University Of Delaware: My Summer Internship: Andrew Gugger

Wilmington DE

13 January, 2022

2:46 AM

Description

Press release from the University of Delaware: January 10, 2022 Lerner student Andrew Gugger was a front-end web development intern with Swiss Reinsurance Company, Ltd. Andrew Gugger, a Class of 2022 management information systems major with minors in computer science and business analytics, spent the summer of 2021 with Swiss Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (Swiss Re) as a front-end web development intern. Q: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you choose it? Gugger: I found this internship after reaching out to many people in my network. I chose this internship because it gave me the chance to learn how large scale web-applications are built. I also had the opportunity to contribute in an incredibly meaningful way as well as learn new technologies. Q: Did the coronavirus impact your internship search and working experience? If so, how? Gugger: Since everyone I worked with was located in Zürich, Switzerland or Italy, I would have stayed with my family in Switzerland had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic. Although my managers and co-workers were very accommodating of the 6-hour time difference, communication was sometimes difficult at the beginning of the internship. As a result, I tried to start work as early as possible in order to maximize the overlap with my co-workers. Q: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere? Gugger: For me to contribute to the project I had to learn Git, TypeScript, Azure and Angular — a front-end framework for web applications. Not only was I learning these new technologies but I was gaining hands-on experience where there were real ramifications if I implemented something poorly. The part of the project that I was working on wouldn't be completed by the end of my internship so I also had to lay out contingency plans for issues that might arise when the site has matured as well. Q: What is the most exciting task or project that you have done or are currently doing in your role? Gugger: I worked on the internationalization and Localization (i18n and L10n) for Swiss Re's digital solution for facultative reinsurance – "SwiftRe 2.0″. I was tasked with implementing the multi-language functionality to the site. This was very exciting for me to work on because Swiss Re has clients all around the world so I felt really lucky to have had the opportunity to contribute to a feature of the project that was so important. Q: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you've learned at Lerner to your role? Gugger: I was able to apply much of what I learned about building dynamic web applications from MISY350 to the work I was doing on this project. In addition to this, I was often communicating with both developers as well as business experts on a range of topics and issues regarding SwiftRe. The classes I have taken at Lerner taught me about the importance of good communication between business and IT. Q: How do you think this internship will aid you with your professional goals? Gugger: This internship has given me great insight into how companies are able to tackle such large-scale technical projects. In addition to the experience, I received amazing guidance from incredibly talented developers and business experts. I am eager to apply all that I have learned this summer in my future positions. Q: What are your plans or next steps in your career once your internship is over? Gugger: My plan is to complete my final year here at UD and join the workforce. This press release was produced by the University of Delaware. The views expressed here are the author's own.