Sakaria Nghivafe
bob Finance AG
Bachelor Student in Computer Science
Namibia University of Science and Technology
February 01 - April 30, 2023
at work
I interned at bob Finance AG for three months in the Information Technology Department. I worked as a Data Scientist and Software Developer with Björn Scheiwiller and Olaf Haase as my mentors. I had frequent coffee talks with a lot of my colleagues, and it made me feel as though I was part of the team. My mentor, Björn, is credited with the development I went through as a professional and as a person. It's thanks to his guidance and lessons that I have more confidence in my work.
My time at bob Finance involved three projects. The first was developing a solution that would improve database record writing speeds. The next was a survival analysis on contracts and clients to determine what the probability that a client stays with the company for a specified duration of time is. The final project, which took a large portion of my time, was developing a Campaign Management Application. This application should enable easier and quicker campaign selection and tracking. The motivation behind this project was The Federal Act on Data Protection(FADP), which will be passed later in the year.
This internship helped shape the way I approach problems. My mentor provided me challenges that kept me on my toes and forced me to constantly think outside what I am used to. I am a better professional thanks to my mentor.
My Swiss host family
I had the pleasure of being hosted by Family Rothlin. My host parents were Claudia and Walter Rothlin. The talks we had were always something I looked forward to. Sunday Dinner was my favourite as that's when the entire family came together including Claudia’s father. Our conversation involved a large variety of topics ranging from politics to business and entertainment. Claudia radiated motherly affection and always made me feel as though I was part of the family. I had the pleasure of working on a project with Walter and it felt amazing that I could learn something from him, as he is a master Software Engineer.
My highlights and challenges
My highlights were the trips I went on with the other interns and my host family. The trips I took with the other interns to Genève, Interlaken, Bern, St Gallen, Konstanz, Lugano, Luzern, and many more. This is all thanks to the GA. My host father and I took a trip to Schaffhausen, Rheinfall, Andermatt, Lugano, Ponte Tresa and many more.
Challenges mainly came from buses being delayed so I’d miss my initial train to work, one case of a train that stopped working. Another challenge came about when I was stuck on a specific task from work.
My future plans
In the not so distant future, I plan to complete my degree and obtain cloud engineering certifications and data engineering. The experience from my internship, coupled with my future qualifications, will pave the path for more opportunities in the future.
In the distant future, I’d like to obtain postgraduate qualifications depending on my experience in the industry. I’d like to work as an academic in Software Engineering and Data Engineering. I’d eventually like to gain experience as a Cloud Engineer.
Personal message
I’d like to express my gratitude to my bob Finance team, Björn Scheiwiller, Olaf Haase, Martin Fischer and Wolfgang Gröschel, my host family, Walter, Claudia, Tobias and Lukas Rothlin and B360 for providing me with this once in a lifetime opportunities.
To future interns, take full advantage of the time you will spend in Switzerland. The time you spend with everyone will be something you will definitely look back on.
