a bolder outcome. Making bold moves invites uncertainty – something wonderfully accessible as an intern with Veritas University. I’ve realized the value in testing bold ideas; if it fails, move on to the next. I am grateful I chose an internship with Veritas University. In the program, I work on a project that allows me to think out of the box and enjoy flexibility. I’m especially thankful to work with great people at CX and the feedback they’ve provided. I treasure the “three be” methodology learned, as well as the sweet memories created among my project team, creating something incredible together.
Intern Perspectives: The unexpected tie between my internship with Veritas and foosball
Over the past few weeks, I have been playing foosball with my Veritas University internship team; or more appropriately, I have been learning how to play foosball. Admittedly, I am one of the weakest links within the group, along with my team mate, Joe. But again, we’re learning. I’d never played foosball before joining the Veritas University internship program, and when we first joined forces, Joe and I practiced a lot. We needed to. We’ve slowly improved, playing Rahul and Wyatt, daily. Up until recently, we nearly always lost to them, and sometimes badly. But again – learning. It seemed like one day the tide shifted; our effort was paying off. Suddenly, we were dominating the table and won the majority of the games from then on. Within our Veritas University team, we were the best. Then today we reached outside our team and played some of the UX interns – we got our butts kicked. We played three games. By the close of the third game we started doing a bit better, but still the loss was impending. We’d fallen from a top our throne of foosball greatness, and we were humbled. Foosball and my Veritas internship My foosball experience perfectly sums up my time at Veritas. Every day I’ve learned something new or hit a personal milestone, only to reach past it and realize I still have so much to learn. Being surrounded by so many brilliant people and challenging problems at Veritas has inspired rapid growth. I came to Veritas nervous about working in Silicon Valley. I thought I was a decent engineer and leader – and in my bubble, I was. But when I extended beyond my comfort zone at Veritas, I got my butt kicked. At Veritas, I’ve never been the best engineer or leader in the building. I brought my “A game,” of course, and learned from the mistakes of yesterday, but still, there has always been someone better. Learning at Veritas – a cross-company effort The best thing about losing at the foosball tables was the interactions after the loss; those who beat us often lent a tip on improving. And you could observe and learn the tricks or maneuvers that made them great at the game, too. This approach applies to our work in the Veritas office, as well. Veritas’ senior engineers have dedicated ample time to demonstrating how to out-maneuver those sneaky bugs in our code and be better engineers. The UR team, MBAs, and Veritas leadership always seem to have a compelling lesson to teach. Whenever I’ve made a mistake or couldn’t get something to function, there has been a lesson to be learned that helped me improve as a professional. I’m grateful for the opportunities Veritas has afforded in the Veritas University internship program. And all of these foosball losses and engineering hurdles? I realize each is a learning opportunity accumulating in one big win. I’m ready to use the skills I’ve gained at Veritas to take on my next opponent in life, whatever that may be. #LifeAtVeritas #TeamVtas #VtasNextGenVeritas India Welcomes First Group of Interns in 2020
Veritas invited 60 new interns to join the company’s Pune office through the Veritas University program. The program offers a six-month internship that provides an opportunity for participating college graduates to integrate into ongoing projects with the Pune team and showcase their talent.
