By Joshua Ofori Otchere, Director of Software Development, and Yvon Leclerc, Vice President of R&D, Precisely
There is a pervasive conversation happening across the global technology sector regarding the future of software engineering in the shadow of artificial intelligence. Industry leaders, executives, and veteran programmers spend countless hours debating whether generative AI and advanced automation will fundamentally diminish the need for human software engineers, particularly those at the entry level. But for software development leaders at Precisely, that debate misses the point entirely. The reality is that AI has already transformed software engineering. The more pressing question facing the industry is what that evolution means for the next generation of developers, and whether companies possess the willingness to bet on them. At Precisely, the answer is a definitive yes.
In an era defined by rapid technological disruption and the mainstream adoption of AI, Precisely firmly believes that it is more critical than ever to continue investing in, recruiting, and mentoring junior developers. While skeptics suggest that AI tools will reduce the reliance on entry-level talent, the leadership team at Precisely views the landscape differently. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly changing how software is built, but it does not eliminate the fundamental need for human qualities such as curiosity, adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, and an eagerness to learn.
If anything, modern AI capabilities provide talented, driven developers with an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate their productivity. The capacity to ask the right strategic questions, deeply understand complex systemic problems, collaborate effectively with peers, make sound architectural decisions, and utilize AI tools judiciously matters just as much as knowing how to hand-write every single line of code. This philosophy was not merely theoretical; it was put to the test during the summer software engineering internship program at Precisely, yielding remarkable results that reaffirmed the company’s commitment to emerging talent.
Why We Decided to Act
The initiative began with a series of conversations in the spring. When leadership reached out to local universities to discuss the upcoming hiring cycle, they encountered a recurring theme of concern among students and faculty alike. University students were struggling profoundly to secure summer internship and entry-level positions, and artificial intelligence was shouldering much of the blame as companies tightened hiring budgets out of caution.
Recognizing the systemic threat this posed to the future talent pipeline, the leadership team at Precisely determined they could not simply remain on the sidelines. Within hours of identifying the challenge, company executives secured an approved budget specifically designated for a new student lab. The team quickly rented dedicated office space, mobilized internal resources, and devised an unconventional approach to sourcing talent: organizing a specialized hackathon designed to evaluate potential far beyond traditional résumé metrics.
What Did the Hackathon Look Like?
Rather than treating the hackathon as a rigid, high-pressure coding competition where students competed in isolation, Precisely flipped the script. The company’s engineering leadership team rolled up their sleeves and hacked right alongside the candidates. This collaborative environment allowed managers and senior developers to observe how prospective interns naturally approached complex problems, how they communicated and interacted with team members, the caliber of the questions they asked, and how they maintained resilience when encountering roadblocks. Most importantly, it provided a clear window into how candidates could take a raw abstract idea and transform it into something tangible.
The potential on display during the event was immense. For the summer term, Precisely Engineering welcomed a cohort of 12 interns across its various development teams. Notably, six of those interns are highlighted in this initiative, and four of them arrived directly through the hackathon-inspired hiring model, receiving their official internship offers on the very same day.
What Happened When They Joined?
Fast forward to the conclusion of the summer term, and the performance of the software engineering interns had far surpassed initial expectations. Demonstrating an impressive readiness for professional environments, each of the featured interns successfully pushed their first merge request within just two days of completing onboarding. Rather than remaining confined to sandbox exercises or auxiliary tasks, they consistently went beyond their initial assignments, embraced complex new challenges, and steadily grew their daily contributions to the codebase.
This hands-on experience reinforced a core belief held across Precisely Engineering: exceptional developers are not defined solely by the breadth of their technical knowledge on the day they walk through the door. Instead, they are defined by the velocity of their learning curve, their capacity for teamwork, their critical thinking skills, and their intrinsic drive to contribute meaningfully to organizational goals.
Meet Six of Our Summer Software Engineering Interns
The summer cohort brought diverse backgrounds, academic disciplines, and unique perspectives to Precisely, united by a shared passion for building impactful technology.
Anushka Tankala, a Computer Science student at Carleton University, noticed a distinct shift in company culture even before stepping into the hackathon. Rather than enduring a standard, bureaucratic application process, candidates were granted direct access to the product ecosystem and encouraged to let the quality of their work speak for itself. That supportive culture permeated her entire internship. Regardless of corporate seniority, she felt consistently supported and valued by her colleagues. "Nobody treated us like we were bothering them," she noted. Her most significant personal growth came from finding her voice—learning to push back constructively, speak up during technical discussions, and confidently admit when she lacked familiarity with a specific tool or concept. Tankala worked on developing new AI product capabilities, taking a project from initial conception through to production code utilized by real customers. Beyond the technical work, her most enduring memories include mountain hikes, Friday lunches that sparked lively debates over Ottawa’s best restaurants, and an offsite cottage trip featuring swimming, cliff jumping, and team barbecues.
Evan Buchanan, studying Computer Science at the University of Ottawa, was drawn to Precisely because of the company’s authentic embrace of artificial intelligence. He recognized it as an ideal environment to gain hands-on experience building AI agents, specialized skills, and Model Context Protocols (MCPs), and the internship delivered on those expectations. Buchanan highlighted the robust support system surrounding him from day one, noting that colleagues were always accessible and integrated him as a genuine team member. By the end of his term, he had successfully built and deployed operational AI agents, worked extensively with MCPs, and shipped code directly into a live production environment. "It was an environment where I felt comfortable contributing, learning, and growing," Buchanan said, noting that the technical foundation he gained would remain invaluable, alongside fond memories of team lunches, offsite excursions, and the practical lesson to always pack a sweater.
