It was an “experience of a lifetime” for three Brazilian exchange students from St. Clair College, who recently completed an internship at AlphaKOR Group‘s brand new home.
“It has been a very pleasant experience working with St. Clair College and placing the 3 interns at AlphaKOR. These gentlemen fit in quickly as AlphaKORians and interacted with the Team. We look forward to the next set of interns from the College in the near future.” Frank Abbruzzese, President, AlphaKOR Group.
We sat down with Lucas Gomes, Pedro Araujo & Pedro Paulo Figueiredo to discuss their experiences these past few months.
What was your experience like working at AlphaKOR and in the Tech Sector in Windsor-Essex?
Lucas Gomes
The experience in the Tech Sector was really interesting mainly for the fact that it is growing at fast pace in the region. This growth may attract new companies to establish business here increasing worth and generating jobs. AlphaKOR is a good example to picture this growth and the relationship with the businesses in Windsor-Essex area. The Open House was really nice to connect to the clients as they meet the staff, workspace and the way things are done at the company.
Pedro Araujo
About my experience at AlphaKOR I liked very much the opportunity that was given to me and I hope I could help with something, I would not like to think that was a waste of time for the group since it was a great chance for me to see how a big company works, and for the company to see what I’m able do for them. I think that I could do different things that was assigned to me but I always did the best I could do. But the most important thing to me, is that I could make friends and business contacts.
My opinion about the Tech Sector in WindsorEssex is that this sector is growing really fast and with quality. At least, it is what I could see after the Open House at AlphaKOR with a lot of people from another companies sharing knowledge in order to improve the tech market. The Open House was a good experience in my opinion because we could get along with everyone of AlphaKOR and meet new people. That was really nice of AlphaKOR.
Pedro Paulo Figueiredo
Working at AlphaKOR as part of the software development team was a new experience for me so each thing I’ve learned from it was amazing. The importance of our work and ideas as interns for the development team made me feel like a real professional in a workplace. That was the main point of working at AlphaKOR. I could see from the open house everyone inside the company as a family. Everyone seems to be working together at the same level always cooperating with each other for the better future of the company.
What was your experience like at St. Clair College?
Lucas Gomes
The experience was great to improve my English, academic and professional knowledge. I was able to improve my communication skills, get to know how the academic system works here, meet new people from various backgrounds, and learn with the hands-on work that a college like St. Clair offers in addition to the internship experience.
Pedro Araujo
What I liked about my experience at St. Clair College was the chance to be touch important topics in a different language and actually learn them and the structure that was given to us, like modern classrooms and access to different labs, for instance. Moreover, not only at the college but at Canada, was the opportunity to get known different people, from different places and different cultures.
Pedro Paulo Figueiredo
St. Clair College offered me a brand new experience as a post-secondary student. The environment is a bit different of what I’m used back in Brazil regarding teachers approach and relationship with the students, but the preparedness of the professionals to pass on their knowledge and skills were as great as I’ve experienced in Brazil. Overall being a St. Clair College student was by far the best experience I’ve had as a student.
How did your experiences compare to those back home in Brazil?
Lucas Gomes
Studying in Brazil is different as we have a faster pace to get things done at school and enter to the professional market as soon as possible, as we even work and study at the same time. In Canada, there is a concern not to assume that students have a prior technical knowledge in the area of study so that things flow smoothly and everyone may have the chance to keep up with the study topics. Although I need more experience to really have a good idea of how companies operate, the work environment is more similar and I think it is the way a mid-sized company would operate in both countries.
Pedro Araujo
I can’t complain about the my college and the place that I used to work back home because, in my opinion, they are pretty the same as what I had here. All the conditions that I had back there I have here. But, all the experience that I had here will help me a lot back there because the English language is a watershed in Brazil.
Pedro Paulo Figueiredo
I felt little difference because the software development scenario is quite the same worldwide. The multi-cultural and multi-language environment was the main difference.
Would you ever consider moving to Canada?
Lucas Gomes
Yes, definitely. I like the language, weather the quality of life and I am even more excited with the professional opportunities I may have here.
Pedro Araujo
Right now I don’t even want to go back to Brazil (haha). Yes, absolutely, I want to come back to Canada for good. The safety here is way better than in Brazil and I really liked the multicultural experience that I had here.
Pedro Paulo Figueiredo
Sure thing! The software market in Brazil has great opportunities but the life quality needs huge improvements regarding public security, education and public health care for the Brazilians. I plan to find a job here and bring my family with me.
What did you like most about your experience at AlphaKOR?
Lucas Gomes
In addition to the technical knowledge I acquired, working at AlphaKOR brought me awareness of how an IT company works and relates to its clients in a good way. Thank you for the opportunity and I hope to come back either to visit or to stay for good.
Pedro Araujo
What I liked about my AlphaKOR experience was the fact that I was introduced to the pieces of software of the company and I was even able to play with them for a bit. Doing that, I felt part of the team. Helping with the stock counting was fun as well.
Pedro Paulo Figueiredo
Researching in order to enhance the performance of the software process and improve the outcomes along with the software development team was the main point. Made me feel like a real part of the team working together with the others to reach the goals.
