Before, I felt confident about my personal and professional skills, especially when it comes to my technical abilities. I was under the impression that my interpersonal skills were adequate to navigate most professional environments, but not amazing. However, after graduating in Ravi’s Study Program, I did not realize how nuanced real-world networking and interview processes could be. During the bootcamp, we engaged in a series of simulated activities designed to mirror the software industry’s professional practices. One particularly impactful experience was practicing interviews, particularly behavioural, which allowed me to practice my interviewing skills within a controlled simulated environment, which I struggled with. Over time, my responses to behavioural mock interviews improved, as I was constructing more vivid scenarios, and answering the qeustions in a more concise STAR format. Those mock interviews with my peers contributed to my professional and interpersonal development, as I found myself applying the same strategies and good habits that I developed during those mock interviews into real interviews with success.

After reflection, I realised that success in software engineering is not purely about technical ability as I once thought, but also about how well you communicate your value and adapt to evolving social dynamics in the workplace. From the experience, I now actively attempt to not only improve my technical abilities as an engineer, but also my interpersonal and communication skills. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience that deepened my understanding of what it means to prepare professionally for a career in tech.