Farris A., who studied Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Washington, was struck during the hackathon by how seriously the permanent engineering staff engaged with student ideas, offering genuine dialogue rather than polite dismissal. That ethos set the tone for an unconventional internship term. Farris and his team pitched an ambitious product concept and engineered it from end to end. He also guided a separate project from an initial prototype all the way through to a fully deployed production service. Reflecting on the experience, he noted that "the last 10% is where the real work starts"—a lesson driven home when code that functioned flawlessly in development environments failed intermittently in production. The experience cemented the critical importance of testing in environments that meticulously mirror production infrastructure. He departs the internship with a clear vision for his future career: building practical AI products that solve tangible real-world problems rather than leaving experiments confined to local laptops.
Harkirat Nagpal, a recent Master of Engineering graduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Ottawa, was initially drawn to the hackathon by the power and openness of the Precisely MCP server, recognizing that building with it would provide the hands-on impact he sought. Nagpal was pleasantly surprised by the high degree of ownership entrusted to interns regarding both systemic influence and production responsibility. His defining moment occurred when he successfully shipped a fully functional AI asset marketplace, managing its transition from a rough prototype into a live production environment utilizing GitOps workflows. "That’s the moment I stopped feeling like an intern and started feeling like an engineer," he reflected. He plans to carry forward a mindset of true ownership—caring deeply about execution quality rather than mere task completion.
Waleed Samouh, a Computer Science Master’s student at Georgia Tech specializing in artificial intelligence, was attracted to Precisely by the corporate openness to novel ideas and the operational freedom to experiment and build freely. That empowering spirit characterized his entire tenure. Samouh was granted significant autonomy early on, contributing to systems that extended far beyond his immediate team’s scope. His greatest challenge and most rewarding accomplishment coincided: shepherding a new project from an abstract concept into a fully deployed AI platform and agent ecosystem. He emphasized that the confidence to tackle larger problems independently and construct end-to-end systems will remain with him long after the summer concludes.
Yassine Sahli, a fourth-year Software Engineering student at the University of Ottawa, felt immediately included by the energy of the Precisely team during the hackathon, long before his formal onboarding. His summer presented a rigorous challenge: conceiving a bold project from scratch and having just four weeks to bring it to life. Describing the experience as "exciting and exhausting in equal measure," Sahli views it as one of the most valuable milestones in his professional software development journey to date.
What Did We Learn From Our 2026 Engineering Interns?
The overarching takeaway for the Precisely engineering leadership team was a powerful reminder that elite technical talent does not exclusively arrive wrapped in years of industry seniority. Frequently, it manifests as raw curiosity, boundless energy, and an unyielding willingness to learn.
Yet, the most surprising aspect of the program was the extent of the reverse mentorship that occurred. Working alongside a generation of developers who navigated their formative years with artificial intelligence as a native tool rather than an afterthought fundamentally challenged the team’s existing assumptions. These students approached technical hurdles with unique perspectives, asking questions leadership had not considered, exploring alternative solutions that might have otherwise been dismissed, and displaying an openness to experimentation that highlighted the sheer potential unlocked when one has not yet accepted artificial limitations on what is "supposed" to work. Their viewpoints added tangible value across the engineering organization, proving that the internship was a genuine two-way knowledge exchange.
Through its engineering internship program, Precisely remains dedicated to fostering an environment where raw potential translates directly into measurable impact. To all 12 interns who joined the engineering teams this term—and particularly the six who shared their experiences—leadership extends its gratitude for their curiosity, energy, and substantial contributions. Whether they arrived via the hackathon pathway or traditional recruitment channels, they became integral members of the engineering organization and left a lasting imprint. In an increasingly AI-driven technological landscape, Precisely is not betting against the next generation of developers; the company is resolutely betting on them.
The organization continues to seek curious, driven developers to join its expanding teams. Interested candidates can explore career opportunities by visiting the official Precisely careers portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes an AI software engineering internship at Precisely different from a typical internship?
Precisely software engineering interns do not merely shadow staff or observe operations; they ship production code. The interns featured in the summer cohort each pushed their first merge request within two days of completing onboarding, directly contributed to real production systems, and assumed ownership of challenges extending far beyond initial assignments. The operational environment is centered on systemic ownership rather than routine task completion.
How did Precisely find and hire its summer interns?
Precisely Engineering welcomed 12 interns for the term, utilizing a distinctive hackathon-inspired hiring approach for a significant portion of the cohort. Candidates worked directly alongside engineering leadership to tackle real-world problems. Rather than evaluating isolated technical outputs, the evaluation framework focused on observing how candidates thought, collaborated, asked questions, and navigated professional challenges.
Do interns at Precisely work on real AI projects?
Yes. The summer cohort actively built and deployed operational AI agents, contributed directly to an enterprise AI platform and agent ecosystem, shipped a functional AI asset marketplace to live production, and developed novel AI capabilities—all within the span of a single summer term.
What qualities does Precisely look for in junior developers?
Core traits such as curiosity, adaptability, effective collaboration, and the ability to ask insightful questions are valued equally alongside technical proficiency. In a modern AI-driven engineering ecosystem, clear thinking, teamwork, and learning velocity are just as critical as prior coding experience.
Can students with no prior industry experience apply?
Yes. Several interns in the summer cohort joined with little to prior professional industry experience. What distinguished successful candidates was their approach to complex problem-solving rather than their pre-existing knowledge base upon entering the organization.
