Telecommunication Networks Co-op at Nokia Provides Real-World Experience
Aman Kushwaha, ME’22, telecommunication networks, completed a co-op at Nokia as an Infrastructure and DevOps Intern setting up automation tools for data centers and optimizing pre-existing architecture to equip them with upcoming technologies. The MS in Telecommunication networks covering computer systems networking and telecommunications is an area as Kushwaha says that “every conglomerate, every infrastructure, every organization stands tall with the help of communications and inter-networking (internet).”
Aman Kushwaha, ME’22, is pursuing a Master of Science in Telecommunication Networks covering computer systems networking and telecommunications.
“Every conglomerate, every infrastructure, every organization stands tall with the help of communications and inter-networking (internet). The fact that we can have real-time conversations with people around the globe ignites a curiosity as to how far we’ve come. I feel we have yet to achieve the pinnacle of technology and it is inexplicably evident that we as young individuals have a lot to contribute towards networking and telecommunication,” Kushwaha says.
Northeastern’s master’s in telecommunications networks program is one of the most well-established programs in the United States and has an alumni network reaching more than 180 countries.
As part of the master’s program, Kushwaha completed a co-op with Nokia as an Infrastructure and DevOps Intern. His responsibilities included setting up automation tools for data centers and optimizing pre-existing architecture to equip them with upcoming technologies. Despite the pandemic, he began co-op in January 2021, working remotely. One of his projects involved deploying a new architecture for regression servers located in ten sites across the globe to store and fetch their status and regression information to their respective centralized servers. He also worked with automation tools (Ansible) to work around playbooks and design scripts to keep the servers updated to the latest version of the production code.
“As for the security end, I learned various methods to secure webpages from attacks such as an SQL injection, by using htaccess configuration file and how to operate them,” says Kushwaha. “A thrilling subject I also worked on was to use a fairly new method, i.e. asynchronous input/output libraries to concurrently fetch thousands of server statuses within a fraction of seconds, thus optimizing the real-time datasets exponentially and with maximum accuracy.”
Prior to starting his co-op, Kushwaha completed a number of robust classes, preparing him personally, professionally, and with technical skills. The mentoring of his faculty co-op coordinator and advisor increased his interpersonal communication skills, enhanced his professional networking ability, and so much more. He points to the Linux for Network Engineers course for laying the foundation for networking fundamentals and how infrastructures work on Linux distributions. Additionally, the Data Networking course gave him the opportunity to play around and become familiar with tools and services currently in use by telecommunication industries such as Cisco, Nokia, Amazon, and many others. The practices and tools learned in the classroom, Kushwaha applied on the job while he was on co-op, helping him to excel and contribute to his field of interest.
Kushwaha advises other students pursuing a co-op to “network with people in organizations of your field, a lot!” and “make sure you give your 100% because the next candidate will if you don’t…and don’t forget to follow up!”
As for his next step after graduation, Kushwaha says, “I prefer not to set limits on what I want to be but at the end of the day one should be happy with where they are and what the future holds for them, so keep learning…that is what I say to myself.”