An undergrad in electrical engineering at the French university Ecole de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal, Mahan talks about his role as an intern on the automation testing team in Aruba’s Montreal office. Sylvia Ruiz, Aruba’s university and internship program manager, chats with Mahan Nasri, a first-generation immigrant from Iran. Mahan shares how he puts his French, English, and engineering skills to work as an Aruba intern.
Sylvia Ruiz: What attracted you to engineering?
Mahan: The technology itself. I’ve always been eager to learn more about tech and computers. I had no idea what I was getting into at first. I studied telecommunications, and I was attracted by electronics, as it got more interesting. It’s tough to explain what I do, even to other engineering students.
Sylvia Ruiz: What are your key tasks at Aruba?
Mahan: I’m on the Q/A team and work on access points, like Wi-Fi routers. We have manual and automation testing, and I’m on the automation testing team. Both sides work together, hand in hand. The manual test team tests products, and if they find a bug, they want to run a test. In automation, we run scripts and program the scripts to run tests. We help them debug the problem.
Sylvia Ruiz: Why did you choose the internship at Aruba?
Mahan: I had no idea that Aruba had a branch in Montreal before applying here. I was looking for a major company, which I find much more interesting than a small company. Aruba was offering the experience I was looking for.
Sylvia Ruiz: How would you describe the corporate culture and challenges?
Mahan: One of the cool perks is that a lot of employees travel to Santa Clara to Aruba’s headquarters. As an intern, it’s a privilege to work with other professionals who have been in the field for so long. I am learning a lot of about the work, both the upside and the downside. This internship will help me decide what I want to do later as an engineer.
Once of the challenges I see in a large corporation is that you have to stand out and work hard. Otherwise, someone will do better.
Sylvia Ruiz: Who has been the most inspiring mentor for you?
Mahan: I know a lot of former interns who work here now. So I have the opportunity to work with them and discuss how they started and how they got to where they are in their careers, which is interesting.
Sylvia Ruiz: What have you enjoyed most from working at Aruba?
Mahan: The work environment is great. Everyone here is always happy to help. I can ask for advice and get a helping hand when I’m working in the lab. I don’t even notice the day as it goes by, time passes pretty fast.
Sylvia Ruiz: What is your most interesting office experience?
Mahan: Most of the office is diverse, and we have a very multicultural environment. It adds a lot of personality to this office, and the people here are interesting.
Sylvia Ruiz: What is your ideal future career path?
Mahan: I want to work in a company for the first few years to acquire professional competence. One day, I want to start my own firm or business and bring my own ideas and innovations. A startup is not an easy thing to do. You need a lot of experience at first to be successful.
Sylvia Ruiz: What tips would you provide to future students applying for Aruba internships?
Mahan: When I first applied, I thought I was underqualified. People applying should have confidence in their current abilities but know that there is still a lot to accomplish and learn while we are here.
Sylvia Ruiz: What technology do you find the most fascinating?
Mahan: I’m very interested in AI, and there’s so much controversy about it. People are afraid it will replace the workforce and job opportunities. It won’t replace manpower, but rather it will assist it and become something better. AI offers a lot of potential to reshape the way we work, and the sky is the limit.
Sylvia Ruiz: What is the one thing most people don’t know about you?
Mahan: I wasn’t born here. I’m a first-generation immigrant. I came from Iran when I was 11. I had to learn French. I knew a little English, so that was easier to learn. When I got to high school, my French was better than many people born in Quebec.
Sylvia Ruiz: What is your current favorite meme/GIF?
Mahan: I like them all. My favorite was from the NBA finals, with LeBron getting frustrated. His facial expression is priceless.
