Today we're exploring another one of our summer stories inside XWiki. Meet Arsène, our DevOps intern, who helped us achieve our Infra team's objectives in the span of 3 months while bringing a strong dose of energy and enthusiasm into our team (which you'll easily notice in this interview as well). He proved to be a skilled professional, and we confidently predict a successful career for him in the tech world. Without further ado, let's dig in and find out how Arsène's internship went!
- Favorite artist: This changes often, but Sharks never disappointed me.
- Best book ever read: All About Love - bell hooks
- Dream destination: Berlin
- Quote you live by: Live today as if it were your last day. And make plans as if you were here for eternity. Live as if it was my last day on Earth!
- At the office or remote? Office
Tell me about yourself
Arsène, aged 22, is currently engaged in a Sandwich course in Montpellier with the goal of becoming a DevOps Engineer. During a summer internship, I had the opportunity to work with XWiki. Beyond my technical pursuits, I have a genuine passion for DJing, dancing, and connecting with new people. Additionally, I am an avid sports enthusiast. I possess a natural curiosity and maintain a constant commitment to learning within the technical domain. While my favorite color is purple, I also have a fondness for wearing green attire.
🌄 The internship experience
How did you find out about XWiki, and what made you choose it for an internship?
In pursuit of my academic studies, I embarked on a 3-month internship. My journey led me to Ludovic Dubost, whom I encountered at the Capitole du Libre in Toulouse in November 2022. The values of impactful and libre software strongly resonate with me. I share the belief in using technology for social impact, and XWiki's focus on collaborative culture aligns with my passion for effective teamwork. Additionally, their support for open-source principles and accessibility mirrors my values of equal access to technology. Finally, I was particularly excited about my forthcoming role within the Infra team.
What was your internship experience like?
Despite grappling with illness throughout the three-month internship, the experience was truly remarkable.
I found great satisfaction in the tight-knit community at XWiki, and I was fortunate to commence my journey with a one-week seminar. It afforded me the opportunity to explore a new country and forge connections with diverse individuals, which proved incredibly enlightening: I had the chance to explore the city of Oradea, known for its captivating Art Nouveau architecture, and enjoyed hiking in the nearby mountains. The hackathon, which was a highlight of the experience, provided me with an exciting opportunity to create a Matrix Bot. This bot, designed to search XWiki pages and generate summaries using ChatGPT, showcased a fascinating project hosted on GitHub.
What did you find to be the most interesting and challenging tasks?
One of the most captivating assignments I undertook was the enhancement of CryptPad Helm Charts, a deployment method for CryptPad. I worked independently on this task and acquired extensive knowledge about CryptPad and Kubernetes. Beyond my professional responsibilities, I faced the challenge of encouraging my colleagues to join me for social outings.
Arsène posing with a Mustang at the Global Esports Championship and Digital Throne festival
And what about integration into the environment? How easy, or difficult was it for you?
Adapting to life in Romania, coming from a French-speaking country, presented its own set of difficulties. I encountered challenges related to my accommodation and navigating the public transportation system. Additionally, adapting to the company culture and office dynamics took some time, as I had previously worked in a fast-paced startup environment.
🔎 Open-source impressions
Was open source something you had an interest in prior to XWiki?
For sure, I wrote my own open-sources project thanks to my apprenticeship in Montpellier. I also relied heavily on open-source projects for my work. As a DevOps intern, I make use of tools like Docker, Kubernetes for deploying applications. I'm the Queen of the jq tool: a lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor akin to sed, awk, grep, and friends for JSON data.
What's the open-source value you identify with most?
Helping people thrive on a common project!
💡 Lessons learned
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you learned during your time at XWiki?
I've learned to cultivate habits in my personal life that also proved to help do my work at XWiki. As they say, habits are the key to success!
⏳ The XWiki experience
If you could describe your XWiki experience in one word, what would it be?
Open-minded
Favorite memory at XWiki?
Drinking some “water cocktails” in Underground with colleagues.
No cool car slips Arsène's agile eyes!
