Building Confidence & Software One Challenge at a Time: Gabriel’s Internship Journey at Traffio

Originally from the Philippines with prior experience in software engineering, Gabriel moved to Melbourne to pursue further study and build experience with different programming models and languages. Now completing a Master of Information Technology at CQ University, his ongoing developer internship at Traffio is giving him the opportunity to move beyond university exercises and gain experience in a real-world software environment.

Each day, Gabriel reviews Jira, checks his calendar and plans his priorities before working through his development tasks. During his internship, he has so far gained practical experience with Traffio’s core codebase and technologies, including PHP and React Native.

"Working with an established codebase that combines several programming languages was initially unfamiliar and slightly overwhelming," Gabriel reflects. "However, the experience has encouraged me to study the system carefully and develop a deeper understanding of how Traffio’s applications work together."

One of his most challenging tasks has involved API testing. As Traffio deliberately threw him in the deep end, Gabriel needed to conduct his own research, examine existing files and independently determine the best approach. Although the task pushed him outside his comfort zone, it strengthened his problem-solving skills and taught him how to work through unfamiliar technical challenges.

The internship has also highlighted the difference between his previous experience, the theory learnt in university and applying it professionally moving forward. At university, Gabriel had mainly completed smaller, more straightforward tasks, with limited opportunity for building mobile applications or working with platforms where web and mobile systems are integrated. The internship at Traffio has helped elevate his future career prospects, as he has been able to see how developers build, maintain and improve software used by businesses across the traffic management and labour hire industries.

A standout moment for Gabriel was attending Traffio's biennial customer conference, Traffiocon, and seeing the work he had contributed to presented at the event: “I didn’t expect to attend event, seeing the project that I'd been working on during my internship made me feel proud," Gabriel said.

As he continues his internship, Gabriel has found the Traffio team to be friendly and supportive. The experience is helping him develop valuable technical knowledge, grow in confidence and gain a clearer vision for his future career.

His advice to other students considering a developer internship is simple: “Ask questions, even the silly ones. Don’t be afraid!”