As a participant on Career 24, I interned at Autodesk Tel Aviv where I worked in software quality assurance automation. As a computer engineer, I knew that the start-up nation of Israel would be a great place for me to intern and experience a new working environment.
What I didn’t really realize before I left was that I was embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. As a participant in the program, I got to live with and develop amazing friendships with young Jews from around the world – our group of forty came from America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, England, South Africa, Russia and Australia. We traveled together all over the place, with program trips to the north and south, and to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. Because of the length of the program, we had more time to travel off the beaten path and settle into the rhythm of life in Tel Aviv. Every holiday was an amazing new experience – I was there for Purim, Passover, Shavuot, and Israel’s 70th birthday, which was incredible. Through Career Israel, I had an extremely special and moving experience on Yom HaShoah, when we attended the national ceremony at Yad Vashem, and on Yom Hazikaron, when we attended a ceremony with thousands of other Masa participants from different programs.
Every moment was something new – whenever I wasn’t working I was on the move with friends, visiting a new place or having a new experience. Being on Career 24 and living and traveling in Israel truly made me a more adventurous person. In addition to enjoying the work I was doing at Autodesk and furthering my technical and communication skills on the job, I also got to visit with my Israeli cousins nearly every week. Though I barely knew them before I came to Israel, they welcomed me so warmly and made me feel right at home. My experience in Israel was unforgettable, and I can’t wait to go back!
