This week, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how much I’ve grown both in terms of technical skills and the softer, more human side of working in a new environment. Interning at Carvago has been a great experience so far, especially because it gives me the chance to not only deepen my understanding of AI and machine learning, but also to work within a team that approaches problems differently than what I was used to back home. Being in Prague and working in a more international, relaxed setting has definitely shaped the way I think about both collaboration and independence at work.
In terms of soft or transferable skills, one of the biggest ones I’ve been developing is communication, especially in situations where not everyone has the same first language. At Carvago, English is widely spoken, but I’ve noticed that people tend to be more direct and efficient in how they speak. That’s pushed me to be more thoughtful and clear in the way I explain my ideas or describe the steps I’m taking in a project. It’s easy to assume people understand your shorthand or thought process, but I’ve learned to slow down and make sure that I’m being concise without leaving out key details. It’s made me more confident in meetings and more comfortable asking questions when something isn’t clicking.
Another soft skill I’ve been working on is patience. Both with myself and with the process of learning something new. Machine learning can be frustrating at times, especially when you’re tweaking prompts for the tenth time and still not getting the results you hoped for. But working in this environment has helped me realize that hitting walls is just part of the process, and sometimes it’s more important to take a step back, walk around the block, and come back with a fresh mind. There’s no rush to solve every problem immediately, and that mindset has actually helped me become more productive in the long run.
On the technical side, I’ve definitely gained more confidence writing production-level code for real-world machine learning tasks. Before this internship, I had mostly worked on personal or academic projects, but here I’m contributing to tools that impact how cars are evaluated, categorized, and priced. I’ve been working on model evaluation pipelines and experimenting with ways to improve data preprocessing so that the AI models can better handle messy real-world inputs. It’s been exciting to see how even small changes in the code can make a real difference in the output and user experience. I’ve also gotten more comfortable using tools like Git, Docker, and various parts of AWS, which were things I had some experience with before but never used in a full workflow like I do now.
Beyond the skills I’m learning in the office, I’ve also noticed how my global competencies have grown just from living and navigating daily life in a different country. Earlier this week, I took a trip to Karlovy Vary, which is this beautiful spa town known for its hot springs and scenic charm. Spending the day there reminded me how important it is to be curious and open-minded when you’re in a new culture. They have public fountains that produce healthy mineral, warm, spring water. Even simple things like reading signs in Czech, ordering food, or figuring out the public transport require you to stay present and adaptable. There were a few moments where I didn’t quite understand what someone was saying or got lost in translation, but I’ve started to enjoy those little moments of discomfort.
The experience of living abroad while working has really helped me build resilience and self-awareness. I’ve had to rely on myself more whether it’s navigating a new city or figuring out how to manage my time when I’m juggling work, travel, and just day-to-day life. And even though I’ve had moments where I felt out of my depth, I’ve also found that those are the exact moments where the most growth happens.
Overall, this week has been another reminder of how much more there is to professional development than just what you learn on the job. It’s about how you adapt, how you communicate, and how you stay grounded while still being open to change. I’ve gained a lot of technical experience at Carvago, but just as importantly, I’ve learned how to be a more thoughtful, flexible, and globally minded person. I’m excited to see how these skills continue to grow as the internship progresses and how I’ll carry them forward into future roles.