Week 1 as an Intern: Embracing the Struggle

Starting a new role can feel overwhelming, especially when diving into a complex codebase for the first time. My first week as an intern working on Mozilla PerfCompare—a tool built with React and TypeScript that allows engineers to analyze and compare performance test results—was no exception.

Initially, it felt like I was swimming in a sea of unfamiliar code, trying to piece everything together. I found myself stuck in moments of confusion, unsure of what to ask or how to move forward. Asking questions felt daunting, not because my mentors weren’t approachable (they’re wonderful, by the way), but because I often didn’t even know what to ask.

Thankfully, my mentors have helped provide the support I needed. They pointed me toward the right resources and reassured me that struggling to understand everything at the beginning is normal. For example, I encountered an issue with test coverage not reporting uncovered lines of code. I was convinced the problem was due to a misstep in my setup or I was doing something wrong. However, after reaching out for help, I realized this wasn’t a unique issue—it was something my mentors had also dealt with before. That moment was relieving and changed my perspective. It reminded me that everyone, regardless of experience, faces challenges.

Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to ask more questions, no matter how small they might seem. And it’s paying off. I’m excited to share that my first pull request was merged this week! 🎉 While most of my work so far has focused on fixing bugs to familiarize myself with the codebase, I’ve also been reading documentation to better understand how PerfCompare works.

I’ve started exploring more about performance and optimization to deepen my knowledge in this area. One tool I’m particularly curious about is the Profiler, which measures the performance of web applications. It’s a bit complex, and I’m still figuring out how to use it effectively, but I’m eager to learn and apply it to my work in the future.

In hindsight, the biggest lesson from my first week has been this: it’s okay to struggle, and asking questions is not a sign of weakness—it’s a step toward growth. I’m looking forward to learning more, contributing further, and embracing every challenge that comes my way in the weeks ahead.