Over the past year, we welcomed Bence “The Fonz” Nyitrai" to Cortex as a software development intern, joining us as part of his Web Programming with Cybersecurity degree at the University of Huddersfield. What started as a placement quickly became a full year of real product work, learning on the job, and shipping changes that will be used by Seeker users every day.
We caught up with Bence to reflect on his year at Cortex, what he worked on, and what he learned along the way.
What made you apply for a placement at Cortex?
I was looking for somewhere I could actually build things, not just shadow people or work through exercises. I did not have industry experience, but I was keen to learn and wanted to see what real software development looked like day to day.
Cortex stood out because it felt like a small team doing serious work, and I liked the idea of being involved in a real product.
What were you working on during your placement?
Most of my time was spent working on the front end of Seeker.gg. Over the year, that grew into a full redesign of the site, improving the layout, usability and overall experience.
I worked with JavaScript and .NET, and gradually took on more responsibility as I became more comfortable with the codebase. Seeing the redesign come together over time was very satisfying.
What was it like working on a live product?
It was a big step up from university work. Knowing that people would actually use what I was building definitely made me think more carefully about decisions and details.
I learned a lot about how front end work connects to the rest of the system, how changes affect users, and why testing and feedback matter so much.
What did you learn that surprised you most?
Probably how much collaboration matters. Writing code is only part of the job. Talking through problems, asking questions, and getting feedback early makes a huge difference.
I also realised how important small details are in front end work. Minor changes can have a big impact on how a product feels to use.
What was the best part of the placement?
Feeling like part of the team. I was trusted with real work and treated like a developer, not just an intern. That made the experience much more valuable.
Having access to learning resources like Pluralsight also helped a lot. It showed that Cortex genuinely invests in people learning and improving.
What would you say to someone thinking about doing a placement at Cortex?
I would definitely recommend it. You will learn a lot, get real experience, and feel supported while doing meaningful work. My advice would be to ask questions and take every opportunity to learn from the people around you.
What is next for you?
I am heading back to university with a lot more confidence and a much better understanding of how software development works in practice. The experience has helped me feel much more prepared for what comes next.
Are you interested in getting work experience at Cortex? We're always keen to hear from like-minded people, so if you think you might be a good fit, please get in touch.
By Sophie Lucassen
We popped “Passionate about building seamless brand experiences with a human-centred, creative, and tech-forward mindset” in to Google Translate and it told us that meant Sophie is right gooder at marketing stuff which is good because we have lots of crap and we’re stuff at marketing it.
Or words to that effect. Sophie joins us as our first non-developer-person (albeit with an active interest in learning what we do) which could easily a tear a hole in the delicate Cortex-space-time-continuity. Which is pretty exciting!