Vaikunth joined ZOT Engineering in March 2025 as an Intern Software Applications Engineer through ZOT’s collaboration with Bright Green Business, and since then launched a brand-new website for the contract electronics manufacturer based in Musselburgh.

“When I started my internship, my main responsibility was to build an improved structure for intranet resources spread across different divisions. My job was to connect these systems and build internal tools that would let teams track their performance metrics. Later on, the plan was to integrate live machine data so the company could monitor production in real time.

I also wanted the company to have full control over the customer-facing part of the company website instead of relying on a third-party hosting provider. What started as a personal initiative grew into a full project that eventually merged with the internal tool, creating a single, more customized platform. Management was very supportive, which gave me the confidence to push the idea forward.

My onboarding experience played a big part in helping me settle in quickly. Gordon, the company Director and other members of the firm, made sure I get the resources and support I needed, from equipment to introductions with key people. They explained how the company operates, what are the goals of the firm and what my role in achieving them would be. That really helped me understand how my work would fit into ZOT’s growth.

The company supported me at every step. Whenever I needed guidance or resources, the answer was always yes. I was also encouraged to attend research conferences and technical meetups, which allowed me to speak to more experienced engineers and learn from them.

Over the eleven months, I worked on a wide variety of projects: environmental dashboards, the new website, HR portals, and payroll tools. The opportunity to work with cloud deployment at scale was especially influential. It was completely different from the academic projects. I learned what it means to build systems at scale for wide range of users, how to allocate resources properly, and how vital tiny technical details can prove to be.

One of the most important lessons I learned was the value of continuous learning. All my colleagues had decades of experience yet still worked hard to stay current with new technologies. Their example motivated me to keep learning while delivering on my day-to-day responsibilities.

The biggest challenge I faced was understanding what other team members needed from our systems. I had to learn how to ask the right questions, figure out what information they actually wanted, and decide how it should be displayed. At first, it was intimidating, and I sometimes worried that my questions were too complicated or off the mark, but everyone I worked with was very encouraging and patient, which created an environment where I felt comfortable learning and improving. That level of support is rare, especially for someone new to the firm, and it made a huge difference.

Looking back, this internship gave me far more than technical skills. It taught me how to build systems that solve real problems, how to communicate clearly across teams, and how to balance learning with delivering results. It was a period of intense growth.”