Information Science student in the Department of Media and Information, Hisham Salameh, spent his summer interning at Apple Headquarters in Austin as a user interface engineer.
Salameh started off in tech support as an Apple Care advisor, but knew he wanted to climb the ranks. Salameh spent his days at Apple using internal tools to combine information from several teams, coding and working on design elements. From learning proper communication skills to mastering Vue JS, Salameh got a healthy dose of both soft skills and technical skills during his internship.
A self-taught programmer in a sea of experienced coders, Salameh knew that his internship and drive would distinguish himself amongst his peers.
“I’m self-taught,” said Salameh. “I’m not a comp-sci major, so I needed a way to stand out. A lot of my co-workers were from Stanford and Cornell, and they’d been coding since they were ten. The big thing that makes you stand out in the tech industry—and actually any career—is making sure you have a good reputation with the people you work with.”
During his time in Austin, Salameh worked to honor that ideal and built relationships with those around him as much as possible.
“I networked heavily,” said Salameh. “I talked to everyone up to the CIO and had about a 30-minute meeting with each one of them. It was really awesome getting to talk to them about their experiences and tell them about my ambitions.”
Salameh’s internship experience is an ode to capitalizing on opportunities. He was originally hesitant to accept the Apple Care advisor position, but now sees it as the break he needed to enter the industry.
“I thought about it and realized that I was going to have access to some of the most brilliant people out there,” said Salameh. “So I went for it. I don’t know where I’d be without that Apple Care opportunity. A lot of times, opportunities will come to your door and you’re quick to knock it off. Stay open-minded and put yourself out there.”
After Salameh’s internship ended, he returned as an Apple Care advisor, but hopes to rejoin as a user interface engineer after graduation. Part of this experience would entail an internal development program with four six-month rotations and learning more about any skill set he desires.
Salameh also shared his best piece of advice.
“All it takes is one person to change your life,” he said. “Say yes to opportunities.”
By Stella Govitz