From Classroom to Code: Ashween’s Internship Retrospective
As you know, at MiTSA, we love highlighting the achievements of students. This week, we spoke with Ashween Ramakrishnan, a Master of Computer Science student at the University of Adelaide, who is on the brink of completing his internship as a Software Engineer Intern at Allied AU — a healthcare platform connecting practitioners and patients across Australia.
About Ashween
“Maintaining a mindset of learning by doing has shaped my approach to both study and career growth.”
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and what you enjoy doing in your free time?
Hello, my name is Ashween Ramakrishnan, and I’m currently pursuing a Master of Computer Science at the University of Adelaide. In my free time, I like to spend my energy doing something productive, usually building small projects or experimenting with new technologies. When I feel like taking a break, I enjoy watching a light-hearted or feel-good movie to relax and recharge.
Motivation
Q: What motivated you to seek out an internship?
I wanted to pursue an internship because I’ve been out of the industry for over a year, and I believe gaining hands-on experience is the best way to stay connected and relevant to current industry practices. An internship also allows me to apply what I’ve learned in my studies to real-world projects and continue improving my technical and professional skills.
Q: Do you think it's important for students to do an internship and why?
Yes, I think it’s very important for students, especially international students, to do an internship. Many employers value Australian work experience, and completing an internship while studying helps bridge the gap between academic learning and workplace expectations. It’s a great way to build confidence, industry connections, and a stronger career foundation.
Q: How did you secure your internship? What steps did you need to take?
I secured my internship by actively applying through LinkedIn and the University of Adelaide CareerHub. The first step was preparing a strong resume and tailored cover letter (a generic one rarely works). I made sure to personalise each application based on the company and role. In addition to applying online, I also reached out to people on LinkedIn to build connections and learn more about potential opportunities. Once you get an offer, there are usually multiple rounds of interviews, but for the company I’m currently with, there was just one interview with the CEO. They were looking for someone with prior technical experience so that onboarding and task allocation would be smoother.
Proudly representing Allied AU among the startups and tech ventures at ThincLab Adelaide.
Technical Aspects
Q: How many people are on your team and how many hours do you usually work in a week?
Our team has three members, and I typically work around 20 hours a week. During deadlines, I sometimes put in a few extra hours. The CEO, Rachel, is very understanding and flexible, she allows us to spread our hours across the week depending on our schedules.
Q: What tools and resources do you use at your internship?
In terms of tools and technologies, I work primarily with Laravel, for backend, and Nuxt.js, for frontend. Since I wasn’t very familiar with these frameworks at the beginning, it took me a bit of time to get comfortable. While tools like ChatGPT and other online platforms are helpful for learning and debugging, I’ve realised that strong debugging skills (knowing how to identify and fix issues) are the most valuable part of being an effective developer.
Experience Background
Q: Where do you work and what does your internship entail?
I’m currently working as a Software Engineer Intern at Allied AU. Allied AU is a healthcare platform that connects practitioners with patients. The platform allows patients to search for practitioners based on their needs and book appointments directly through the system.
At Allied AU, I’m involved in fixing existing bugs and developing new features such as the practitioner calendar, email notifications, and appointment rescheduling. I also work on improving various parts of the platform to ensure a smooth and reliable user experience.
“Internships aren’t just résumé boosters. They are bridges between theory and real-world application.”
ThincLab, where innovation meets opportunity, a launch board for many journeys into industry.
Key Takeaways
Q: Challenges are inevitable. What are some challenges that you've come across in your internship?
One of the main challenges I faced was the need for self-learning and adapting quickly. In a fast-paced environment, there isn’t always someone available to guide you step by step, you often have to explore, research, and learn independently. This experience taught me to become more resourceful and confident in solving problems on my own.
Q: What would you say is the most important thing you've learned over the course of your internship?
The most important skill I’ve developed is the ability to understand and work with code written by others. Writing your own code is one thing, but debugging and improving existing codebases can be much more challenging. Over time, I’ve learned to read, analyse, and fix issues in unfamiliar code more efficiently. I’ve also gained a better understanding of the importance of clean code, collaboration, and maintaining work–life balance, which is strongly encouraged at Allied AU.
Q: A lot of the readers are likely looking to get an internship of their own. What is one piece of advice you would give to an eager internship seeker?
Don’t lose hope. You never know what opportunities lie ahead. Keep putting in the effort, keep learning, and knock on every door, eventually, one will open. Patience and persistence always pay off.
Beyond the Internship
“Keep Learning, Keep Growing”
Q: Where do you see yourself after graduation? Did your internship give you more clarity on your career path?
My advice is to stay curious and persistent, especially when facing setbacks. Break problems into smaller parts, communicate openly with supervisors and peers, and manage your time carefully. Most importantly, don’t be afraid of failure - every challenge is a chance to grow.
Q: Is there anything about your journey that you would like to share?
Before starting my internship, I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve during my master’s program. I’ve been keeping track of industry trends, and with the growing shift towards AI-related roles, I want to strengthen my knowledge in artificial intelligence and machine learning. I believe that in the near future, there will be increasing demand for hybrid roles, where software engineers also have AI expertise.
Looking ahead, I plan to continue building my technical foundation in industry and may also consider pursuing a PhD part-time to deepen my research and expertise.
Ashween’s journey is a reminder that growth often starts with curiosity and persistence. Whether it’s exploring new technologies, debugging code, or reaching out for opportunities, every small effort compounds over time.
MiTSA is incredibly proud of Ashween for his achievements so far and we can’t wait to see where his path leads next.
