19DavidW – CA Work Experience Program

Day 8

In the final day at SAS, Allen and I were in building R for the first half of the day.

We had a meeting with a QUX designer- that is, quality user experience. Her job is to ensure that every product the company produces has common components- font sizes, spacing, colors, and more. When she finds inconsistencies, she creates presentations and brings the issues to the attention of the developers to fix.

Then, we had a meeting with a front-end software developer. Now, he codes mainly in javascript and XML, but he came from a start-up in which he got to experiment with a ton of different languages and roles. This is a common theme that we saw- as the company grows larger (like SAS), the more nuanced and specific the positions get. Anyway, he taught us about requests to servers and services within SAS systems and how it all operates within the company.

After lunch, we got back together in building A with the rest of the Cary Academy kids for the final time. We all completed a feedback survey for SAS and then we finalized our video projects. After we presented these projects separately and received feedback, our time at SAS was over. It was certainly a memorable and worthwhile learning experience, and I’m sorry to go so soon.

Day 7

In day 7 at SAS, the day begun by meeting with a recent Duke grad who specializes in AI and Machine learning within SAS. We talked about the basics of machine learning algorithms as well as how they are implemented at the company.

Then, we met with two project managers to discuss what it was like to work at SAS in a more management-style role. They oversee projects and products to ensure that deadlines are being met correctly while trying to produce the best result for the customer.

Then, we went to lunch in building R. After lunch, we sat in on a meeting with some of the UI team who were being consulted about a particular application and we got to observe some standard dialogue between coworkers. Then we met with another developer who works on GIT and source files and he talked to us about defects and errors. Finally, we met with a UI designer who works primarily in CSS to ensure that SAS products look good. Tomorrow, we will spend another half day with the tester before presenting our videos that we made on Friday and Monday.

Day 6

Today, we resumed shadowing by following somebody in a different building. She was still connected to research and development in SAS, but worked on a completely different product than the last woman I followed. When Allen and I arrived, she answered questions we had about her job and department. She took us around and introduced us to several others in her department, and then we sat in on a lunch meeting discussing different development styles relating to a conference they had all attended. After lunch, we were able to have a meeting with a developer in her team who also works as an admin for the internal company software. We discussed what she does on her profession as well as college and our careers.

Finally, we sat down and talked to interns about college and what life is like as an intern at SAS. Tomorrow, we will continue to follow the same woman around and continue meetings with staff in her department.

Day 5

Today, we continued developing our video projects with the goal of going “viral”.

We were given a few hours at the beginning of the day to continue brainstorming and developing our ideas. There was actually a shift in the guidelines for the project, so we altered our ideas as such before continuing. After ordering pizza for lunch, we continued with our idea and moved from developing our ideas into scripting, recording, and editing. We also developed a marketing plan in order to predict how we would spread awareness for the cause. After finalizing editing and the video at home, we will present it to the group on Thursday just before saying our final goodbyes.

Day 4

Today at SAS all of the Cary Academy students got together to receive a presentation on SAS’s app GatherIQ, an app that connects the user to some of the most pressing issues in the world and gives them the ability to educate themselves while contributing to the causes. For the first half of the day, we acted as functional testers- judging the application based on appearance, functionality, and how easy it was to use. We filled out surveys and were able to communicate directly with those in charge of the product.

We ate lunch in building R, where the presentations were being held- and it was also my first day in building R, which is used primarily for research and development. It had a very nice open plan with an enormous lobby- different from other buildings we’ve seen at SAS.

After lunch, we reconvened and started our next project- the development of a video in order to spread awareness about a certain issue. We split up into three teams and began brainstorming for what we could do to help get the message “out there”. On Monday we will continue and hopefully finish this video and see what it can accomplish.

Day 3

In my final day shadowing Ms. Holland, I began with two separate one-hour meetings with different developers. They both had many different insights to offer, but very different stories. The first has worked for several years at AS, but before that was a part of several small companies and has really experienced everything possible in the industry. He taught himself to program when he was very young and has a large knowledge base – in fact, he was able to switch positions at SAS with no warning and no hiccup. He shared insights that he’s developed over his career and gave us advice on how to best prepare for our own futures.

Next, we met with a semi-recent employee at SAS who was much closer to our own age. He talked a lot about his experiences in high school and college that led him to selecting this career path. He offered a lot of memorable advice that was very relatable, and showed us some of the pretty cool stuff he gets to do each day.

After our meetings, we went to lunch- With Ms. Holland, the people we met with today, people from our meetings from yesterday, and new interns. It was great to see such a positive work environment- people from different departments that were not only coworkers, but friends. After lunch, we got to see all of the amazing buildings that make up SAS campus- including the solar farm- in our tour around the campus. It truly is a remarkable place, and an enormous one at that.

After our tour, we returned to Ms. Holland’s office and watched her work and help other people. Then, after some final words, our last day with Ms. Holland was over! We said our final goodbyes and thank-yous and left through the lobby.

Day 2

In my second day at SAS, I shadowed Ms. Holland for the whole day. When I got there, I joined a meeting she was leading featuring several interns and another Cary Academy student. We learned about automation in terms of testing, and how the SAS employees automate tasks in order to test their products. We learned about the different software they use for this automation as well as what its goal is to assist them in their jobs at the company.

After that, Ms. Holland taught me some more specific information about the software and we followed her around as she helped the interns set it up. We were able to learn quite a bit about it by simply observing. After this, we went to lunch in a new building- SAS has some pretty fantastic cafeterias.

After lunch, we took a brief tour around SAS. The most enjoyable part was definitely viewing Dr. Goodnight’s gem collection from all around the world. He displays it in the building so that all of the employees can come see it.

After this, we were able to meet with somebody named Max who worked in development. Since Ms. Holland works in testing, and Max works in development, we were able to see all the different important parts of development for SAS. He recently graduated so we got to hear about his schooling experience and what led him to working at SAS- It was very cool to meet someone close to our own age. After this, the day was over- I learned a lot and saw some very cool things.

Day 1

Today I went to SAS campus for the first time to participate in the work program. When we first arrived, we were greeted at the front desk by an HR representative to lead us to a conference room.

When we got there, we learned about SAS and what it does. And since we had very different and diverse interests and jobs that we would be following there, we all got to see a lot of what the company does. Founded humbly stemming from research grants at NC State, it has grown into the largest private software company in the world. However, more than that, we got to see examples of how SAS is helping the world become a better place through their charitable efforts and initiatives. We learned all of this through educational videos and testimonies. Finally, we got to see how amazing the facilities and culture at SAS.

After eating lunch in the cafeteria, we split up and followed people from different departments. I was able to follow a software engineer who works in testing the products and data analytics that SAS does for its customers- and even see an example of what her job looks like each day. She talked about how SAS operates and its business model, which was very cool to see. Tomorrow, I will follow her to morning meetings and see what it’s like to live a day in the office.