Intern Review

I’m a Software Engineering Intern on the Collaboration Frameworks team, where I’m building a web-based debugging tool for the Sharing Framework, a system that manages sharing and permissions across Bloomberg Terminal applications. My day-to-day work involves full-stack development, building both the frontend and backend of the tool and integrating it with existing services used by other teams across Bloomberg.
The debugging tool communicates directly with the Sharing Framework’s database, allowing users to investigate and troubleshoot sharing-related issues more efficiently. I’ve also worked on the authentication and deployment infrastructure required to make the service securely accessible to users.
Alongside development, I write technical documentation and participate in team meetings to discuss technical challenges, collaborate on solutions, and contribute to design and implementation decisions.

Yes, more than I initially expected. From the beginning, I was given ownership of a project rather than simply being assigned individual tickets from a backlog. I was given a problem statement which was to replace the existing debugging workflow with a user-friendly web interface, along with four key use cases. From there, I was responsible for working out the design and implementation.

Both. One of the biggest skills I developed was learning how to navigate large, unfamiliar codebases. I learned not to rely solely on documentation, which can be incomplete or outdated, but to trace through implementations and existing services to understand how systems actually work.
I also improved my software design judgement through code reviews, learning to reach for simple, maintainable solutions over unnecessarily complex ones. My testing skills developed in a similar way, with more focus on writing tests that verify system behavior.
Finally, I gained practical experience with deployment, authentication, and debugging issues across different environments. Alongside this, regular code reviews and explaining technical problems to others strengthened both my communication skills and how I respond to feedback.

I received a lot of support, not only from my mentor and manager but from the wider team and engineers on other teams. Regular one-to-ones and early coffee chats helped me understand who owned different areas, so I always knew who to approach when I needed guidance.
At the same time, I was given a good level of independence. I was given the problem and key use cases, but expected to work out much of the design and implementation myself, with code reviews providing guidance along the way. This balance helped me become more confident working independently while also learning when asking the right person was more effective than trying to solve everything alone.

The company culture was welcoming, collaborative, and supportive. Despite being a large organization with high standards, the atmosphere never felt overly formal or intimidating. People took their work seriously while still being approachable and willing to help, regardless of seniority.
I also found the workplace genuinely inclusive and diverse, both in the people I worked with and in how everyone was encouraged to contribute to discussions. There were also plenty of opportunities to develop through internal training, communities, and other resources.
Overall, I settled in much faster than I expected and quickly felt comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas, and contributing to the team.

I really enjoyed my internship, especially discovering how much I enjoy the investigative side of engineering. I liked the challenge of figuring out the unfamiliar, forming theories about how things worked. Often times, tracking down unexpected results and understanding their root causes was a really satisfying part of the work.
I also really enjoyed the wider experience of working in London and in such an international environment. Being surrounded by people from different backgrounds and experiences added a lot to the internship and made it a very enjoyable experience overall.

Yes