Helina Mulugeta is a Sophomore Computer Science major and was hired by Cognex as a Software Engineering Intern for the Summer of 2024.

What did you work on this summer? Over the summer, I worked with the functional testing team to write several kinds of tests for the GUI that is used to interact with Cognex cameras. I was mainly working on improving the automated UI tests and restructuring them so that they didn’t take as long. I also got to work on fixing bugs in the tests.

What’s the best thing about your job?  I really enjoyed going to work every day because I knew that each time I sat down, I’d be working on a new problem. I never had to solve the same problem twice. Every task was a new lesson I learned. I had the opportunity to expand on a lot of skills I had learned in classes, but also got to learn completely new ones.

What’s great about your company?  Cognex’s culture is based on learning from each other to solve problems. Whenever I wasn’t sure on how to get started on a task, I could reach out to a few people and get great pointers on how I could tackle it. Everyone has embraced the teaching-learning environment so the information I got was always comprehensive. They not only showed me how I can deal with a given task, but also on how I could generally approach similar tasks. Cognex also emphasizes progress. They aren’t complaining about where they stand today but rather asking what they can do to be better. This creates a positive environment where achievements are appreciated and setbacks are taken as learning opportunities.

How did you find your internship opportunity?  I found my internship at the Career Fair.  

How did the Career Connections Center help you with your internship search? The Career Connections Center was with me throughout the entire process. I went in for advice on preparing for the Career Fair and went over my resume with the staff a couple of times. They helped me communicate with employers and helped me prepare for my interviews as well. I used the interview room inside the Career Connections Center, and recruiters have mentioned the importance of that as well as dressing professionally. I’ve found that the advice I received from the Career Connections Center aligns with what recruiters say.