McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
Oluwatobiloba “Tobi” Onimole is a computer science graduate student at McNeese State University from Nigeria. He recently completed an internship with Waymo in Mountain View, California. Waymo provides the service of self-driving cars as a means of transportation.
“At Waymo, I learned the importance of writing highly reliable, maintainable code as well as collaborating with other engineers and seeing how individual contributions fit into much larger systems,” explained Onimole.
He also learned that “being a strong engineer is not just about knowing how to code, but also about asking good questions, communicating effectively and being willing to learn.”
The internship gave him valuable industry experience and a clear understanding of the type of work he wants to pursue after graduating. Onimole enjoyed working alongside engineers who helped him grow professionally and gave him a better perspective on the skills and habits he needs to continue developing as a software engineer.
“I will take the engineering practices and problem-solving skills I developed at Waymo into my future academic and professional work,” Onimole expressed. “The experience gave me a better understanding of what it takes to work on complex, real-world technology, and I plan to apply that mindset to future projects and opportunities.”
He applied concepts from computer science coursework including programming, data structures, algorithms and software development. A variety of classes helped him expand the technical foundation he needed to approach unfamiliar problems and understand new systems during the internship.
In the professional environment, he learned how important code reviews, documentation, testing, communication and collaboration are when working on large systems with many engineers.
“The scope was not as defined as it is when working individually or in small groups for classroom projects,” Onimole added.
His advice to students looking for internships is to “start early and don’t be afraid to apply even when you don’t feel like you meet every requirement.” He also wants students to “stay consistent, keep improving your resume, practice interviews and apply for opportunities.”
Onimole is “grateful to McNeese and the computer science faculty for helping me build the foundation that prepared me for this opportunity,” says Onimole. “Being able to take what I learned in the classroom and apply it in an industry environment was an incredibly valuable experience, and I am excited to bring those lessons into the next stage of my education and career.”
