Name:Pravin Pande

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Laureate International Universities

Position Title: ETL Software Engineer

Major(s)/Minor(s):Information Systems

Work Term:Spring 2018

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

I’ve been working at Laureate since June 2017 and it’s an amazing experience. I’ve learned niche technologies and expanded my professional network. The job responsibilities are exactly what I was looking for. We are working in Scaled Agile Framework(SAFe) which makes work more fun. I work closely with my colleagues and it gives me a sense of more responsibility. I've some amazing mentors and teammates who help each other and learn from each other. I've worked on various projects which include loading data from various source systems using SSIS and Informatica ETL tools. ETL (Extract, Transform & Load) is a process of extracting data from source systems, transforming it as per business requirements and loading it into various databases. We use Snowflake, MS SQL Server, Azure, Oracle and MySQL databases. We work in Agile environment so we plan work every two weeks and divide it in stories. Some of my daily responsibilities include:

- Creating mappings in Informatica Cloud to extract data from Oracle and load it into Snowflake DW. This is an ongoing project with interest from top management executives to build a global data warehouse and reporting suite for all the 70 universities owned by Laureate.

- Creating mappings in SSIS to load and transform ticketing system data from MySQL into MS SQL Server and Azure. Then building reporting on this data using Tableau. The aim is to keep all the teams informed about current ticket queue and track performance of various systems.

- Automating Cognos and Tableau access request process using MS Flow, Azure and MS Form cloud applications.

- Optimizing Informatica mappings using various optimization techniques such as Pushdown Optimization(PDO), buffer block size changes etc.

- Loading data from Banner to ODS using Oracle PL/SQL procedures. Modify and fix issues as and when needed.

- Working on tickets to fix issues in reports, data or jobs developed.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

Career fair in February 2017 was my starting point where I got in touch with Laureate recruiters. Then I applied online and was called for three interviews. I was consistently in touch with Beth Rudoy from Career Center to get my resume reviewed and learn some tips for interview. It's important to know what industry needs and plan to build your skills. I attended various workshops and seminars organized by Career Center to learn industry requirements for my profile. UMBC Connects is an amazing networking event and I strongly recommend everyone to attend it and talk to professionals.   

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I enjoy work environment, freedom to think and act, people and technologies used at Laureate. It's fun to explore new technologies when you have enough time to think critically and build new and innovative solutions by your own. We are always appreciated and inspired to develop efficient & innovative solutions. This helped me in developing automated access approval process solution which will be implemented at global level. Agile approach is fun to work in.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I seek for feedback from my boss and colleagues which helps me in understanding about my work and progress. It also helps me in setting up priorities. I use Trello.com to keep track of my daily tasks. I engage with folks from different teams to learn and understand how we are helping each other. We work very closely as Agile methodology suggests doing so. We test each other’s work and appreciate if someone is doing something out of the box. Certificate of achievement which I received in August 2017, appreciation from my team and boss makes me believe that I’ve made an impact.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

I would suggest working on technologies/skills you love and build resume before applying. Learning a technology just because there are many job opportunities in the market won't help you. You should think about what you like doing and what not. Finding a right internship starts with knowing what you really want to do. Networking is extremely important and keeping in touch with people helps you a ton. Attending various events organized by Career Center should be the starting point for networking. Then start using LinkedIn and make sure your profile is updated.

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