From Classroom to Code: Our Transformative Journey as Interns at WhileOne

The Leap into the Unknown

Stepping out of the academic bubble and into the professional world is often painted as a daunting transition. For us, it was less a leap of faith and more an excited dive into the deep end, specifically, into the innovative waters of WhileOne.Our motivation to join was simple yet profound: we sought a place where curiosity was celebrated, challenges were seen as growth opportunities, and real-world impact was a daily pursuit. Little did we know that this internship would not just introduce us to company life but fundamentally reshape our technical acumen and career outlook.

Interns Interning

Unpacking the Technical Toolkit: What we've Learned:

Tanaya Ajgar:

Diagnostic Configuration Dashboard for BeagleBone Black:  

I developed a diagnostic configuration page for the BeagleBone Black board, which gave me valuable hands-on experience in full-stack development. I worked on building a responsive React + HTML frontend and integrated it with a Python Flask backend to enable seamless communication with the board. Through this, I learned how to design and implement interactive dashboards that allow users to configure system parameters such as IP addresses and ensure that the updates persist at the system level. I also gained practical knowledge of storing configuration results in both SQLite databases and JSON files for reliability and easy retrieval. This project helped me strengthen my understanding of REST APIs, data flow between frontend and backend, and the importance of efficient database integration in embedded system applications. I also improved my debugging skills while resolving real-time hardware-software interaction issues. Additionally, I learned how to apply UI/UX practices to make technical dashboards more intuitive and user-friendly. Overall, the project enhanced my skills in embedded system integration, web technologies, and problem-solving in a real-world scenario.

Soham Gargote:

During my internship, I had the valuable opportunity to contribute to two diverse and impactful projects. I delved into low-level systems programming by extending the open-source GDB debugger to enable support for RISC-V vector instructions. In parallel, I was instrumental in creating a new internal tool for benchmark management, where I developed the backend for its UI/UX visualization capabilities. This dual exposure to both open-source contributions and internal tool development made for an incredibly fun and enriching learning experience, significantly strengthening my software engineering skills.

Saee Gade :

RISC-V Toolchain Validation & Compiler Fuzzing

As an intern, my work on RISC-V toolchain validation taught me the immense value of compiler fuzzing and its role in software reliability. I gained hands-on experience using tools like Csmith to automatically generate complex test cases and uncover hidden bugs. Beyond just bug hunting, the project's most significant takeaway for me was the process of creating high-quality, actionable bug reports. I learned the critical skill of creating minimal, reproducible test cases and effectively communicating findings to developers on platforms like Bugzilla. Contributing to major open-source projects like GCC and LLVM showed me the real-world dynamics of collaborative development and the tangible impact my work could have on improving the stability of a key toolchain for an entire ecosystem.

Ruchi Joshi :

Technical takeaways from Benchmarking project: 

Through hands-on experience with benchmarking, I learned to evaluate system performance using industry-standard HPC benchmarks like MiniFE and HPCG. I gained practical skills in writing automated shell scripts to test CPU and GPU performance across different architectures. This project also provided me with the opportunity to work with low-level hardware performance counters, learning to collect data on retired instructions, cache misses, and branch mispredictions. I now understand how to translate this raw data into higher-level microarchitecture insights using Intel's Top-Down Microarchitecture Analysis Methodology (TMAM) to identify critical bottlenecks. Furthermore, I explored ARM's Performance Monitoring Unit (PMU), which gave me insight into the distinct tooling and counter availability between Intel and ARM ecosystems. This holistic experience has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of performance analysis from high-level application benchmarks down to low-level hardware counters.

The WhileOne Way: A Glimpse into Company Life

Our general experience as interns has been overwhelmingly positive. The atmosphere at WhileOne is one of collaborative energy, where questions are encouraged, and mentorship is readily available. It’s a far cry from the sometimes solitary nature of academic projects.

Joining WhileOne feels like becoming part of a forward-thinking family. There’s a palpable sense of innovation and a shared drive to create impactful solutions.

The differences between college and company life are stark but refreshing. In college, deadlines can feel somewhat arbitrary, and projects often exist in a vacuum. Here, every task has a purpose, directly contributing to a product or service. The pace is faster, the stakes are higher, but the support system is robust. Learning is continuous, driven by real-world problems rather than theoretical exercises.

Navigating Opportunities and Challenges

Our internship presented a wealth of opportunities:

• Direct contribution to live projects: This was incredibly motivating, seeing our codes go into production.

• Mentorship from experienced engineers: Their guidance has been instrumental in our growth.

• Exposure to diverse technologies and methodologies: Expanding our technical horizons significantly.

Challenges were equally present and equally valuable:

• Steep learning curve: Rapidly adapting to new tools and complex systems.

• Problem-solving under pressure: Learning to debug efficiently and think critically when faced with unexpected issues.

• Balancing multiple tasks: Juggling different responsibilities and prioritizing effectively.

A New Beginning 

As we reflect on our journeys from curious students to contributing members of the WhileOne team, we are filled with gratitude and excitement. This internship has been more than just a stepping stone; it's been a foundational experience that has shaped our technical abilities, professional outlook, and career aspirations. The transition from classroom concepts to production code has been challenging yet incredibly rewarding. If you're considering an internship, especially one where real impact is made, we wholeheartedly recommend diving in. 

The future, for us, is bright and brimming with code, collaboration, and continuous learning all thanks to my transformative time at WhileOne.