{"id":29641,"date":"2023-05-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/?p=29641"},"modified":"2023-05-02T10:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:35:11","slug":"from-intern-to-associate-software-engineer-finding-a-culture-of-support-at-ukg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/from-intern-to-associate-software-engineer-finding-a-culture-of-support-at-ukg\/","title":{"rendered":"From Intern to Associate Software Engineer: Finding A Culture of Support at UKG"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As the technology industry continues to evolve, software engineers are often faced with myriad challenges, from the need to constantly adapt to new technologies to advocating for a healthy work-life balance. However, for Anabel Mejias, her professional journey from intern to associate software engineer at UKG has been filled with balance, growth, and authenticity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"773\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-12-at-2.09.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29644\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Welcome to Miami<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anabel began her professional career in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukg.com\/about-us\/careers\/early-career-internships\">UKG\u2019s Intern Academy<\/a>&nbsp;in November 2021, working as an intern on the compliance team, where she was in charge of updating the yearly W-4 forms. While she was thrilled to land a fully paid, competitive internship in the tech industry, her journey to success came with its own set of challenges. Anabel had immigrated from Cuba to Florida five years earlier and had faced the daunting task of immersing herself in the English language and adapting to a new environment and culture.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on her experience, Anabel remembered: \u201cIt was hard; not only the language change, but all my friends and family were in Cuba. In that situation, you really have to start over. You need to be focused and you have to know what you really want, because it\u2019s easy to get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these challenges, Anabel\u2019s determination and focus paid off. She graduated from Florida International University with a degree in computer engineering, which prepared her to choose between a hardware or software career. She started searching for jobs at software companies and preparing for interviews, and some friends recommended she consider UKG because of the work culture. UKG is a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions, with its co-headquarters in nearby Weston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After several interviews \u2013 both technical and non-technical \u2013 she received an offer as an intern. During her time on the compliance team, she honed her skills alongside a team of software engineers. She has since transitioned to the performance review team, which provides technology to help employers evaluate, grow, and develop their employees, where she continues to thrive in her role as an associate software engineer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"571\" height=\"209\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-12-at-2.08.58-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29643\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exploring new opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked what made her decide to accept an offer for a full-time role at UKG after her internship, Anabel explained, \u201cWhen I first started my internship, I was kind of scared because it was my first job as a professional in the field. As soon as I started at UKG, I was amazed by their culture. The people were amazing, and I loved what I was doing. I realized the potential for growth as a software engineer and saw an amazing opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anabel\u2019s positive experience at UKG not only helped her overcome her initial fear of starting her professional career, but also inspired her to pursue a long-term career in software engineering. She continued, \u201cSeeing all the role models here at UKG made me realize that was what I wanted to do long term.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As someone who works on a customer-facing product that impacts millions of people around the world, Anabel knows she plays a crucial role in the company\u2019s success. \u201cEvery little detail \u2013 every little or big thing \u2013 I know it\u2019s going toward perfecting the product. It\u2019s going to make it better. So it\u2019s an honor to work on these solutions,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about the most innovative project she has worked on, she mentioned a new feature that they are investigating in their performance review upload process. Although she could not disclose more details about the project, Anabel expressed appreciation for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukg.com\/about-us\/newsroom\/fortune-names-ukg-one-americas-most-innovative-companies\">UKG\u2019s commitment to innovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"571\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2023\/04\/0G8t7hQZ-Screenshot-2023-04-12-at-2.09.04-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29646\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unlocking potential<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anabel\u2019s day as a software engineer begins as she works on programming tickets or tasks that require investigation. If she gets stuck, she can easily seek help from her coworkers. Anabel takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered to her, such as courses on Pluralsight, working with cutting-edge technologies like non-relational databases and the latest of ASP.NET, and support and training from her colleagues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo me, especially because I\u2019m new in this job, I\u2019m learning something new every day. So it\u2019s that sensation that you\u2019re learning while doing something challenging. You\u2019re perfecting yourself with this amazing group of people who are helping you out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anabel credits her role models and managers for helping guide her in her career. \u201cMy managers are always asking, \u2018Where are you wanting to go? How can we help you in your career?,\u2019\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Striking a balance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anabel has found a balance that enables her to prioritize her family while still excelling at her work. \u201cI just recently had a baby and she\u2019s 7 months old. As I\u2019m working, I\u2019m focused, but I know that I can take breaks occasionally to hold or play with my baby, and I can take time out of my day to take her to her doctor\u2019s appointments,\u201d she explained.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For others looking to get their foot in the door at UKG, Anabel emphasized the importance of demonstrating one\u2019s personality during an interview. According to her, in addition to showcasing technical skills and knowledge, job candidates should also aim to display their personality traits, such as being easy-going or introverted. Anabel believes that showing personality during an interview can provide insight into how a candidate might fit into the company culture and work well with others.&nbsp;<br>Are you interested in joining UKG? They have open positions! To learn more,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukg.com\/about-us\/careers\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.comparably.com\/00000000\/b\/2023\/04\/Screenshot-2023-04-12-at-2.08.45-PM-1024x267.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29645\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the technology industry continues to evolve, software engineers are often faced with myriad challenges, from the need to constantly adapt to new technologies to advocating for a healthy work-life balance. However, for Anabel Mejias, her professional journey from intern to associate software engineer at UKG has been filled with balance, growth, and authenticity.&nbsp; Welcome &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/from-intern-to-associate-software-engineer-finding-a-culture-of-support-at-ukg\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read full-story <i class=\"cm cm-right-chevron\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":29647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[1116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29641"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29641"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29660,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29641\/revisions\/29660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comparably.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}