Welcome to my Red Hat Placement Diary!

  • I will bring you along my first week as an intern at Red Hat.
  • This includes talking about my daily routine and the various things in and out the office.
  • Please join along and enjoy the blog below!

First Day

My first day at the Waterford office was one for the books! I met up with the rest of my engineering intern cohort, and we immediately hit it off, chatting away and sharing our excitement for the journey ahead. The warm welcome started as soon as I walked in—my own desk was waiting for me, complete with some awesome Red Hat swag (a hoodie, hat, and bag!). Talk about making a first impression! After settling in, we went on a tour of the office. I had the chance to meet some incredibly talented engineers and, of course, my manager, Paul. Everyone was friendly and passionate about their work, which really set the tone for the rest of my time there. We were given an introduction to the internship program, with some insight into what we could expect and possible future opportunities within Red Hat. It was exciting to hear about the potential paths ahead and how we’d be contributing to meaningful projects. Next, I was assigned to the TAS (Trusted Artifact Signer) team. I’m really looking forward to getting involved with the team and learning from some of the best in the business. Afterward, we had a team lunch at a local bar. It was a great opportunity to unwind and get to know my fellow interns and the team in a more relaxed setting. I also met my “buddy/mentor,” who will be guiding me throughout my internship. Having someone to turn to for advice and support is reassuring, and I can already tell this mentorship is going to be invaluable. The day wrapped up with setting up our laptops, and just like that, my internship journey had begun

Second Day

Day two brought a change of scenery as I headed to my “base” office in Cork, located in the Cork Business Park. After a quick tour, I had the chance to pick my own desk in the open-plan office—where I’d be spending the majority of my time from now on. One of the perks I’m already loving is the complementary free breakfast every Wednesday in the office. It’s a nice touch that encourages everyone to start their day off right, and I’ll definitely be making it a weekly tradition! The highlight of the day was a 1:1 chat with Lance, my team manager. It was great to finally sit down with him and get to know each other better. He provided me with some valuable insights into my role and the projects I’ll be working on. The rest of the day was all about settling in. I spent some time getting familiar with the office environment, as well as the applications I’ll be using in my role. It was a bit of an adjustment, but I’m excited to dive deeper as the days go on. I also started the Red Hat onboarding process, beginning with some advanced courses on OpenShift and Kubernetes. These courses are packed with useful information, and I’m eager to get a solid understanding of the technologies I’ll be working with. The day ended on a simple, yet satisfying note—snacking in the kitchenette. It’s always nice to take a breather and relax, especially when you’ve had a productive day!

Third Day

By day three, I was starting to feel right at home in the office, having gotten familiar with the layout and the company culture. I had the chance to meet some of the other interns, including those from the Tax & Accounting department, and chat with them about their roles. At noon, I joined a call with my team for a daily update, which helped me stay in the loop with everyone’s progress. Later, my mentor Tommy and I had a call where he gave me an overview of the workflow and what to expect moving forward. In between calls, I continued working on the Technical Overview of OpenShift and Kubernetes (DO080), diving deeper into these key technologies while also experimenting with clusters on AWS. The day ended on a high note with my first team call, where everyone was so friendly and welcoming, making me even more excited to be part of such a collaborative environment.

Last Day of the week

At the end of my first week, I had the opportunity to work remotely, which was both comfortable and productive. I spent some time polishing my skills with GitHub, practicing key commands like push, pull, git commit, and generally familiarizing myself with the platform, which will be crucial for my projects moving forward. I also joined the usual 12:00 PM team call for the daily update, staying connected with the team’s progress. A big milestone was finally completing the DO080 course on OpenShift and Kubernetes, which gave me a solid introduction to OpenShift. Additionally, I finished three assessments to establish a baseline for my learning at the start and end of my placement, which will help track my progress over time. The week wrapped up with the end-of-week team call, where we reflected on our work and relaxed together, leaving me feeling excited for what’s ahead.