Turning Ideas into Hardware - Dominik’s Internship Story

Dominik is a student of Automation, Cybernetics and Robotics at Gdańsk University of Technology. He is also actively involved in the SimLE student research club, where he serves as Vice President. During his internship, he is working on prototype development while building his skills in designing and programming IoT devices.

His engineering interests combine hands-on electronics, programming and robotics. Outside university and project work, Dominik enjoys broadening his knowledge through popular science content, as well as watching films and TV series.

What do you study, and why did you choose this field?

I study Automation, Cybernetics and Robotics at Gdańsk University of Technology. It was a natural step for me after graduating from a technical high school as an electronics technician. I also had friends studying automation, and our fields partly overlapped. I found automation very interesting as well. Before choosing my degree, I did a lot of research. In the end, studies related to automation interested me more than electronics. I like being able to see the results of what I create, which is why robotics is particularly close to me. I had also attended robotics classes earlier, while I was still in primary school.

What interests you most about this industry, and what would you like to do in the future?

I am most interested in robotics and artificial intelligence used in robotics. Outside university, I work on my own projects, including robotic arms. They combine programming with hardware, so my knowledge of electronics is useful as well. In the future, I would like to continue developing in this direction. I really liked the fact that during the internship we work on research and development, or R&D. I would like to work somewhere where you solve problems and create proofs of concept instead of doing the same production tasks all the time. I like the variety: one week I can prepare a schematic, the next I can design a board, and later solder and test it. It is creative, non-monotonous work. I see myself mainly in robotics, but embedded systems are also an important part of this field.

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

The first day was quite calm and relaxed in terms of the number of tasks. We had plenty of time to configure the work environment on the laptops we received. At the beginning, we also met with the management, which was an interesting part of the day. We talked with the employees who worked in our room as well. We immediately switched to speaking informally, because that is the culture throughout the company. We were welcomed very warmly. Setting up the laptop took some time, but the first day was shorter and there was no overload of responsibilities. Even though it was a new place and at first I did not know what to expect, the atmosphere was calm, which made it easy to settle in.

What tasks were you given during the internship? What projects did you work on?

We worked as a three-person team on one project: a measurement sensor with LTE communication, or GSM in simplified terms. During the first few days, Piotr explained the project assumptions to us. My tasks were mainly related to hardware. During the first week, I prepared the schematic, added components to the library in Altium and connected the whole circuit. After the review, which took a day or two, I moved on to PCB design, including the layout and routing. That stage, together with the review, took another full week. Then we prepared the BOM, cost estimate and pricing, so I also spent some time working in Excel.

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

Since I have only completed my first year of university, we have not yet had many classes directly related to electronics and embedded systems. The first year focuses heavily on mathematics, programming and the basics of electronics. Because of that, my own experience and knowledge gained independently outside university were more useful most of the time. However, there was one situation when I was designing one of the circuits in our device and used theoretical knowledge from circuits and signals. I first ran simulations, and that genuinely helped me with the task.

Did you learn anything new during the internship?

I learned a great many new things during the internship. Among other things, I designed an antenna on a PCB where the correct impedance had to be maintained. It was a significant and interesting challenge for me, and now I will have the opportunity to see how the solution works in practice. I also gained new soldering experience. It was not only about assembling my own circuit from scratch – I was able to repair an existing board, and for the first time I soldered using hot air. The repair was successful, so it was a small success for me and a skill I now feel much more confident in. Thanks to Paweł’s support, whom I often asked about Altium, I also improved a lot in using the software. I am still a beginner, but instead of having no experience at all, I now have several dozen hours of practice and can create a project from start to finish.

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

The atmosphere was a very positive surprise for me. We have specific tasks, deadlines, reviews and planning, but there is no excessive pressure. The company has a calm atmosphere, and the employees show us a lot of trust. I was surprised when I needed to order something and was simply given access, with the order checked afterwards. There is also no problem with access to the repository or information about tasks, so there is a strong sense of openness. You can talk to anyone, while at the same time the team remains focused on their tasks during work. At lunchtime, the atmosphere becomes even more relaxed. I felt very welcome and treated as part of the team.

Was there any moment that particularly stayed with you? What was your favorite part of the internship?

In terms of integration, what stayed with me most was having breakfast together in the city. From the technical side, I especially remember the moment when I managed to solder and repair a board that actually worked afterwards. What I am looking forward to most, however, is when the board we designed arrives, we solder it and perform the first start-up. It will be special for me because, for the first time, I will be able to order, assemble and start up a board that I designed myself. Previously, my projects often remained only as files on a computer and did not make it into the physical world.

Did the internship influence your career plans?

I would not say that it completely changed my plans, but it definitely made me realize that I could do work similar to what I experienced here and develop in R&D. I also saw that it is worth looking for a smaller, young and growing company where interesting projects are carried out. You could say that the internship raised my expectations and standards regarding future internships and work.

Would you recommend an internship at our company to other students? Why?

Yes, I would recommend this internship to other students – both friends from university and colleagues from my student research club. People who do not yet have much practical experience can gain specific knowledge and skills here, for example learning how to solder. The internship supervisors are very good at sharing their knowledge. Students who already have some experience, on the other hand, can see what work in an operating company looks like: what standards are used, how a project is run and how a team works when several people are developing one solution. It is a good opportunity to see systems and processes that actually work in practice.

Do you have any advice for future interns?

My advice is mainly about the recruitment task: do not be afraid of it. You just need to start working on it, approach it systematically and give yourself more time than only the last day. Then it should work out.