Splunktern Spotlight: Artem Bryksa

It’s exciting to see our EMEA internship program grow from strength to strength, and this year, we welcomed students from across Europe to join us for a summer of Splunk!

In this Splunktern Spotlight, we're featuring Artem Bryksa, a Sales Engineer Intern based in Prague, Czechia. From tinkering with technology as a teenager to delivering Splunk demos to customers, Artem Bryksa has had a Splunkternship to remember! Read on to learn more about Artem’s story at Splunk.

Hello! I’m Artem and I’m completing my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the Czech Technical University in Prague. I always knew that I wanted to study Computer Science. Growing up, I loved tinkering with computers and was endlessly amazed to see what they could do. I’m so excited about the chance to develop my skills and knowledge at Splunk.

Tell us about your internship at Splunk.

I’m a Sales Engineer Intern and I would describe my role as a blend of technical and soft skills. At Splunk, Sales Engineers work with customers to help them to realise how the Splunk solution will help them to solve their data pain points. A Sales Engineer needs to know how to design the solution in such a way that will be best for the customer. As well as technical skills, effective communication and building a rapport with customers are essential.

This internship program has allowed me to learn everything from the ground up - from a simple overview of the products that Splunk offers and how to use them, to actually creating an app in Splunk Enterprise for my final internship project. It also challenges me to explore more on my own. For example, if I’m interested in learning more about our security-focused solutions, I can simply ask my colleagues, and they are always happy for me to shadow them or assist with their work as part of my learning process.

Why did you choose Splunk for your internship?

As cliché as this may sound, I’ve always aspired to work for a company that creates solutions for important challenges. By joining Splunk, I feel like I’ve realised this ambition. Splunk works on products that help many organisations to increase their productivity and resilience in a time when data plays an increasingly important role.

Company culture is also very important to me. I’d heard great things about the culture at Splunk, which encourages innovation, fun, and openness, among other values. After meeting Splunk employees during my interview process, I knew that this was the right place for me.

It’s been simply amazing, and has exceeded my expectations! I joined a team that’s incredibly open and welcoming, and despite being a complete beginner, everyone was very happy to help and support me. And not just my team; it’s a characteristic of Splunk as a whole! The culture of Splunk is one of the reasons why I love it here so much.

Even after just a few months, I’ve learned so much - not just about my role, but also about my career growth and how to develop my skills. I don't think I could have had a better internship experience anywhere else!

What has been the most exciting part of your internship so far? Tell me about some of your achievements since joining Splunk.

There are so many to choose from! But if I had to pick, I’d say that the most exciting experience was co-delivering a demo for a customer. This process required an initial discovery call to understand the customer's challenges, before presenting a possible solution. My mentor, Oscar, and I had meetings with the Regional Sales Manager (RSM) for the deal to discuss the products that we could showcase to the customer during the demo. I really enjoyed the entire process of engaging in discussions with the customers.

What advice would you give to future Splunkterns?

Be yourself. Show curiosity. And have fun! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one that you’ll always remember.

A few words from Artem’s manager, Ali Can Ozturk…

What was it like having Artem on your team? What is your experience of having an intern?

Want to learn more about the Splunk Internship Program? Visit our LinkedIn, or check out open Splunktern opportunities.