Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Software Engineering) student, Mohitha Mohan, completed her Engineering Sydney Industry Placement Scholarship (ESIPS) at fintech startup Constantinople, where she built customer solutions, contributed to the AI team, and deepened her passion for artificial intelligence.

I knew working in tech would differ from university, so I sought real industry experience before graduating to close the skills gap. When I learned about the ESIPS program offering six months of hands-on experience at a tech company, I saw it as the perfect opportunity. It would let me understand how professional development teams function and gain practical skills employers want—an opportunity I couldn't miss.

I worked at Constantinople, a fintech startup, gaining a valuable learning experience. The growing company allowed me to see its operations from top to bottom. Weekly in-person updates from the CEOs offered rare insight into the strategy and decision-making process not often visible in larger firms.

On the technical side, I was given substantial responsibility from the start. In my first two months, I developed a statement generation feature that went into production for real customers, which was rewarding. The highlight was joining the AI team, where I helped develop an internal AI chatbot for employees from scratch. This project gave me authentic startup experience, building something new, and confirmed my passion for AI and desire to pursue a career in the field.

The main challenge was adapting to the unstructured startup environment. In previous internships, everything was well-organised with clear programs and processes. At Constantinople, particularly in the new AI team, we had to build everything from scratch without established workflows or documentation. This involved ongoing research, planning, and problem-solving, which differed from my past experiences.

Initially, I struggled to keep up with the calibre of my team and manager, feeling like I was constantly trying to catch up. I realised I wasn't there to match their output immediately but to learn. By shifting my mindset to be curious, ask questions, and give my best, I started to thrive. I saw challenges as opportunities to learn, which changed my experience.

Throughout the program, I developed a diverse set of technical skills. I learned to use coding tools such as TypeScript and React, and gained extensive experience working with the Node.js framework. Being part of the AI team provided valuable insights into the rapidly evolving AI landscape, offering hands-on experience with model evaluations, tool servers, and various large language models (LLMs). I also expanded my knowledge of cloud services (AWS), containerization—a method for packaging and running software more easily—and various machine learning libraries. The experience with tools and LLMs was especially beneficial as it aligns with my thesis focus, providing practical industry experience to complement my academic research.

The soft skills I gained were even more valuable. I learned to act professionally in meetings and presentations by balancing rapport and focus on goals. My communication improved in explaining technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders, and I gained better time management in juggling multiple projects. I became more confident asking questions and seeking feedback. Working in a startup made me more adaptable and comfortable with uncertainty, as priorities often shifted with growth.