Meet Adam Badry, a final-year Computer Science student at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. For the past 16 months, Adam has been part of the SKYTRAC team as the Software Co-Op in our Kelowna office.
Early Beginnings
Adam’s curiosity in coding started in elementary school, when his fifth-grade instructor told him to learn to code since he was interested in Scratch. Adam picked up a book on programming with Java and has been in love with it ever since. When he started looking for Co-Op opportunities, SKYTRAC immediately stood out. His love for the aerospace industry was well complemented by the chance to work on aviation and satellite communication systems.
During his time in the office, Adam was exposed to the strict regulations and processes that come with designing products for the aviation industry. One of the highlights of his experience was supporting ADT-5000 testing, which gave Adam a perspective on the standards that shape aerospace products. Not only did he learn about the rules and regulations in the aerospace industry, but he also gained a great deal of knowledge about himself and the sort of environment where he would flourish.
Life at Skytrac
When asked to characterize the culture at SKYTRAC in three words, Adam quickly responded by, “open, dynamic, and demanding”. The openness came through in the way teammates were always ready to share knowledge or lend a hand, no matter how busy things got. The dynamic side of the team kept him on his toes, as priorities often shifted and projects evolved, giving him the chance to adapt quickly and learn in real time. And the “demanding” part? That was the fun of it. Being a part of a high-performance team, and pushing himself to do his best work left Adam satisfied at the end of every day.
During his term, Adam also got to dive deep into areas he would only touched in school. From real-time operating systems to concurrency in message-based architectures, he left with a much stronger foundation in low-level programming. Among all the projects, the ISAT-200A stood out as his favorite.
Learning real-time operating systems and refining my low-level programming was a blast!
Lasting Impressions
Adam’s achievements on numerous projects at SKYTRAC were made possible by the invaluable support of his team. He instantly acknowledged the mentorship he received from his teammates. Whether it was technical guidance, encouragement, his colleagues made a lasting mark on his Co-Op journey.
I am extremely grateful to Kellen for all the encouragement I received when tackling problems that felt out of my reach.
Advice to Future Co-Ops
If Adam could leave one message for the next wave of students, it would be not to hold back. As per Adam, the best way to learn is to lean in, ask questions, and treat mistakes as stepping stones.
Soak up information like a sponge, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. You can't learn without being corrected.
Life Outside the Office
Adam’s Co-Op was not all code and projects. Outside the office, he loves solving puzzles, going skiing, camping, and working on side projects. Some of his favorite memories came from outside the day-to-day work, such as monthly team lunches that gave him a chance to connect with colleagues in a more personal setting.
In the office, his fuel of choice was simple: anything with caffeine.
P.S- For Adam, these 16 months were a mix of challenges, breakthroughs, and plenty of caffeine. He walks away knowing more about real-time systems, but also about himself, the kind of environment he thrives in, and the value of having teammates who have got his back.
It is students like Adam who bring fresh energy and curiosity to the work we do. We’re excited to keep sharing more stories from our Co-Op crew. For career/Co-Op opportunities visit skytrac.ca/careers.
