Driving Efficiency Through a Data Internship

As a Research Assistant intern at the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation, Ruwaida Al Harrasi worked with survey data, data dictionaries, and automation projects to improve efficiency and accuracy. The experience revealed her passion for research and coding, providing practical experience in data management, process optimization, and contributing to meaningful research initiatives. Read more about her experience below.

What do you like most about your internship?

If you don't like your internship what have you learned from this experience?

During my internship as a research assistant at the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation, over the past year and a half, I've gained valuable experience in working with data dictionaries and survey data. Additionally, I've had the opportunity to contribute to automation projects aimed at improving work quality and time efficiency.

Let's talk future jobs ...

How did your internship help you discern what you do or don't want to do in a future job?

From this internship, I've discovered my passion for research, despite not directly working on a paper. My role involved assisting researchers in accessing data, ensuring website functionality through testing, and identifying associations between variables for future research focus. Moreover, I've gained valuable insights into data management and enhancing work efficiency through automation and coding practices. As a result, I'm motivated to further develop my coding skills, particularly in automation-related areas, to optimize processes in future endeavors.

What tips would you have for future Gophers around internships?

One piece of advice I'd give to future Gophers is to never hesitate to express your interests to your supervisor. If you have a new, more efficient way to solve a problem, like writing a code to automate a task, even if it seems simple and time-consuming initially, don't hold back. Your solution could greatly benefit future projects and save time in the long run. It's important to step up and communicate what you're passionate about and be honest about the skills you want to improve and the tasks that you find challenging or uninteresting. Remember, your supervisor is there to support you and wants you to gain as much knowledge and skills as possible during your internship.