My name is Octavio Alvarado and I study Software Engineering at the Technological University of Panama, currently in my fifth year of my degree. I was part of the UTP’s Professional Internship program, which allows students to join companies according to their skills and profiles. Through this program, I had the opportunity to work with the Quality Assurance and WebRTC testing team at WebRTC.ventures, an experience that has been very enriching for my professional development.
A practical and global experience
From the beginning, I found myself in a truly international environment. At WebRTC.ventures, distributed teams work in an agile way, applying practices such as daily standups, sprints, and retrospectives to better organize projects. This allowed me to see firsthand how tasks are managed in a professional environment with agile methodologies, and how communication is key to coordinating with colleagues in different parts of the world.
Here in Panama, WebRTC.ventures has a QA Testing Lab, a space specially designed to validate real-time communication scenarios in real and controlled conditions. This resource is of great value to interns. It gives them the opportunity to learn and experiment with tools that closely replicate the environments where the company’s international clients work.
What I learned as an intern at WebRTC.ventures
During my internship, I was able to apply my career knowledge and learn new technologies. One of the biggest challenges was working directly on a project with WebRTC.ventures partner, SignalWire, a real-time communication platform using artificial intelligence that gave me practical experience in integrating APIs, calls, and functional testing.
Technical skills I learned:
- QA and testing in real projects.
- Use of cloud services to validate functionalities.
- Interaction with real-time communication APIs.
- Management of Kanban boards for task management.
- Direct experience with SignalWire and its tools.
Soft skills I learned:
- Effective communication with a remote and global team.
- Collaboration and teamwork.
- Organization and prioritization of tasks.
- Problem-solving in real projects.
- Rapid adaptation to new technologies and agile methodologies.
Finding Practical Solutions
One of the most interesting challenges was finding ways to avoid high costs when making international calls in real-time communication tests. To solve this, I implemented practical solutions such as the use of softphones, which allowed me to continue with the tasks without affecting the company’s or the project’s own resources.
Reaffirming my interest in both QA and cloud development
Thanks to my time at WebRTC.ventures, I reaffirmed my interest in both QA and cloud development. The experience gave me a clear vision of how work is done in a professional environment and how real-time communication projects directly impact companies and users around the world. Thanks to this, I feel more prepared to face the challenges of the work environment and strengthen my professional portfolio.
I especially thank my Operations Manager, Rafael Amberths, and the entire QA team in Panama for their support, patience, and guidance.
If you are a UTP student and have the opportunity to participate in this internship program, I encourage you to make the most of it. It is an experience that allows you to apply what you have learned in class, face real challenges, and develop very valuable skills for your professional future.
For more information about internship opportunities with AgilityFeat and WebRTC.ventures, reach out to Rafael on LinkedIn.
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