First year of university has ended, and it’s time to return to my hometown, Gdynia in Poland. This summer I aim to intern at the local “Silicon Valley”. I wish to intern in a global company from my hometown, which is quite difficult, since most of companies here operate locally. Fortunately, I found Handsoncode – a company that is revolutionizing spreadsheets.

Fast forward to now and after almost two months my internship is coming to an end, I will be leaving with a vast knowledge of the “Spreadsheet Market”. I found out that people are constantly seeking new ways to improve the way we crunch numbers, as the traditional spreadsheet is not the most user – friendly solution. Yet so many users still have to deal with the number of unnecessary functions and the tedious way tables work. Here at Handsoncode you have to build the table yourself, which is very helpful. It’s like building a house – you will be supplied with tools and workforce, but in the end it’s only your decision how your house will look like. This is very interesting as even though there are so many people using the same product, the end result is completely different.

It’s like building a house – you will be supplied with tools and workforce, but in the end it’s only your decision how your house will look like.

Handsoncode from the inside

The first thing that opened my eyes was the global scale of Handsoncode – it serves clients from all around the world. Secondly, I have learnt about the importance of making fast decisions. Nobody dwells here for hours trying to decide which option to choose. The better option is quickly evaluated and implemented, and if it turns out to be a bad choice – it can be always changed. It’s all about making fast decisions, and if necessary, changing them even faster! The team knows that a new product can encounter many roadblocks in its journey, but the goal is to overcome it, no matter how difficult it may be.

What makes a product great?

Spreadsheets are the backbone of many companies, especially in the financial industry.

During my internship I realized that the most important thing that mattered to a customer was being able to use a powerful product with ease. Advanced functionality combined with ease of use, seems to be a perfect recipe for a success. That’s why it also takes time to release a new feature – it is important to make sure it is stable. As usually new features create new problems, hence a good new solution should maximize functionality but minimize the risk.

My chance to participate

Even though I was an intern, I participated in many discussions. Being able to contribute with my ideas was possible thanks to the support from the team. While discussing nobody cares if you are the head or a new employee, all inputs are welcome. And additionally every idea is given equal attention, there is no such answer as “We won’t do it, because I say so”. Every decision is justified so that everyone can learn and improve. It is vital to guide employees so that they are able to grasp the way a company operates. This is why I experienced a lot of support when doing my projects. Never once during my internship did my senior hand me something new without guiding me on what I should do. Furthermore, while doing my task I had many “checkups” on the progress of my work, or if I needed any help. These small gestures made me feel more comfortable and eventually produced better results.

Thanks to everybody at Handsoncode who have made this internship possible! I have learnt a lot thanks to you.