Embedded Systems in Practice - Mikołaj's internship story

Mikołaj is an Electronics and Telecommunications student at Gdańsk University of Technology, specializing in Real-Time Embedded Systems. He combines academic work with DIY electronics and physical prototyping. He co-developed GuitarMicBot, a robotic system for remotely positioning microphones near amplifiers for the AES Convention in Copenhagen. His hardware projects include ESP32-S3-based systems, edge learning, and communication in decentralized LoRa mesh networks.

Outside university, he likes to step away from the screen and the soldering iron and reset by playing football with friends.

During his internship at EmbeddedSystems.do, Mikołaj focused mainly on the telecommunications side of the project, including storing measurement data in memory, establishing a cloud connection, and transmitting data.

What are you studying? Why did you choose this field?

I study Electronics and Telecommunications at Gdańsk University of Technology. Starting next semester, I am choosing the Real-Time Embedded Systems specialization within telecommunications. At first, I was planning to go in a completely different direction, more towards multimedia, but somewhere along the way I decided that embedded systems were a better fit for me.

What interests you most about this field? What would you like to do in the future?

I really like the fact that this field combines three areas: electronics, programming, and telecommunications. It is a great way to bring together everything we learn over several years. You can take all that knowledge and actually use it instead of putting some of it aside.

What was your first day at the company like? What were your first impressions?

At first, of course, I was stressed. It was a new place, and I did not really know what to expect. But when I heard what we would be doing, how we would work, and what the work system looked like, I immediately felt more at ease. Once we started going through the first materials and doing research, the stress practically disappeared, and I became genuinely excited that we were doing something practical.

What tasks did you work on during your internship? Which projects were you involved in?

I mainly worked on the telecommunications part of the project, with some other aspects mixed in that are not directly responsible for communication but are still necessary. Among other things, I am working on saving data to memory so that all the measurements can be collected, and above all on connecting to the cloud and transmitting data.

Did the theoretical knowledge from university help you with the practical tasks during the internship?

To some extent, yes. Naturally, some things need to be refreshed because you cover a lot of material over several years, and some of it becomes less clear over time. Still, there were quite a few elements where I could say, “I already know this,” which made it much easier to become familiar with them again and use them in practice.

Did you learn anything new during your internship?

I definitely learned how to solder. Practical skills are the most important thing for me. Before, I knew many things mainly from theory, and now I can actually test them and apply them in practice.

How would you describe the working atmosphere? Did you feel welcomed and part of the team?

It is very friendly here. We are a close-knit team, and we also got along very well as an intern team. Tomek and I have known each other since our first year of high school, so starting together made things easier, but I think we also integrated very well with the whole team. The atmosphere is genuinely friendly and supportive. If there is something we do not know, we can simply go and ask, and we get an answer without any problem.

Was there a particular moment that stood out to you? What was your favorite part of the internship?

I really enjoy figuring things out, so my favorite moments are the ones when you need to slow down a little and think about how to approach a problem. I would not point to one specific moment – the process of working out how to solve a given situation is itself a very enjoyable part of the job for me.

Did the internship influence your future career plans?

It definitely confirmed for me that this is the direction I want to pursue in the future. When it comes to the atmosphere and work culture, the standards here are set very high, so ideally I would like to work in a place with a similar approach in the future.

Would you recommend an internship at EmbeddedSystems.do to other students? Why?

Absolutely. The practical application of knowledge you gain is something that is very much needed. It allows you to step outside the theoretical bubble and actually see how that knowledge works in practice. I would recommend an internship like this so that everyone has a chance to test their skills.