Why Feedback Is Key To Development with Lou-Lou Pei

This year, we are doing Nasdaq’s annual internship program a little differently. As we navigate the novel COVID-19 pandemic, we have turned circumstance into a learning opportuniy for interns joining us this year to participate in meaningful and long-term projects. Through the Nasdaq Futures Internship Program, we offer a variety of professional experiences for emerging talent through an immersive 10 to 12-week virtual internship program.

From Stockholm to the U.S., meet few of the bright minds joining us digitally from all around the world. They are playing integral, hands-on roles to help Nasdaq Rewrite Tomorrow.

We recently spoke with Lou-Lou Pei interning for the NCCP department at Nasdaq, and majoring in computer science at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Tell us a little bit more about your role at Nasdaq.

I am a Software Development Intern at the Clearing Engine here at Nasdaq. During the internship, I get to learn a lot of interesting things that provide me with a deeper understanding of writing software in a large tech company. It is exciting to deep dive into the technical complexities of an electronic stock exchange and how the whole machinery works.

Why were you eager to do an internship at Nasdaq?

I was eager to do an internship at Nasdaq because I have heard great things about working here, as well as the idea of gaining an opportunity to broaden my perspective and gaining valuable experiences outside of University. One of the most important things that made me excited to start was the warm meetings with my manager Hanna and my colleagues. I think the most important part of a company is its people, and that is what they showed me.   

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about working here and on your team?

The most interesting thing I have learned about working here is to work remotely while still creating a connection with my coworkers. Even though everyone is working from their homes during COVID, I still feel a sense of belonging and community. This is no small feat, and I am grateful for having a team that walks the extra mile to make me feel welcome and supported, even in these difficult times.

Tell us about the most exciting project you’ve worked on so far.

During my summer internship, I am working on two separate but related projects. One of those is increasing the test coverage in the Clearing Engine through JUnit tests. The other is writing automated functional tests in the Omexus framework. I think both of these projects are interesting and very unique. If I had to choose, I think Omexus is more interesting but also the most challenging. Because it is a Nasdaq-developed framework, the way of working with it is very different than I am used to.

What do you hope to accomplish by the end of your time here?

By the end of my time here I hope that I have gained a deeper understanding of the underlying technologies and financial concepts in a way that I can produce solid and long-lived tests. I hope to be able to increase the test coverage significantly and in a sustainable way. I think the “sustainability” of code is very important, because it often changes and it should be easy to adapt it new standards and requirements.   

Your advice for interns next year:

My advice for interns next year is: Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions. Everyone has been in your position before, working in a new team with new technologies. No one knows all parts of a system but often know who to ask. Also, ask for continuous feedback, it is better to get feedback along the way rather than all at the end. That way, you have a chance to improve early on and will create a smoother development experience.